[3:59] Oh, okay. It hasn't come through yet. I
[4:02] just got it.
[4:06] Yes.
[4:20] » Good morning. Welcome to the Tuesday,
[4:22] August 19th, 2025 Tarant County
[4:25] Commissioner Court meeting.
[4:27] » It's okay. I now call the meeting to
[4:29] order.
[4:29] » Tim County,
[4:31] » Present.
[4:32] » Miles, Junior, Commissioner
[4:34] » Here. Alisa, Mr. Precinct 2
[4:37] » Here.
[4:38] » Matt Crouch, Mr. Precinct 3
[4:40] » Here.
[4:40] » Ramirez, Mr. Pre here.
[4:44] » All right. Today's invocation will be
[4:46] led once again by Tarant County
[4:47] Sheriff's Office Chaplain Frank Litkkey.
[4:50] Please rise for the invocation and the
[4:51] pledges to our flags.
[4:56] » Shall we pray?
[4:58] Father, we're thankful for this time
[4:59] that we have. I'm thankful Lord that we
[5:01] live in a county that recognizes you in
[5:04] a time like this. Pray, seek your help,
[5:07] seek your wisdom, and we seek values. I
[5:10] pray for the judge and the commissioners
[5:11] that you would give wisdom with the many
[5:13] decisions that they are that they take
[5:15] during the course not only of this
[5:17] meeting but of course of their day. We
[5:19] pray Lord for our leaders, our sheriff,
[5:22] his staff, as well as those that are
[5:23] working with the uh folks inmates that
[5:26] are incarcerated as well as the the
[5:28] officers on the street. We pray for
[5:31] them. We thank you for this day. We ask
[5:34] that you would continue to bless our
[5:36] nation, one nation under God. And I ask
[5:38] these things in Jesus name. Amen.
[5:41] » Amen.
[5:41] » Amen.
[5:42] » All right. Please join me in the pledge
[5:43] of allegiance to our flag. I pledge
[5:46] algiance to the flag of the United
[5:48] States of America and to the republic
[5:51] for which it stands. One nation under
[5:54] God, indivisible, with liberty and
[5:57] justice for all.
[5:59] » And now the Texas flag.
[6:01] » Honor the Texas flag. I aliance to thee,
[6:04] Texas. One state under God, one and
[6:08] indivisible.
[6:10] » Thank you. You may be seated.
[6:14] [Music]
[6:21] Good morning, Judge Commission.
[6:22] » Agenda announcements.
[6:23] » Oh, sorry, sir. Yes, sir. A couple of
[6:24] announcements this morning. Uh, first of
[6:27] all, item H1 under the criminal district
[6:29] attorney section.
[6:32] » Go ahead.
[6:32] » Item H1 under the criminal district's
[6:34] attorney session. We're going to hold
[6:36] that item until after closed.
[6:39] Uh item P33 in purchasing that's being
[6:44] removed from the agenda completely for
[6:46] today.
[6:48] And also item T1A
[6:52] is also being removed from the agenda
[6:54] completely today.
[6:56] And court members we have several items
[6:57] which have been pulled from consent. So
[6:59] this next batch are once again that have
[7:01] been pulled from consent. So the first
[7:02] one is I4 under elections.
[7:07] Also I5 under elections,
[7:10] [Applause]
[7:13] P35 under purchasing,
[7:19] T2A,
[7:24] and finally T3G
[7:28] and T3H.
[7:33] That's it, sir. All right. Thanks, sir.
[7:36] All right. Do we have any commissioner's
[7:37] court announcements?
[7:40] » Yes, judge. I have an announcement. I'd
[7:42] like to put out one last reminder and
[7:44] call for our 10th annual Healthy Lives
[7:49] Matters Alzheimer's Symposium that is
[7:51] coming up this Saturday, August 23rd,
[7:55] starting at 9:00 a.m. and we'll end up
[7:57] around 100 p.m. We'll be providing free
[8:00] of charge breakfast and lunch for all
[8:02] attendees. It is a great event filled
[8:06] with lots of resources for the
[8:08] community, lots of access to care and
[8:11] support for those who are caregiving for
[8:13] loved ones who are dealing with
[8:15] Alzheimer's and dementia. And I would
[8:17] encourage all those who have loved ones
[8:20] or friends of loved ones who are dealing
[8:22] with dementia or Alzheimer's to invite
[8:25] them to come out. We will be at Taran
[8:27] County College Trinity River campus. So,
[8:31] you can find out more information or
[8:33] register on our website, the county
[8:36] website. Just go to precinct 1 and there
[8:38] is a link for the Healthy Lives Matter
[8:40] Alzheimer's Caregiver Symposium. You can
[8:43] call our offices and register as well.
[8:46] So, we look forward to seeing all of you
[8:47] there this coming Saturday. Again,
[8:50] August the 23rd at 9:00 a.m. we will be
[8:53] at Taran County College Trinity River
[8:55] campus. Thank you.
[8:58] » What sir? We don't we don't do point of
[9:00] information from the audience. That's
[9:02] not going to happen. If you want to find
[9:04] a staff member, you can ask a question
[9:05] of a staff member. No more interruptions
[9:08] of the meeting for what you want asked
[9:11] or put out there. The I'm I am I'm not
[9:15] going to talk to you again before I have
[9:17] you leave. So, please be quiet.
[9:22] » All right. Any other commissioners
[9:24] announcements?
[9:24] » Yes.
[9:26] So, I wanted uh today to take this
[9:28] opportunity to recognize Texas State
[9:32] Representative Nicole Collier, who's uh
[9:35] who represents District 95, where each
[9:39] of you is sitting today. Um, I want to
[9:43] say thank you to Representative Collier
[9:45] for her principled
[9:48] stand in defense of legislative dignity
[9:52] and democratic representation.
[9:55] Um, Representative Collier spent the
[9:57] night last night on the on the floor of
[9:59] the Texas House after refusing a
[10:02] Republican
[10:04] demand to be placed under the watch of
[10:07] the state department of public safety.
[10:10] And when House Democrats returned to
[10:12] Austin after their quorum break uh over
[10:15] redistricting, the House Speaker
[10:17] announced that Democrats could only
[10:19] leave the House floor
[10:22] if they uh had received written
[10:26] permission
[10:28] and agreed to be under law enforcement
[10:31] escort.
[10:35] her refusal
[10:37] uh to do that is notable.
[10:41] Um
[10:43] while the others signed the permission
[10:46] slip, Representative Collier said, "No
[10:50] way, not doing it." And she stated this,
[10:53] these were her words. I refuse to sign
[10:55] away my dignity as a dulyeleed
[10:59] representative just so Republicans can
[11:01] control my movements and monitor me with
[11:04] police escorts. So, her refusal reminds
[11:07] me of the courageous acts of resistance
[11:10] throughout this country's history
[11:13] when people of color and people of
[11:16] conscience
[11:19] refuse to submit to systems designed to
[11:22] strip away their dignity and fundamental
[11:24] rights. Just as enslaved people who
[11:27] refuse to carry passes that control
[11:30] their movement, Representative Collier
[11:33] understood that signing such a document
[11:35] would be tantamount to accepting
[11:38] treatment as something less than a full
[11:41] citizen and elected official. And this
[11:45] situation
[11:46] reflects a broader pattern.
[11:49] I've witnessed personally the targeting
[11:52] and harassment of black women leaders
[11:55] who refuse to be intimidated or
[11:57] silenced.
[12:00] As an African-American professional in
[12:02] this role myself,
[12:06] um, I've experienced firsthand the
[12:08] disrespect,
[12:10] bullying, conspiratorial
[12:12] behavior from colleagues on this day and
[12:16] county executive staff who cannot accept
[12:19] inclusive leadership. Many of my peers
[12:22] in leadership positions like this,
[12:25] including Nicole and Jasmine,
[12:27] Congresswoman Crockett, uh endure
[12:30] similar treatment. But this extends
[12:32] beyond elected leaders. Um
[12:38] this goes to African-American women in
[12:41] boardrooms, in middle management, in
[12:44] blue collar supervisory positions um
[12:49] across our nation. So, Representative
[12:51] Collier's stand yesterday, which
[12:54] continues today, was a declaration that
[12:57] enough is enough.
