Smith County Jail. (Tyler Morning Telegraph File)

Smith County Commissioners have approved an agreement with the UT Health System for inmate healthcare and approved other contracts for legal research and various projects.

The Smith County and the University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler entered into an interlocal agreement to provide healthcare services for inmates, which the court approved Tuesday.

The county will begin with an initial three-month period before conducting negotiations based on actual costs and reassessing staffing and services. The benefits of choosing this medical provider over the current one include:

Access to local staffing and medical providers from the UT system.

The UT system’s purchasing power and discounted rates for medication and materials.

A partnership with a regional medical provider and educational institution.

Access to on-site psychiatrists.

“… which is big in my book,” Smith County Judge Neal Franklin said.

The estimated cost for this three-month agreement is $905,301. The price is based on the level of services provided, an 8% administrative fee in addition to personnel costs, and pass-through costs associated with non-excluded medicine equipment or other items not included in the base fee.

The court heard a report on delinquent tax collection from Linebarger Law Firm.

It also agreed with Smith County and LexisNexis for premium services to the Smith County District Attorney’s Office for $60,624. The services include access to legal research and law enforcement investigative tools.

The court has renewed the contract signed in December 2022 related to the bids for the expenses of road and bridge materials. Moreover, the following roadways have been added to the Smith County Road Maintenance System: Thedford Farms, Unit 2; Thedford Farms, Unit 3; Aiden Creek; and Sunshine Estates.

The court also approved pipe and utility line installation requests at various Precinct 2 and 3 locations.

Smith County AgriLife Extension presented the court with a symbolic check representing 29,000 volunteer hours the program received through the Master Gardeners, Master Naturalists, the Educators Association, Purview Cooper Extension Service and 4-H clubs.

“If you multiply those hours times the dollar figure from the independent sector, it amounts to $892,485 if we were to pay those people as employees,” County Extension Agent Greg Grant said.