Montgomery County commissioners approved naming Precinct 1 Commissioner Robert Walker to head special projects in the county as well as overseeing the 100-bed expansion of the Montgomery County Mental Health Facility on Jan. 7.

Two-minute impact

Walker requested oversight of the Montgomery County Mental Health Facility expansion project to be shifted to his office because the project is within his precinct. Special Projects Coordinator Brain Luly will take over overseeing the project and providing updates to the court, work previously carried out by Evan Besong, the former Precinct 3 chief of staff.

According to Montgomery County Purchasing Director Gilbert Jalomo, the county must move forward on awarding a construction bid for the project by June, and the project must be completed by February 2027 unless otherwise extended.
  • Design development: Nov. 20
  • Construction documents due: March 10
  • Bidding deadline: June 2
  • 50% completion mark: April 30, 2026
  • Substantial completion: Dec. 31, 2026
  • Completion: Feb. 28, 2027
The project will double the number of available beds at the Montgomery County Mental Health Facility, funded by part of a $50 million grant from the Texas Health and Human Services Mental Health Inpatient Facility Grant Program in 2023. The funding was allocated in Senate Bill 30 during the 88th legislative session.

Quote of note


"Brian [Luly] is my project operations guy, and it's a Precinct 1 project, so we can work hand in hand with anybody that needs to have any discussion on that project," Walker said.

What else?

Walker was also made the designated special projects oversight commissioner, which was formerly overseen by the entire court. Assistant County Attorney Amy Davidson said the move would allow for a more streamlined reporting and monitoring of special countywide projects such as the mental health facility and forensic center buildings.