[13:01] And so, rather than submit to being
[13:03] treated with surveillance and control,
[13:08] reminiscence of our nation's darkest
[13:10] chapter, she chose dignity and
[13:12] principle.
[13:13] And so for that courage and tenacity,
[13:15] I'm proud to recognize her strength and
[13:19] I'm grateful to her for her leadership.
[13:22] And I'll be going to visit her in
[13:24] Austin.
[13:26] Thank you.
[13:29] [Applause]
[13:29] [Music]
[13:35] [Music]
[13:36] [Applause]
[13:39] Uh any other commissioners
[13:41] announcements? I'll make one on uh
[13:44] empowering seniors. Uh mark your
[13:46] calendars October 2nd. Uh Judge O'Hare's
[13:49] office and precinct 3 are working
[13:51] together to put that on. It's going to
[13:53] be a great event for seniors. Go to
[13:55] empoweringceniors.com. You get a lot
[13:56] more information on it. If you want to
[13:58] be an exhibitor or a sponsor, uh you can
[14:00] also do that there. But we'd love to
[14:02] have a great turnout on October 2nd uh
[14:05] for empowering seniors. And and I will
[14:07] just say it's kind of a counter part to
[14:09] what Commissioner Simmons just said. I
[14:11] was actually in the Texas House in 2021
[14:13] when there was another quorum break and
[14:15] I was subjugated to be uh held in Austin
[14:18] for 30 days not getting to work on
[14:20] anything and every day I had to get a
[14:22] permission slip to leave the chamber as
[14:24] well. So nobody's being targeted,
[14:26] nobody's being individualized, nobody's
[14:28] being quiet.
[14:30] » It's all because they fled the state
[14:32] last time and measures have to now be
[14:34] put in place to make sure that they will
[14:36] stay and do their job.
[14:37] » And so just one second.
[14:39] » Yeah. If there's another outburst, you
[14:41] will be removed immediately. We're not
[14:43] going to do that up here today. I'll
[14:45] have an announcement in a minute. I'm
[14:47] looking straight at you because I've
[14:48] seen you do it three times. You'll be
[14:50] gone if you do it another time. Okay.
[14:54] » So, I want to
[14:55] » I'll move her now. Take the lady in
[14:57] green out.
[15:00] » Good. Goodbye.
[15:03] » Goodbye.
[15:04] » Thank you for coming.
[15:07] So, I want to applaud uh Speaker
[15:10] Burroughs and uh House Administration
[15:12] Chair Charlie Garren for making sure
[15:14] that the people of Texas can continue to
[15:16] do the work uh that needs to be done
[15:18] during the second special session.
[15:20] Drastic measures have to be used because
[15:23] uh of the first quorum break. So, I I
[15:25] appreciate the House leadership there.
[15:28] » Thank you. Uh on another note regarding
[15:30] empowering seniors. So this is an event
[15:33] that puts seniors together with
[15:35] caregivers
[15:36] uh people who provide services for
[15:39] seniors, help them to be able to get
[15:41] their Medicaid right, their Medicare
[15:42] right, all sorts of things. It's a great
[15:44] event extremely nonpartisan. It is
[15:48] something started really by Commissioner
[15:50] Gary Ficus
[15:52] many moons ago and then uh Judge Whitley
[15:56] took it up. We decided, Commissioner Fus
[15:59] and I, to combine it because it ended up
[16:02] kind of taxing some of the providers and
[16:05] they ended up have sponsored twice and
[16:07] it took money out of their hands uh
[16:10] instead of uh putting it into the hands
[16:12] of those who who need the help. So, we
[16:15] combined it to have one and uh it's a
[16:18] great event for seniors. I encourage
[16:20] everyone to send their friends uh who
[16:23] are seniors or who may be becoming
[16:25] seniors. It's a it's a wonderful uh
[16:28] event that puts a lot of people in a lot
[16:30] of good spots and gives health care
[16:32] checks and all sorts of things that's
[16:33] good for our senior community. Uh any
[16:36] other announcements from the DIS?
[16:38] » I have one. Um I would like to wish our
[16:41] colleague Matt Krauss, Commissioner
[16:44] Krauss a happy birthday. It's his
[16:45] birthday today. So happy birthday
[16:47] Commissioner Krauss.
[16:48] » Happy birthday Commissioner. Appreciate
[16:49] it.
[16:49] » Happy birthday.
[16:51] » Okay. Um,
[16:54] we are now to the proclamations and
[16:56] resolutions and presentation section.
[16:59] I guess before I get there, let me make
[17:02] a couple of announcements because once
[17:05] we only got one item on there and then
[17:07] we're kind of getting into the to the
[17:09] meat of our agenda. Um,
[17:13] my goal for today for everyone here is
[17:16] for you to get to say your piece in an
[17:19] orderly, respectful fashion. So there is
[17:22] a set of decorum rules that this court
[17:25] passed,
[17:26] another set that they operated by for
[17:28] many years that uh was passed by a
[17:31] majority of this court uh I believe
[17:33] about a year ago. When you sign up to
[17:36] speak, you promise to abide by those
[17:39] rules. So what I hope to see is everyone
[17:43] gets up, speaks, follows the rules,
[17:45] everybody can do it in an orderly
[17:47] fashion. I hope to not have to tell one
[17:49] person please lower your voice. I hope
[17:51] not to have to tell one person you
[17:53] cannot make profane remarks. Uh that is
[17:56] my hope but that's going to be up to the
[17:58] speakers. So do know I will enforce the
[18:01] rules. Uh I'm a believer in decorum. You
[18:04] may not be. Some people on this dis may
[18:06] not be but I am and I think a majority
[18:09] of Americans are. So we're going to
[18:10] enforce the rules. And part of those
[18:13] rules are once we get past the
[18:16] proclamation section, there are no
[18:18] outbursts. There is no applause. There
[18:20] is no rallying. This is not a political
[18:21] rally. This is a business meeting of the
[18:24] Tarant County government. So with that,
[18:28] we will now go to the proclamations,
[18:30] resolutions, and presentation section.
[18:33] Uh the first and only item on this
[18:35] section is a memorial resolution
[18:36] honoring Mr. JW Robinson.
[18:39] » Who's presenting this one?
[18:41] » I am.
[18:41] » Okay. Commissioner Miles,
[18:43] » Before I start, I would like to
[18:46] acknowledge and recognize
[18:48] Mr. Robinson's family. If you would
[18:51] stand when I call your name,
[18:55] Mrs. Robinson, Mrs. Aquanita Robinson,
[18:58] this is the wife and widow of Mr. JW
[19:02] Robinson,
[19:03] his daughter, Dr. Kiana Roberts
[19:08] and his granddaughter Natasha Robinson
[19:12] and his son-in-law Albert Roberts.
[19:19] We love you. We support you and we are
[19:22] here for you. Thank you for coming
[19:24] today. You may be seated.
[19:29] [Applause]
[19:35] Whereas the family and friends of Mr. JW
[19:37] Robinson were deeply saddened by his
[19:40] death on Sunday, July 27th, 2025.
[19:45] And whereas Mr. Robinson was born on
[19:47] June 20th, 1947 in Holly Grove, Arkansas
[19:52] to Timothy Robinson and Shed Robinson.
[19:56] And whereas Mr. Robinson received his
[19:59] formal education in the public school
[20:01] system in Holly Grove, Arkansas. Drafted
[20:04] into the United States Army and deployed
[20:06] into the heart of the Vietnam War, where
[20:09] he earned the National Defense Service
[20:12] Medal, Republic of Vietnam Campaign
[20:15] Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Overseas
[20:20] Service Bar, and Expert Qualification in
[20:23] marksmanship.
[20:25] And whereas Mr. Robinson worked in the
[20:28] construction industry after returning
[20:30] home to Kansas City, Missouri, then
[20:33] transitioned to the food service
[20:35] industry where he developed a passion
[20:37] and love for quality food and personable
[20:40] service. And whereas after learning the
[20:44] craft of signature Kansas City barbecue
[20:47] style, his family moved to Texas to open
[20:50] Parks and Parks and Robinson
[20:52] Construction.
[20:54] This business led to their personal
[20:56] construction of the now infamous
[20:59] Robinson's Barbecue located at 1028 East
[21:03] Berry Street, Fort Worth, Texas. This
[21:07] legendary barbecue pit pitmaster took
[21:10] Kansas City style barbecue and added his
[21:14] very own Texas twist.
