Smith County Tax Office Cotton Belt Building is pictured in January 2023. In the county’s recently approved CIP, $5 million is allocated for improvements to the Tax Office Building in 2028, including potential property acquisition, construction, or renovation, to relocate the Smith County Tax Office outside the Cotton Belt Building, providing additional office space. (Tyler Morning Telegraph File)

Smith County Commissioners on Tuesday approved a five-year Capital Improvement Program (CIP) outlining priorities and establishing guidelines to address the county’s needs through 2029. While some projects are already funded for 2025, others remain in the planning stages.

The Capital Improvement Program serves as a living document that outlines the county’s current and future capital needs. In 2011, Smith County established its Capital Improvement Program, laying the groundwork for a structured approach to growth and development.

Since then, the county has reviewed and updated the five-year plan annually, using it as a strategic tool to align with the community’s vision and the county’s mission.

Projects fall into three categories: Building/Land, Facility Improvements and Technology.

• Land/Building: Land or building acquisitions and new construction projects.

• Facility Improvements: Major renovations, facility expansions, mechanical system replacements, roof replacements, and parking lot improvements.

• Technology: Technological advancements like hardware or software upgrades, network or telephone systems, and fiber optic construction.

For a project to qualify for inclusion in the CIP, it typically must have a cost of more than $100,000 and a useful life of at least five years. Smaller-scale projects, such as routine maintenance or replacements, are generally handled through the regular budget process.

By addressing these categories, Smith County ensures its infrastructure and resources align with the needs of the community both now and in the future.

From 2020 to 2029, the majority of capital projects (87%) focus on facility improvements, while property acquisition and technology each account for 5% and equipment makes up 3%.

In 2025, Smith County plans to invest over $9 million in capital improvement projects, with expenditures projected to range between $3 million and just over $7 million annually over the following four years.

Every potential project included in the Capital Improvement Plan must come back to Commissioners Court for approval. No specific project was approved, and no money was spent with the five-year plan’s approval on Tuesday.

Of the eight forecasted building projects next year, four have been funded at this time. It is County Judge Neal Franklin’s hope all the projects will be addressed, however the court will have to come back to vote to begin the process.

• $35,000 is allocated for the sealing and/or striping of county parking lots. Some parking lots require sealing and striping, while others need resurfacing.

• $1 million is allocated for roof replacements at the Central Jail. Roof replacements and major repairs will be made to county buildings to maintain Smith County facilities, prioritizing roofs nearing the end of their life cycle based on a county-wide roof study.

• $200,000 is allocated for conceptual designs, including architectural renderings of proposed building projects and required engineering studies. This also covers a feasibility study to assess the potential use and viability of existing county buildings for future use and renovation.

• $1,565,525 is allocated for jail improvements, which includes $1 million for general jail upgrades and $565,525 for the outer slide door project.

Those included to start in 2025, but not yet funded or approved include:

An estimated $2.4 million for property acquisition and the construction of a new location for the Animal Shelter/Animal Control facility, enhancing the health and welfare of the animals and offering a more accessible location for citizens wishing to adopt.

The current shelter, located at 322 E. Ferguson in a 12,070-square-foot building constructed in 1928, is in need of relocation to a less-central area away from downtown Tyler.

$2.7 million needed for the renovation of the Gulf States Facility to accommodate Facility Services. This renovation will transform the existing space into a functional area to support further growth. By renovating the Gulf States Facility, Facility Services will be able to consolidate equipment and supplies into one location.

An estimated $1.5 million needed for combined storage, which will fund the construction or renovation of additional storage space for multiple departments. This will create dedicated storage to replace the existing spaces used by various departments at the Gulf States Facility, currently undergoing renovations to house the Facility Services Department. Other departments also utilize the Gulf States Facility for storage and need separate, dedicated storage areas.

Projects planned for 2026 to 2029 include:

Building projects

• Parking lots are expected to receive $75,000 in 2026, $30,000 in 2027 and $25,000 in 2029 for sealing and stripping, and $450,000 in 2028 for overlay and striping.

• Additional funding for roof replacement includes $1.11 million at the North Jail in 2026, $1 million for the Juvenile Services Center and $30,000 for the Cottonbelt Courtyard in 2027, and $240,000 for the Emergency Operations Center Roof in 2028.

• In 2026, an additional $1 million is allocated for lighting improvements at the Central Jail, as the existing lighting control system on the 2nd and 3rd floors is becoming obsolete and needs replacement.

• An additional $2 million is allocated for the construction of the Animal Shelter/Animal Control facility in 2026, with $1.5 million planned for renovating the existing Animal Shelter building into office and meeting space in 2028.

• $500,000 is allocated for the renovation of the Facility Services Building in 2026 to provide additional office and/or storage space once the Gulf States Facility is renovated.

• $3 million is allocated in 2027 for the construction and renovation of the Record Service Building to provide a larger, downtown location for the growing department, which is currently housed in the Cotton Belt Building basement.

• $1 million is allocated in 2027 for renovations to the Annex, including upgrades to the 1st, 3rd, and 5th floors for county offices and the 2nd floor for the expanded Information Technology Department, following the relocation of courts and related offices to the new courthouse.

• $5 million is allocated for improvements to the Tax Office Building in 2028, including potential property acquisition, construction, or renovation, to relocate the Smith County Tax Office outside the Cotton Belt Building, providing additional office space.

• $3 million is needed for the Adult Probation Building in 2029 to provide additional office space, as the current facility cannot accommodate more personnel due to limited square footage.

Technology Projects

• In 2026, $1 million will be allocated for new courthouse technologies, a project separate from the construction costs of the new courthouse.

• $100,000 is allocated for electronic record storage in 2026 to meet the growing need for digital storage. This project will increase the capacity to transfer and store physical records electronically, reducing the space required for paper and physical storage; and

• In 2027, $1 million is allocated for dispatch console upgrades to meet the evolving technological demands of the county-wide dispatch system, as the current system requires an upgrade.

There are no land acquisitions or equipment purchases expected in the CIP for 2026 to 2029. It’s important to remember this is a living document and is subject to change. To remain an effective planning resource, the CIP is reviewed and updated regularly.

The CIP is the result of collaboration between the Capital Improvement Committee, the Smith County Commissioners Court, and department leaders. Each year, all project requests are thoroughly reviewed before receiving final approval from the Commissioners Court.

The committee is composed of the County Auditor, County Judge, Budget Officer, Director of Facility Services, Chief Information Officer, Director of Purchasing and Director of Communications.

Capital project financing will come from various funding sources, including but not limited to Pay As You Go (PAYGO), bonds, tax notes, federal and state grants, donations, and ad valorem tax allocations as determined by the Commissioners Court.

“These are all things you’ve been talking about for two years,” Precinct 1 Commissioner Pam Frederick said to Franklin. “All of them are needs. All are projects that we’ve been working towards.”