Brazos County to budget $1 million for countywide master plan; commissioners discuss scope and timing

Brazos County Commissioners on Feb. 25 were presented with a proposal to budget $1 million for a countywide master plan intended to coordinate long-term facilities and capital projects across departments. The court’s presenter said the money would fund a consultant-led study to set priorities and a capital direction for the next several years.

County staff said the master plan matters because departments lack a single, public roadmap for where functions and facilities should be located as new buildings come online. The presenter said the plan would provide “a direction of where we're supposed to go” and that staff lacks capacity to produce that work internally.

During discussion, Commissioner Nettles and other commissioners debated whether to budget the full $1 million or a smaller placeholder such as $750,000; staff said a lower number could leave them dependent on contingency later. “If we budget a million and come in well under that, that wouldn't hurt my feelings,” one commissioner said. Staff cautioned that consultants typically require a full contract amount up front even if work spans more than one fiscal year.

Commissioners and staff also discussed practical next steps: stand up an RFP process, define deliverables tied to priorities (space needs, parking, deferred maintenance, and department consolidation), and allow the master plan to inform deferment or acceleration of other capital items. Trevor, a staff member involved in facility planning, said new buildings will be outfitted with current design standards and the master plan should guide how upgrades are scheduled.

The court did not adopt a final contract or vote that day; staff said they would include the $1 million figure in the proposed budget so the court could amend or remove it within the standard notice period before budget adoption.

The county will use the normal bid/contracting process to secure consultants and will return to court with scope and solicitation language if the funding remains in the proposed budget.