[21:16] And whereas Mr. Robinson will be forever
[21:20] will be forever cherished by his wife
[21:23] Aquanita Robinson his children Lelle
[21:27] Robinson Hall Dr. Kiana Roberts
[21:30] grandchildren Natasha Robinson Kevin
[21:34] Dixon Albert Roberts III Carrington
[21:38] Roberts and a host of longtime friends
[21:42] and extended family. Now therefore be it
[21:46] resolved that I, Rodri Miles Jr.,
[21:49] Commissioner of Taran County Precinct 1
[21:52] and Commissioner Al Alisa Simmons, Taran
[21:55] County Commissioner Precinct 2, pay
[21:58] tribute to the memory of a beloved and
[22:00] honorable man, and extend our deepest
[22:02] sympathy to the members of his family
[22:05] and his many friends for their great
[22:07] loss. In witness whereof, we have here
[22:11] unto set our hands and caused the seal
[22:13] of Taran County to be affixed this
[22:16] seventh day of August, 2025. And on a
[22:19] personal note,
[22:22] I would like to say Mr. Robinson's
[22:25] barbecue spot was a formidable
[22:30] part of my upbringing in my childhood.
[22:33] As a student at OD Wide High School at
[22:37] lunchtime,
[22:38] it was not it was not unusual to see a
[22:42] host of my classmates and I driving down
[22:45] Eastberry to get to Robinson's Barbecue
[22:48] to get us a chopped beef sandwich, a bag
[22:51] of chips, and a soda for lunch. That was
[22:54] my daily meal for lunch. And it was the
[22:58] best chopped beef sandwich this side of
[23:00] heaven, let me tell you. And every time
[23:03] we would go and Mr. Robinson was there,
[23:05] he would greet us with the biggest smile
[23:07] and say, "Make sure you get enough." And
[23:10] so he will be greatly missed. His
[23:14] fingerprints and his influence is on the
[23:18] majority of the south side of Fort
[23:19] Worth, Texas. His legacy will live on
[23:23] not only through his family members, but
[23:25] those of us who were blessed to be in
[23:27] his presence and to be touched by his
[23:29] life. I thank God for Mr. Robinson and I
[23:33] thank God for his family. If the family
[23:35] will come at this time down so that we
[23:37] can take a picture with you with the
[23:39] memorial resolution.
[23:42] Let's all give the Robinson family and
[23:43] the legacy of Mr. Robinson a round of
[23:45] applause.
[23:51] My colleague reminded me I I got a
[23:54] little caught up. I move for approval.
[23:56] » Second.
[23:57] » Second.
[23:57] » All right. All right, we have a motion
[23:58] and a second to approve. Any discussion?
[24:02] » I I'll only say that working uh patrol
[24:04] in Fort Worth PD on the east side, um we
[24:07] also filled our bellies quite often at
[24:09] Robertson's barbecue and it was
[24:10] incredible. Still is.
[24:14] Uh we have a motion and a second with no
[24:16] further discussion.
[24:18] Uh all in favor, please raise your hand.
[24:22] Okay, passes unanimously. You're in
[24:24] favor. Good. I figured you might be. So,
[24:32] Welcome.
[24:34] Great night.
[26:06] Thank you.
[26:18] All right. Now we move to our consent
[26:21] agenda as amended.
[26:23] » Move for approval.
[26:24] » Second.
[26:26] » Uh we have a motion. Yeah, it takes a
[26:28] little longer to get back to this stuff.
[26:31] Uh we have a motion to approve the
[26:33] consent agenda as amended. And we have a
[26:36] second. You got it.
[26:44] All right. Any discussion on the amended
[26:46] consent agenda?
[26:48] All right, seeing none, all those in
[26:50] favor of approval, raise your hand. All
[26:53] right, passes unanimously.
[26:56] Now takes us to the regular
[27:00] section,
[27:01] starting with 10 A1,
[27:04] the administrator section, consideration
[27:06] of out of state travel requests.
[27:08] » Move approval.
[27:09] » Second.
[27:10] » Second.
[27:11] » We have a motion and a second to approve
[27:13] that item.
[27:16] Uh any discussion there?
[27:20] All right, seeing none, all in favor,
[27:21] please raise your hand.
[27:24] Passes unanimously.
[27:32] The next item is D1, budget and risk
[27:35] management.
[27:37] Do we have um any comments from the
[27:41] court?
[27:44] court wish to discuss anything related
[27:46] to the budget.
[27:47] » So there are no we have no items that
[27:49] we're presenting today for the FY26
[27:50] budget.
[27:51] » Okay. We have one speaker on the budget
[27:55] and that is Dr. Harriet Harold
[28:03] paper.
[28:18] A budget is a moral document. A budget
[28:22] is a plan. A budget is the foundation
[28:26] that lets county government serve its
[28:28] people. The goal of a budget is not
[28:31] simply to cut. Last week, we celebrated
[28:34] a low tax rate. You do know, of course,
[28:37] that a low rate also means fewer
[28:40] services. We owe residents honesty about
[28:44] that tradeoff.
[28:45] Here's how an effective budget process
[28:48] should work. Immediately after this
[28:51] budget passes,
[28:53] launch a strategic planning process that
[28:56] includes all elected officials and a
[28:59] true cross-section of Tarant County,
[29:02] urban and rural, business and labor,
[29:04] neighborhoods, nonprofits, faith
[29:05] communities, young people. Ground that
[29:09] plan in shared values, a clear vision,
[29:12] and a mission we all commit to. From
[29:15] there, build consensus on the county's
[29:18] top needs and prioritize them. And for
[29:22] each priority, define solutions with
[29:25] timelines, cost estimates, and measures
[29:28] of success. Only then are you ready to
[29:32] start to build a budget. Without that
[29:35] framework, departments compete, ideology
[29:38] fills the gaps, and power plays decide
[29:41] who gets funded. That is not leadership.
[29:45] It's roulette. And roulette produces
[29:48] unintended consequences that hurt real
[29:51] people.
[29:52] It is time for Taran County to be
[29:55] professional. I am not criticizing the
[29:58] hard work of our budget office. I am
[30:01] saying they've not been given the
[30:03] strategic tools to do their best work.
[30:07] Commissioners, your job is to lead.
[30:11] Leadership means being strategic. No
[30:15] more seat of the pants budgeting. Start
[30:18] a countywide strategic planning process
[30:21] now. Publish the values, the priorities,
[30:25] the timelines, and the price tags.
[30:28] Commit to a rolling three-year
[30:31] framework. Report progress publicly and
[30:34] adjust with data, not headlines. If we
[30:38] want the lowest taxes, say clearly what
[30:41] services we'll do without. If we want
[30:44] stronger services, say clearly what we
[30:47] will invest and why it matters. Either
[30:50] way, the citizens of Tarant County
[30:52] deserve clarity, consistency, and a
[30:55] plan. Budgets without strategy are just
[31:01] spreadsheets.
[31:03] Let's do better. Let's lead.
[31:07] Thank you.
[31:08] » Uh, any there is no applause here,
[31:11] folks. Don't don't make me have to deal
[31:13] with it. Just be respectful. Uh,
[31:17] anything else from the court members on
[31:19] the budget.
[31:21] Okay, moving on to item H1. H1 is held
[31:26] until after closed, but we do have a
[31:28] speaker.
[31:30] So, our speaker is Dr. Brooks McKenzie.
[31:41] I guess that's not Dr. Brooks McKenzie.
[31:43] Is Dr. Brooks McKenzie here?
[31:46] Is there a spillover room?
[31:49] » I believe only right outside.
[31:51] » Okay. Can y'all check and see if Dr.
[31:53] Brooks McKenzie is out there? I'm
[31:55] assuming they have microphones out
[31:56] there.
[31:58] » Is there some kind of speaker system?
[32:00] » Speakers out there.
[32:01] » Okay.
[32:01] » All right. I don't see a Dr. Brooks
[32:04] McKenzie.
[32:06] Doesn't appear to be one coming.
[32:09] So, we will now move to I1
[32:20] HIJ. We'll move to I1. Elections
[32:23] Administration consider to approve an
[32:25] order calling a special election on
[32:27] November 4th, 2025.
[32:31] » Move for approval. Second.
[32:32] » We have a motion and a second to approve
[32:36] uh this order calling the special
[32:38] election on November 24th. Any
[32:40] discussion?
