County Judge Lina Hidalgo was not in attendance due to taking personal leave.
The 15-page contractor safety record policy will apply to all county construction contracts worth at least $500,000—and at least $50,000 for subcontracts—that will be bid on after March 1, with some exceptions, such as sole source contracts. Contractors will be required to submit a safety record questionnaire as part of their bids.
While the vote for the policy went 4-0, Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey—serving as the court’s sole Republican following Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones’ win over former commissioner Jack Cagle—voted against a number of items approved by his three Democratic colleagues, including the county’s climate action plan.
Under the plan, the county is targeting a 40% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 through modifications to its internal operations.
“Not only do we want to reduce our emissions, but [we also want to] be financially responsible by lowering our operating expenses and going after clean energy funding opportunities,” Lisa Lin, the county’s director of sustainability, said in a virtual presentation to commissioners.
In his opposition to the plan, Ramsey said the plan left him with more questions than answers.
“We need to be sure we get the most bang for our buck when we’re trying to solve a problem and not just have a plan that looks good on paper, sits up on the shelf and [is] impossible to implement,” Ramsey said.
The next regular meeting of Commissioners Court is Jan. 31.
