Atascosa-area judges, prosecutors and contractors press to keep regional medical examiner project; commissioners vote to take no action

Atascosa County and four neighboring counties heard public testimony and contractor proposals Friday as officials discussed whether to move forward with a regional medical examiner facility funded by a state grant.

Frontline prosecutors, family members and law enforcement described long waits for autopsy reports and the strain of sending bodies hours away. Leslie Carranza, first assistant district attorney for the district who represents Frio and LaSalle counties, urged commissioners to complete the project: "You have a duty to the people that live here to do right by them. And I ask you to move forward with this medical examiner's office." Erica Price, lead felony prosecutor in Atascosa County, said long travel times for investigators reduce time to pursue leads: "It is an incredible disservice to the people of the community to force law enforcement to take the time out of their day to drive an hour plus to do an autopsy." Rebecca Kaufman, a resident who described a family mining death, said, "We had to wait nearly 2 weeks to put my uncle to rest."

At a project presentation, Roger Roulette, co-founder of Integrity (Tegrity) Contractors, said his firm would enter a contract and continue value-engineering work to reduce costs but that the company was about $350,000 short of the county budget after preliminary reductions. "Tegrity Contractors is willing to enter into a contract with you... as long as the County is willing, in good faith, to consider and review all of the options that are available to you to get the price where it needs to be," Roulette said. He described specific savings already suggested (for example, using aluminum secondary electrical conductors and delaying installation of a second autopsy table while roughing the space in for future installation).

Audrey Lewis, who presented the project funding update and related timeline, said the effort received a $10,800,000 award through the governor's office (Operation Lone Star funding was discussed in the meeting material) and that the grant currently requires action before an August 31, 2025 deadline for the construction award or extension. Lewis reviewed an operating budget the project's medical-examiner consultants prepared and the proposed pro rata county shares for operations: Frio $161,000; LaSalle $58,000; Karnes $128,000; Atascosa $428,000; Wilson $435,000. The consultants also advised deferring an in-house toxicology lab and other expensive equipment until operations are established; the consultant's trimmed operating estimate shown at the meeting was roughly $1.2 million per year, down from a larger initial figure.

County officials focused on two questions: whether to proceed with construction now using the grant money (the committee and some commissioners argued the grant covers the building if the budget is tightly managed) and how to fund long-term operations once the facility opens. Several county judges and commissioners said they support the building but remain concerned about recurring operating costs. One commissioner summarized that commissioners must answer that question to their respective courts and taxpayers.

The project team said architect DRG and the construction committee have worked for more than a year; Integrity Contractors was the highest-ranked bidder from a five-firm procurement and has been negotiating value-engineering options. Integrity and the design team reported current construction estimates above the grant budget and presented options to reduce costs without eliminating building square footage. Integrity's presenter said the building price was roughly $865 per square foot in current proposals and that deleting small portions of square footage would not yield proportional savings because site work, utilities and specialized equipment remain fixed costs.

After discussion, Commissioner Gillespie moved "that no action is to be taken today," a motion seconded by Commissioner Bowen. The commissioners voted in favor and the motion carried. The effect was procedural: the court did not award the contract or take final action at the special called meeting; the construction committee and contractor remain authorized to continue negotiations and return recommendations to commissioners for decisions before the grant deadline.

The meeting record shows strong support from district attorneys, sheriffs and family members for a regional medical examiner office because of long report turnaround times and investigator travel burdens. Opponents or cautious officials pointed to recent changes — including more available outside providers and a slowdown in caseload growth tied to border conditions — and to the projected operating cost increases that will fall to county budgets each year. Several commissioners urged preserving the grant-funded building opportunity while continuing to refine operating budgets and contractor pricing.

Next steps described at the meeting included the construction committee continuing negotiations with Integrity (Tegrity) Contractors, the committee preparing a recommended contract or revised bid for consideration by each county's commissioners court, and county officials deciding whether to request a grant extension from the state if the group cannot finalize construction documents before August 31, 2025.

Notes: The meeting included public comments, contractor and architect presentations, and a formal motion by commissioners to take no final action at the session. The project funding and county operating-share figures were presented by project staff during the meeting.