[32:42] All right. Seeing none, all in favor,
[32:44] please raise your hand.
[32:46] All right. Passes unanimously.
[32:51] Next we move to I2, consideration to
[32:57] approve an order calling a
[32:58] constitutional amendment election on
[33:01] November 4th, 2025.
[33:03] » Move approval.
[33:04] » Second. All right. We have a motion, a
[33:05] second to approve that. Any discussion
[33:08] there?
[33:10] All right. All in favor, please raise
[33:11] your hand.
[33:14] All right. Passes unanimously.
[33:17] Now we get to I have it marked as
[33:20] another I2. I'm assuming we just got it
[33:23] wrong and it says I3. Whatever it is,
[33:26] it's consideration to approve proposed
[33:28] early voting and election day polling
[33:30] locations for the November 4th, 2025
[33:33] joint special and constitutional
[33:34] amendment election.
[33:35] » I move to reject.
[33:37] » Second.
[33:38] » Second.
[33:40] All right. We have a motion and a second
[33:42] to reject. Any discussion before we let
[33:45] Clint present his
[33:49] views?
[33:51] All right, seeing none, Clint, go ahead.
[33:53] » Good morning, commissioners. Judge,
[33:55] happy birthday, Commissioner.
[33:56] » Um, the last time we were up here
[33:59] discussing early voting locations, the
[34:01] court um told me, "Don't come back with
[34:03] the same list. Go do your homework. look
[34:06] at the the locations and bring forth
[34:08] something um that you can support and
[34:10] that you've done your some analysis on
[34:12] and something that will support the the
[34:14] voters. And so that's what we did. We
[34:16] went back, we looked, we looked at voter
[34:18] turnout, um looking at the locations, we
[34:21] calculated what is it, how how many
[34:24] voters can we actually process at a
[34:26] location per hour on average, that's 104
[34:29] voters per hour per location with an
[34:32] average wait time of about 10 and a half
[34:33] minutes. So that's kind of the peak
[34:35] velocity that we're looking at um with
[34:38] the max weight time or the average
[34:39] weight time. So as we were looking and
[34:42] especially our early voting locations,
[34:44] we went back and said, "Okay, 2023,
[34:46] what's our turnout?" That was the
[34:48] highest turnout oddyear election that
[34:50] we've had recently compared to 21 a 19
[34:54] um 23 had it. So I went through added
[34:57] 10% to that number to increase just for
[35:01] some growth. Um, traditionally we don't
[35:03] see 10% but went for 10%. And then uh
[35:07] calculated the velocity. How many
[35:09] locations would we need on the busiest
[35:10] day of early voting to process those
[35:13] voters? And it's 12. 12 v locations
[35:17] could process the busiest day of early
[35:19] voting in 23 adding an extra 10%. Um,
[35:23] and then we went back looked at same
[35:25] thing for election day. What's it going
[35:27] to take? Um unfortunately our odd year
[35:30] elections they just don't get the
[35:32] turnout. Um early voting we saw it had
[35:36] 10% the turnout that we saw in 2024
[35:38] during early voting in 23. And overall
[35:42] for the 23 election even though it was
[35:44] higher it still didn't even hit 13%
[35:46] voter turnout. Um, so on election day,
[35:49] doing the math, looking at it, it would
[35:51] take approximately 80 locations to
[35:53] handle the volume of voters that that we
[35:56] would receive even with the 10%
[35:58] increase. Clearly, um, we have many,
[36:02] many more locations like that available
[36:04] or for available that we could use um,
[36:06] and had used in the past. So then we
[36:09] went back and looked and said, okay, if
[36:11] if 12's what'll handle it,
[36:14] how do we make cuts? Where do we look?
[36:16] How do we make sure we get the best
[36:17] locations we can? So, we started every
[36:19] every location, it has to be ADA
[36:21] compliant. That's the first thing we
[36:22] look at. We check make sure that every
[36:25] single one of our locations is ADA
[36:27] compliant. And then we went back and we
[36:29] looked at the voter turnout. Where do
[36:30] the people choose to show up? Um, and we
[36:33] couldn't just take, you know, the 12
[36:35] highest turnout locations and throw
[36:37] those on a map because it clearly it
[36:39] puts them all in specific areas and and
[36:41] you have big gaps all over the map. So,
[36:43] we also had to look at how do we get
[36:45] locations spread around the county uh to
[36:48] to ensure that there is accessibility
[36:50] the the distance isn't too great uh for
[36:53] anybody to get there. And in doing that,
[36:55] we looked if we had two locations that
[36:57] were really really close to each other,
[36:59] the location that had the higher turnout
[37:01] was the one we would keep in in order to
[37:03] get there. And we also looked at the
[37:05] spaces in in the polling locations. Are
[37:08] they large enough to allow us to to have
[37:10] more equipment than normal? If we're
[37:12] going to use a few less locations, can
[37:15] we add some equipment to ensure that
[37:17] we're we're not creating extra lines and
[37:19] we can we can process these voters? And
[37:21] so we picked locations that that did
[37:23] have that space. And then um more
[37:26] importantly for early voting than
[37:29] election day uh recent legislative
[37:32] changes call for election equipment um
[37:35] when it is stored or when it's being
[37:37] used during the election it must be
[37:39] stored in a in a separate locked room.
[37:42] Uh, so we looked at our polling
[37:44] locations that gave us that for early
[37:46] voting that had the separate locked room
[37:48] because anything that would be in a
[37:49] common area would require the staff to
[37:51] tear everything down every night, store
[37:54] it, lock it up, then set everything up
[37:56] in the morning. And generally during
[37:58] election, we only set the equipment up
[37:59] once and we tear it down once. So doing
[38:01] that for 12 days, obviously you
[38:03] introduce a lot of risk um to the
[38:06] locations opening on time, um equipment
[38:09] breaking due to the use. Um, so we
[38:11] looked at those locations that that were
[38:13] going to give us
[38:15] and meet those types of requirements.
[38:19] Um, on the list you're going to see that
[38:20] there there are four locations that
[38:22] weren't used in 23 and that's um Forest
[38:26] Hill, the town hall. That's that takes
[38:28] the place of the Forest Hill Community
[38:30] Center. That was a decision Forest Hill
[38:32] made um in order to switch that
[38:34] location. Um then we now have the
[38:38] Arlington Active Center which is taking
[38:40] the place of the Run Wright Library. Um
[38:44] it's a brand new space. They're giving
[38:46] us a much bigger space. It's very close
[38:48] to the Run Wright Library and it's just
[38:51] a much better space and we'll be able to
[38:53] better handle the voters. So, um we're
[38:55] very thankful that that the city of
[38:56] Arlington is allowing us to use that
[38:57] one. Um and then we looked at the the
[39:00] North Park YMCA.
[39:02] Um they allowed us to move in to replace
[39:04] the Golden Triangle location. Although
[39:06] Golden Triangle would get good turnout,
[39:09] the parking and in and out was was very
[39:11] very difficult. And what end would end
[39:13] up happening is voters would park in the
[39:17] field across the street and they would
[39:19] play Frogger across Golden Triangle to
[39:21] get to the polling location. Um so
[39:23] obviously not the best situation and we
[39:25] were able to find a better one for that
[39:26] one. And then um you'll see that we have
[39:29] Sagenov Public Library which is taking
[39:32] the place of
[39:35] um TCC Northwest which took the place of
[39:38] Eagle Mountain Sagen ISD building
[39:40] because the Eagle Mountain Saga ISD
[39:42] building is no longer there. They tore
[39:43] it down. Um so we we had shifted to DCC
[39:47] Northwest but then we were able to get
[39:49] the Sagena Public Library which has far
[39:51] better parking a much better space to
[39:53] utilize to assist the voters. So, with
[39:56] all of the proposed locations, um, we're
[40:00] looking at an average distance of about
[40:01] 4 and a half miles between locations.
[40:03] Now, there is the longest distance is 10
[40:06] miles, and it's the AEL um, ISDPD up
[40:09] there in the northwest corner with the
[40:10] lake. There's we just don't have
[40:13] anything else around it. Um, now these
[40:17] recommended lists are the bare minimum
[40:21] that we would recommend. Um, we wouldn't
[40:23] recommend going any lower than this um
[40:26] to to assist the voters. Um, when we
[40:30] were looking there, there were a few
[40:32] that I wanted to brief the court on that
[40:33] that were very very tough decisions. And
[40:35] when we were looking at getting the down
[40:38] to the bare minimum, that's that's what
[40:41] this list includes. But KO Community
[40:43] Center is is one location that that we
[40:46] really really struggled with um in
[40:48] including on the list. But again, we've
[40:51] got down to the bare minimum knowing
[40:53] that the court can can make changes and
[40:55] um if they wish to add could um it it
[40:58] where it's located turnout it's it's
[41:00] right there kind of in that gray area
[41:02] and it very easily could have been added
[41:04] to the list. Um the other location is
[41:06] the Legacy Learning Center. although
[41:09] very low turnout, it's it's kind of up
[41:11] in the north section there and there's
[41:13] just not a lot around it and uh could
[41:16] also would be um a good one to consider
[41:18] adding to the list of the 24. And then
[41:21] um the last area we looked at is in the
[41:25] North Richland Hills area. We had a
[41:28] group of four locations that really are
[41:30] right on top of each other and but
[41:32] there's there's still really good
[41:34] turnout in that area and the Bedford
[41:36] Public Library gets the most turnout in
[41:38] that area and looking at our decision to
[41:41] pick the location that gets the best
[41:42] turnout. That's the one that that we
[41:44] ended up choosing. But due to the
[41:47] turnout in that area, um we could see
[41:50] adding either of the um Northeast Subort
[41:54] House or the Brookside Community Center
[41:56] to to assist with that volume. So again,
[41:59] this is kind of that that bare minimum
[42:01] that we believe we can execute and and
[42:05] pull off the election. the election day
[42:08] locations. There was a change in the
[42:10] statute in 23
[42:13] that required
[42:15] changed how we calculated the bare
[42:16] minimum and that got us to a required
[42:19] number of locations of 347.
[42:22] The legislature this past legislative
[42:24] session went back rescended that pulled
[42:27] it back to what it used to be and now
[42:29] the the number of locations that we must
[42:32] have on election day is 212. The list
[42:35] before you has 214 locations. Um, we
[42:39] didn't go all the even though the math
[42:41] says 80. Um, we didn't go all the way to
[42:44] 212 because to leave a little bit of
[42:46] wiggle room if generally something does
[42:48] happen to a location between now and
[42:50] election day, one falls off, pipes
[42:52] burst, things happen in order to make
[42:54] sure that that we hit that mark. Um, but
[42:57] 212 is as far as we could go. And again,
[42:59] we were looking at locations, which one
[43:01] provides the best voter access in the
[43:04] use. Um, something else that to consider
[43:07] is we have recently had um several
[43:11] entities are sending us their notices
[43:13] that they're going to be joining in in
[43:14] the election. And then the entities can
[43:16] choose on their own to to add locations
[43:19] that they pay for for for their um
[43:22] elections. And the ones that we would
[43:24] anticipate probably doing that um are
[43:27] Halum City, which usually they they use
[43:30] the city senior center andor the Halum
[43:33] Library. Um the city of River Oaks and
[43:36] they may request the River Oaks annex.
[43:38] City of Hurst, they may request the
[43:40] Brookside Center. Um we got the city of
[43:43] North Richel Hills and they they most
[43:46] likely would pick either the city hall
[43:48] or the the library. Um and then
[43:51] Northwest ISD is has just called a
[43:54] special election and they they may in
[43:57] turn want the Legacy Learning Center and
[44:00] then uh Kennedale also has is on there
[44:02] and they may request Doberh Hall um when
[44:05] and joining in those elections. So
[44:08] that's that's kind of the
[44:10] 10,000 view of of what we did, what we
[44:13] went back and considered to get to this
[44:15] again. This this proposal is the bare
[44:17] minimum that that we believe we could
[44:19] use to to have a good election. Um but
[44:24] there there were some some tough cuts
[44:26] that that were made and we could see um
[44:28] adding a few as well.
[44:29] » All right. I have some questions for
[44:30] you. How much does this save over the
[44:33] last election?
[44:35] » Over the last election, I didn't
[44:37] calculate. We were looking at the the
[44:39] just the reduction in cost of polling
[44:40] locations and it's over a million
[44:41] dollars. Okay.
[44:43] Did any member of this court
[44:46] ask you to put something on this list or
[44:49] take something off this list?
[44:53] » So after it was published obviously I
[44:56] received some phone calls and was asked
[44:57] to make changes to the list.
[44:59] » Okay.
[44:59] » Um
[45:00] » Let me then let me let me start with
[45:01] this. Did anybody prior is this your
[45:04] list?
[45:05] » So this elections list is
[45:07] » Yes this is elections list. myself, my
[45:08] team, every location that was
[45:10] recommended is a location that we
[45:12] recommended. Every location that didn't
[45:15] did not make the cut that we cut was a
[45:18] location that we chose to cut. Not a
[45:20] member of the court selected any one of
[45:22] those locations or asked us to remove
[45:25] any of those locations. This this
[45:27] proposal is purely ours um and and our
[45:29] recommendations.
[45:30] » Okay. So,
[45:32] um,
[45:34] after
[45:36] the county went to countywide voting,
[45:39] which I believe was 2019,
[45:42] is that right?
[45:43] » Correct.
[45:45] Elections told the court, not a single
[45:48] member is sitting here today that
[45:50] received this, but elections told the
[45:52] court after a handful of elections, they
[45:55] would go back and look at what they
[45:57] could cut because
[46:00] it with the countywide, you can now vote
[46:03] anywhere.
[46:05] Can you confirm what I just said to be
[46:07] accurate?
[46:07] » Correct, Judge. the the my understanding
[46:10] the uh the initial agreement was we're
[46:12] going to use everything that we have and
[46:13] then eventually they would go back and
[46:15] look at the locations and then reduce in
[46:18] areas that they thought they could um to
[46:20] get the cost savings. Unfortunately that
[46:22] that didn't happen prior to me then 23
[46:24] with the legislative change mandating
[46:27] that that 347 polling locations. It just
[46:31] didn't give us the room. Um if you all
[46:33] remember we were scrambling to get to
[46:37] 347 just to meet the requirement.
[46:39] » Does um
[46:42] so the first time this analysis was
[46:44] actually done was in was for ahead of
[46:47] this 2025 constitutional amendment
[46:50] election.
[46:50] » Correct. Okay. Besides the
[46:53] constitutional amendments,
[46:55] um, which I would venture to guess 99%
[46:57] of the public cannot name a single thing
[46:59] on there, and if they can name it, it's
[47:01] the homestead exemption.
[47:04] I know there's Senate District 9 is on
[47:07] there. Is there any other election for
[47:10] office?
[47:13] » For office, I don't believe so. I
[47:15] believe most of the cities are
[47:16] propositions.
[47:17] » Okay. Um
[47:20] » So um is there any law that requires us
[47:22] to have the same amount of same amount
[47:24] of polling locations for each election?
[47:26] » No.
[47:27] » Okay. Um
[47:30] how much does it cost to operate
[47:33] approximately? It's probably different
[47:34] for each one. How much does it cost
[47:36] approximately to operate one early
[47:38] voting location?
[47:39] » On average a little over $10,300.
[47:43] So, I went we went back and looked at
[47:46] some numbers. And so, I'm looking at the
[47:50] 2023
[47:53] constitutional amendment election.
[47:56] We had an early voting location that
[47:59] had, and I I did some math. My math
[48:01] could be off by a handful of hours,
[48:05] but uh we had one location that had over
[48:09] the course of what I believe was 12 days
[48:11] of early voting
[48:13] and
[48:15] I I think it was about 120 hours of
[48:18] being open. We had one location that had
[48:21] 95 people vote the entire time.
[48:23] » Correct.
[48:24] » We had another location that had 116
[48:26] people vote the entire time. So 10, if
[48:31] you just do some quick math, that lowest
[48:34] one, literally less than eight people
[48:36] per day,
[48:38] less than a voter per hour.
[48:42] And so you've gone through and cut a lot
[48:44] of those locations for 2023,
[48:47] » Correct?
[48:48] » This is not your recommended list for
[48:51] 2025, is it?
[48:53] » No, it's not, Judge.
[48:53] » Okay.
[48:59] There were several legislative changes.
[49:01] You you briefly mentioned that. One of
[49:03] them was the Springer bill
[49:07] that came out and said you had to have
[49:09] one voting location in 2023,
[49:12] I think is when they passed it. You had
[49:15] to have one voting location for every
[49:16] two precincts. There was some more
[49:18] nuance to it, but that was it. That's
[49:20] what required us to have 347.
[49:23] multiple counties, multiple elected
[49:25] officials complained, said, "You're
[49:27] making us waste money." I think LA, I
[49:29] think for the presidential election, how
[49:31] many total votes were there? 830
[49:33] something thousand.
[49:34] » Yes, Judge.
[49:35] » And we had 349 locations on election day
[49:38] and it was 20% of the vote
[49:40] approximately.
[49:42] » Close a little over 20%. Yes, Judge.
[49:45] » Um, and we had locations that were
[49:47] vacant for hours.
[49:50] » Yes, Judge. So
[49:53] they changed the Springer bill as it
[49:55] became known down in Austin to that
[49:58] allows us to go down to what on election
[50:02] day locations
[50:03] » 212
[50:04] » 212 and so your recommendation 214
[50:07] » Correct
[50:07] » All right so last
[50:10] year I guess it was when we had this
[50:12] discussion
[50:14] and I did not pull this information so
[50:16] this is purely from memory but on uh
[50:20] election day
[50:23] we had one precinct with a 100 locations
[50:26] and another precinct with 80 locations
[50:29] are the numbers that stick out in my
[50:31] head and then another one maybe had 82
[50:33] maybe had 84 and I think the message
[50:36] that was delivered by a majority of
[50:38] folks up here was
[50:41] it's too late now to go create
[50:42] uniformity but we want something more
[50:46] evenly balanced. Is this more evenly
[50:49] balanced?
[50:50] » Yes, there's a difference of one between
[50:53] the precincts.
[50:54] » Okay. Um
[51:01] I told you I said it was 839,000. It was
[51:03] 828,000 people.
[51:06] 544 voted in 2024
[51:10] election and the 2023 election had
[51:13] 156,220.
[51:16] So uh
[51:20] what is that? I mean that is is that 20%
[51:23] even? It's not even 20%.
[51:30] There was one one other question.
[51:33] One of the legislative changes
[51:37] said something to the effect of this
[51:39] past session said something to the
[51:42] effect of
[51:46] And as you talked about it when you
[51:47] picking up pack picking up pack up every
[51:50] day there has to be a secure room for it
[51:53] to happen for it to be in that you have
[51:56] access to at all times.
[51:58] » Correct.
[51:59] » Were there any
[52:01] locations that said they could not
[52:03] accommodate that?
[52:05] » The specifically two that we reached out
[52:07] to UTA and TCC TCC Southeast both said
[52:11] that they could not accommodate that.
[52:12] Okay. All
[52:16] right, I think that's all the questions
[52:17] I have.
[52:19] » Any other questions or comments? Go
[52:21] ahead.
[52:21] » I've got one. Clint, thanks for all your
[52:23] work on this and to your staff. I know
[52:24] it was painstaking, took a lot of time.
[52:27] What kind of partisan analysis went into
[52:30] these decisions?
[52:31] » Zero.
[52:32] » Okay. Thank you.
[52:37] » So, um,
[52:38] » Commissioner Ramirez just rec
[52:39] » Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't see.
[52:41] » Go ahead if you'd like. Oh, you're
[52:43] you're fine.
[52:46] » I jumped I jumped in and did go for it.
[52:49] Go ahead. Go ahead.
[52:49] » Because I'm you know I'm longwinded. Go
[52:51] ahead. Go ahead.
[52:52] » Okay. So, uh it it was good to hear some
[52:55] details from our election administrator
[52:59] today. Um but let's let's kind of talk
[53:02] about process. Um and you just heard a
[53:06] previous speaker discuss process uh with
[53:10] regard to the budget. Um,
[53:14] and I don't know if anyone up here wants
[53:17] to admit to having had input on these
[53:20] list. Um, or how about
[53:25] did the elections administrator
[53:28] schedule meetings with you or your staff
[53:30] to go over this? Probably could have
[53:33] gotten a lot of your great questions
[53:35] answered if if he had stopped by and
[53:38] visited uh with each of us. Like it's
[53:41] customary when executive staff has
[53:45] policy, procedure, changes, initiatives,
[53:49] ideas, you come and get our input um and
[53:53] feedback and try to go and mash it up
[53:56] and make it work. Uh but that that
[53:59] didn't that didn't happen. So, I saw the
[54:03] um list on the agenda, called him,
[54:06] talked to him about an hour and asked
[54:09] for
[54:10] analysis. Where's your where's your
[54:13] analysis? Where's your data? Um,
[54:17] and he got this got this to got this to
[54:22] me on Sat Saturday.
[54:26] that that's that's not
[54:28] analysis and data um of the election
[54:33] process
[54:35] uh for a county of 2.2 million people.
[54:40] Um so I don't have
[54:44] faith. I don't trust the process that
[54:46] was used. It wasn't um
[54:50] forget forget the commissioner's court.
[54:52] It wasn't transparent to you. there was
[54:55] no opportunity to participate, give
[54:57] input. There are a good number of you in
[55:01] that audience that knows elections,
[55:06] polling places, the whole gamut better
[55:08] than any of us and even better than
[55:11] Clint. Um, and so to not go to the
[55:15] community, the parties, the
[55:18] commissioner's court,
[55:20] um, I have a I have a problem with that.
[55:23] So there's no evidence
[55:26] that due diligence was um conducted by
[55:32] um the elections administrator. He
[55:34] single-handedly
[55:36] developed these lists without guidance
[55:39] and input from the five member governing
[55:42] body u the top leadership in this
[55:46] county. So to to me today is not a day
[55:50] to vote on these list. Um,
[55:55] we I think we need to have a special uh
[55:58] a specially called meeting um to to
[56:02] settle this issue. Get get me the data.
[56:05] I'm interested in the data. It sounds
[56:07] like the judge is yet a lot of
[56:08] questions. Um to see how we got here.
[56:13] How did we get to a place where we will
[56:17] be causing massive voter confusion?
[56:21] Let's let's just start with that. Um
[56:25] impeding
[56:26] and limiting access to the ballot box.
[56:31] There these voters, me included. You can
[56:34] call me a senior citizen if you want to.
[56:36] I'm 62. Um
[56:40] have a specific place they like to vote.
[56:44] I
[56:46] am stunned that you and they people out
[56:50] there probably stunned too about
[56:52] particular sites. I'm stunned that you
[56:56] uh removed the Bob Duncan Center in
[56:59] Arlington. It is incredible. Senior
[57:02] citizens,
[57:03] white um Hispanic and some black that
[57:09] frequent the Bob Duncan Center. I I
[57:12] could go on, but um I I think that
[57:16] um you know, I would amend my motion to
[57:20] to table this so we can at least get the
[57:23] data, be able to analyze it as court
[57:26] members, um give input. You mentioned
[57:30] the new state law uh with regard to I
[57:34] think secure rooms at um colleges and
[57:38] universities. I have relationships with
[57:40] my college presidents. I could text them
[57:43] and say, "Hey, can you get us a secure
[57:45] room?" And I I just I don't think that
[57:48] would be a problem. But you didn't you
[57:50] didn't check check with the people who
[57:54] know their precincts extremely well with
[57:58] the people who are connected to the
[58:01] people. Um
[58:03] » Actually commissioner specifically with
[58:05] UTA I did reach directly out to your
[58:07] office and ask if you could make contact
[58:10] on the the instru when I was looking at
[58:12] going in the instruction I received from
[58:13] your office is that you yourself wanted
[58:15] to handle that communication. I did
[58:17] follow up and spoke with Gabe and he he
[58:19] had mentioned that he had looked and
[58:21] they were not willing to move us out of
[58:23] um that community center or the the
[58:27] Maverick Center.
[58:28] » Okay. Um so my My aim here is to
[58:34] not vote on this today until we get some
[58:39] data um that we can that we can look at.
[58:44] » So, is that an amendment to your own
[58:46] motion?
[58:47] » Yes, I can. Um
[58:48] » And what is your amendment?
[58:50] » Uh
[58:51] I move to amend my motion to table the
[58:55] vote on the list today.
[58:57] » Why don't you just revoke your motion?
[59:00] um your original motion.
[59:01] » I'll ask the
[59:02] » Withdraw your withdraw your amendment.
[59:04] Withdraw your motion and make a new
[59:06] motion.
[59:06] » I'll take I'll take my advice from
[59:08] council.
[59:09] » Either way is fine, Commissioner. Um I
[59:12] would suggest uh here to be clear on
[59:15] what the record is to take the approach
[59:18] of withdrawing the previous motion
[59:20] rather than amending it and perhaps
[59:22] causing some vaguess or confusion and
[59:24] just make a straight uh motion to
[59:26] postpone to u the next meeting whether
[59:29] it be a special call to regularly
[59:32] scheduled.
[59:33] » Thank you sir.
[59:35] So I would draw my initial motion. My
[59:39] » Is there a requirement for a for the
[59:41] second to with to agree to that?
[59:44] » Is there or is once they once it's
[59:46] withdrawn it's withdrawn?
[59:48] » I I I would say that in this instance uh
[59:50] if the motion is withdrawn there would
[59:53] be no requirement for a second on this.
[59:55] » So it's withdrawn.
[59:56] » All right. So I move to table the vote
[1:00:00] uh on item I3.
[1:00:03] I
[1:00:03] » We have a motion to table the vote on
[1:00:05] I3.
[1:00:06] » Second.
[1:00:07] » We have a second.
[1:00:09] » All right. Further discussion,
[1:00:11] questions, comments for Clint or each
[1:00:13] other before speakers?
[1:00:15] » I've got plenty of questions, Clint. Um
[1:00:17] and I appreciate you touching base with
[1:00:18] me last night um to answer some of them.
[1:00:21] Uh obviously, I think you're you're
[1:00:23] figuring out that communication uh
[1:00:26] probably would have gone a long way to
[1:00:27] answer questions on the front end. Um,
[1:00:29] you know, when I saw the list, first of
[1:00:31] all, I I applaud you and your staff for
[1:00:33] going through and and trying to be
[1:00:35] analytical and data driven as we were
[1:00:37] selecting these sites. Uh, as you
[1:00:39] mentioned that there are a lot of
[1:00:40] efficiencies to be found in a lot of
[1:00:42] places where um there was waste in in
[1:00:45] some of these locations where people
[1:00:46] were sitting around not doing much. Um,
[1:00:48] perhaps their efforts could could be
[1:00:50] used to funnel people to other locations
[1:00:53] as opposed to sitting in vacant areas.
[1:00:54] So, I appreciate you doing that and
[1:00:56] culling uh the the lowhanging fruit, so
[1:00:58] to speak. Uh some of them that didn't
[1:01:00] make sense to me, though, when I saw
[1:01:02] this proposal were ones that I know to
[1:01:05] be historically utilized uh very
[1:01:07] heavily. Um ones that, you know,
[1:01:10] candidates campaign ad, ones that have
[1:01:13] convenient parking, ones that are in
[1:01:15] unique uh areas. Um we talked about the
[1:01:18] KO community center last night. I think
[1:01:20] that's one that's very heavily used um
[1:01:22] by all of the surrounding communities
[1:01:24] there. Um when you when I think about
[1:01:26] Fort Worth in particular, and that's
[1:01:28] what I'll focus on here. Um you know,
[1:01:30] some of these neighborhoods are like
[1:01:32] cities in and of themselves. And so when
[1:01:34] you think about North Side, you may say,
[1:01:36] well, it's close proximity just north of
[1:01:38] the stockyards to downtown. Um well, not
[1:01:41] many folks from North Side are going
[1:01:42] into downtown every single day for any
[1:01:44] other reason. Um, so a convenient
[1:01:46] location in that area makes sense. You
[1:01:49] think about the same thing for Westside.
[1:01:50] You could say that's that's KOMO
[1:01:52] Community Center. Um, because the
[1:01:53] closest one to that one is the Southwest
[1:01:56] Subcourthouse. Um, and that's or the
[1:01:59] Benbrook Community Center, whichever one
[1:02:01] you you map it, and then they're about 5
[1:02:02] miles away or seven miles away, whatever
[1:02:04] you want to say. Uh, and then also the
[1:02:06] the the last question I'll ask, and I
[1:02:08] know I'm saying a lot, the last question
[1:02:10] is about TCC Northwest. Um, you know,
[1:02:12] that's right off of the freeway. It's a
[1:02:14] much different uh geography than going
[1:02:16] into Maroy and into Sagenol to get to
[1:02:19] the library. So, um just just kind of
[1:02:22] piece by piece what your justification
[1:02:24] was for those because what I was hoping
[1:02:26] to hear was that there was some
[1:02:28] scientific method that based it on
[1:02:30] population uh on geography. Um but I
[1:02:34] didn't hear that. I heard that that
[1:02:35] there was a lot of of of things that
[1:02:37] were kind of left discretionary, which I
[1:02:40] don't mind. You're the elections expert,
[1:02:41] not us. However, seeing uh these
[1:02:44] communities as individual communities
[1:02:47] and and especially the sites that have a
[1:02:50] history of being heavily utilized, uh I
[1:02:52] really would need a strong justification
[1:02:54] as to why we're going to cancel those
[1:02:55] out. But again, I support the effort in
[1:02:58] the aggregate. I mean, I think you you
[1:03:00] had a mission and you came back and I
[1:03:02] and I'm actually glad that it was
[1:03:04] independent um that that you decided to
[1:03:07] do this on your own. I'm glad for that.
[1:03:10] But but again, I think you're seeing
[1:03:12] some of the pitfalls by not checking in
[1:03:14] even after you had your first proposal.
[1:03:15] So, um, if you would start by explaining
[1:03:18] justification on COMO.
[1:03:20] » So, COMO, like I said, that one was was
[1:03:22] a very difficult one that we went back
[1:03:24] and forth on, and that's why I brought
[1:03:25] it up specifically as one that
[1:03:27] potentially would be worth adding. Um,
[1:03:30] we it's it's right there on the border
[1:03:31] because we got Brookside and Diane, the
[1:03:34] Southeast Subcourthouse, Taran County
[1:03:36] Plaza, it's kind of right in that area.
[1:03:38] So there's there's the capacity to
[1:03:40] handle the voters that were there, but
[1:03:42] understanding it's it's just kind of far
[1:03:45] enough. It was it was a very difficult
[1:03:47] one. And that one was
[1:03:50] we were trying to get down to the bare
[1:03:51] minimum saying we this is the least we
[1:03:54] could use to make this happen, but
[1:03:56] anything that we add obviously would
[1:03:58] would increase and add some benefit um
[1:04:01] to a point. So, that one it it was a
[1:04:03] very difficult one to to to cut and
[1:04:05] hence the reason I highlighted that one
[1:04:08] as possibly one to add. The uh North
[1:04:10] Side Community Center, that one the the
[1:04:13] location um not the not the greatest
[1:04:16] location and they had 160 voters in 12
[1:04:20] days. Um and so it just it it was near
[1:04:24] the very bottom of voter turnout. And
[1:04:26] so, um we chose not to include that one.
[1:04:30] Um, even though you know we have
[1:04:32] » Which one are you referring to right
[1:04:34] now?
[1:04:34] » North Side Community Center.
[1:04:36] » Is that what you asked?
[1:04:37] » Yeah.
[1:04:38] » Okay.
[1:04:39] » Well, I I asked specifically North Side
[1:04:42] Fort Worth. If if there were a
[1:04:44] convenient voting location that you
[1:04:46] identified for that particular area.
[1:04:49] » Yeah. The only the only location that we
[1:04:52] have kind of in that area is the North
[1:04:54] Side Community Center, and it only had
[1:04:55] 160 voters
[1:04:58] for for early voting. Well, I think
[1:04:59] North Side Community Center and and
[1:05:01] Diamond Hill Jarvis Library, correct?
[1:05:05] » Those are in close.
[1:05:06] » Um
[1:05:08] I guess Diamond Hill, if that is
[1:05:11] technically North Fort Worth, it's so
[1:05:13] far north. So, yeah, Diamond Hill is
[1:05:15] there, but the unfortunately the law
[1:05:17] requires that the election center be a
[1:05:19] polling location. So, I had to have my
[1:05:22] location, which is just down the street
[1:05:24] from Diamond Hill. Um, so we had that
[1:05:26] one and and I can't cut my location,
[1:05:30] although the turnout would say we
[1:05:32] should. Um, the law won't allow it or I
[1:05:34] would.
[1:05:36] » And TCC Northwest
[1:05:38] » TCC Northwest um parking has been an
[1:05:41] issue there historically. And then um
[1:05:43] the that one does give us um it's kind
[1:05:46] of a fishbowl thing that they put us in,
[1:05:50] but they have to go and remove all the
[1:05:51] furniture. We go in set up and then we
[1:05:54] have to pull out. They go in and put all
[1:05:56] the furniture back in. And we the Sagon
[1:05:58] Public Library has much better parking,
[1:06:00] a much better room um to to handle those
[1:06:03] those voters. So, we chose the the Syon
[1:06:06] Public Library because it is a new
[1:06:07] facility that that that has just now
[1:06:09] become available for us.
[1:06:11] » Yeah. I just I I look at and again this
[1:06:13] would have been great to have this
[1:06:14] conversation um you know a couple of
[1:06:16] weeks ago uh in an office somewhere
[1:06:18] where we could plot these things on a
[1:06:20] map uh because when you look at just
[1:06:22] demographically I'm very familiar with
[1:06:24] the area. It's where I grew up. So I
[1:06:25] know everybody that's going to Sagenol
[1:06:27] Library is coming from the north down
[1:06:29] and then primarily everybody that's
[1:06:31] going to go to TCC Northwest is probably
[1:06:32] coming from with inside the loop up. Um
[1:06:34] that's probably how it's how it works
[1:06:36] out uh every year. So it's not like the
[1:06:39] same voters are going to same places.
[1:06:40] Now, I I say all that I mean, I know you
[1:06:42] can't have an election center on every
[1:06:44] single corner. Uh, and you can't
[1:06:46] anticipate all of these things. And
[1:06:48] again, I I think you put forward a good
[1:06:51] effort in trying to accomplish the the
[1:06:53] marching orders that I think you got
[1:06:54] after the last uh exercise on voting
[1:06:57] centers. Um but but on these I mean to
[1:07:00] to get comfortable with this I mean I I
[1:07:02] I really would like to see KOMO added uh
[1:07:05] potentially TCC Northwest and
[1:07:07] potentially something in North Side
[1:07:09] Fort. The uh one other thing on TCC
[1:07:12] Northwest is out of the 44 locations in
[1:07:15] in 23 it was in the bottom 10 for
[1:07:18] turnout. Um, so there was another reason
[1:07:21] um to not utilize that and shift to the
[1:07:23] library because the library having
[1:07:24] better parking, better access, we
[1:07:26] thought might help increase the turnout
[1:07:28] as well.
[1:07:30] » Anything else over here?
[1:07:32] » I I'll say one more.
[1:07:33] » Uh, thank uh Clinton, when we talked, I
[1:07:36] know everything was driven by just pure
[1:07:39] voter turnout, and I think that's the
[1:07:41] right way to do it. I think what you
[1:07:42] were looking at I understand some of the
[1:07:44] concerns uh Commissioner RmIrez was just
[1:07:46] talking about. Um but I I actually
[1:07:49] appreciated that that that's how you
[1:07:51] looked at it. What's the most efficient
[1:07:52] effective way to handle this election to
[1:07:55] get people where they need to go where
[1:07:56] they've already shown us that they're
[1:07:57] showing up to vote at the ballot boxes.
[1:07:59] Let's take our resources there so we get
[1:08:01] people in more efficiently, more
[1:08:03] effectively. I think that was actually
[1:08:04] really well done. Um, I guess my uh my
[1:08:08] thought when when we're saying we
[1:08:10] didn't, you know, it was a unilateral
[1:08:12] decision. Why was he the one doing all
[1:08:14] this? Sounds like you were the one
[1:08:15] tasked with that. And so when we tell
[1:08:17] you, please go do this for us, it seems
[1:08:19] disingenuous for the court then to say,
[1:08:21] why did you make these decisions? I
[1:08:23] understand we need some more
[1:08:24] communication, but um that's what you
[1:08:26] were charged to do and that's what you
[1:08:28] came back. And so again, I applaud that
[1:08:29] effort. Um, if we vote down the motion
[1:08:32] to table, um, and what I was going to
[1:08:34] come in and be prepared to do, uh, right
[1:08:36] away was to, uh, move to adopt the
[1:08:39] voting centers that you had, but add
[1:08:41] three. And one was Como. I I think we
[1:08:44] ought to add KOMO in. From our
[1:08:45] conversations yesterday, that one was
[1:08:47] right there on the margins. Um, and
[1:08:50] there's really no other good
[1:08:52] geographical location that that the
[1:08:54] people in that community can get to very
[1:08:56] easily. Um, so I thought Ko was good.
[1:08:59] The Legacy Learning Center up in HLlett
[1:09:01] uh I also think was good. I was going to
[1:09:03] move to add that one because as you said
[1:09:04] that gap for that 10 miles as there's
[1:09:07] not much there and as Commissioner
[1:09:08] RmIrez knows better than anybody.
[1:09:10] Hasllett and anywhere is hard to get
[1:09:12] around Bonds Ranch Road. You probably
[1:09:13] need something closer to there to get
[1:09:15] all those people in that area done. Um
[1:09:18] and then based on our conversation the
[1:09:20] the Northeast Subcourthouse. Now, having
[1:09:22] said that, I would say that's the third
[1:09:24] in in terms of priority because we do
[1:09:27] have the Bedford Public Library. Um, so
[1:09:30] if if somebody else wanted to add
[1:09:31] something there, I get that. But based
[1:09:33] on our conversations, those were like
[1:09:35] the three that were right on the edge
[1:09:36] that we're no longer having. So, I'm
[1:09:39] prepared to make a motion uh if if we
[1:09:41] don't table it to adopt your map, but
[1:09:43] add KOMO Legacy Learning Center in the
[1:09:45] Northeast Subcourthouse unless there's a
[1:09:48] overwhelming uh reason to adopt one of
[1:09:50] the other ones. Um, but I appreciate
[1:09:52] your work and I think you've done a good
[1:09:53] job of hitting the target that we asked
[1:09:55] you to do. Um and and and I think
[1:09:58] everybody understands nobody's going to
[1:10:00] be completely excited or thrilled with
[1:10:02] losing uh precinct or voting locations,
[1:10:05] but that doesn't mean that that's not
[1:10:07] what we should do. So, thank you for
[1:10:09] your work.
[1:10:10] » Thank you.
[1:10:10] » I have a comment, judge.
[1:10:13] » The first thing I want to say is this.
[1:10:17] This is not about wasteful
[1:10:20] spending.
[1:10:22] This is about voter accessibility.
[1:10:26] Everybody deserves the the right to have
[1:10:28] a place that they are comfortable with
[1:10:31] and familiar with to go and to cast
[1:10:33] their vote.
[1:10:36] My people bled, died, and suffered and
[1:10:39] fought for the right to be able to vote.
[1:10:44] And to dismantle or to take those rights
[1:10:47] away from us that we worked hard to get
[1:10:50] is unacceptable on any level. It's not
[1:10:53] about money. It's about access.
[1:10:58] If it's only one person that goes to a
[1:11:00] voting site, so be it. That's one person
[1:11:04] that got to participate in the
[1:11:06] democratic process. It doesn't matter
[1:11:08] the cost. It matters making sure that
[1:11:12] everybody has access and the ability to
[1:11:15] go and vote and to let their voices be
[1:11:18] heard. If we want to really talk about
[1:11:20] it, let's talk about why there is voter
[1:11:22] apathy. Let's begin to build strategy
[1:11:26] around voter engagement. Instead of
[1:11:28] taking places away from people, we need
[1:11:30] to make it more accessible to the
[1:11:32] people. So, as we talk about voter
[1:11:35] access, in 2021, Taran County voters had
[1:11:39] 48 early voting sites and 323 election
[1:11:43] day polling locations.
[1:11:45] In 2023, early voting sites decreased
[1:11:48] slightly to 44, but election day sites
[1:11:52] actually increased to 330.
[1:11:54] Under this proposal for November 2025,
[1:11:58] voters would be left with only 24 early
[1:12:00] voting sites, a 50% cut, and 214
[1:12:05] election day polling sites, nearly
[1:12:08] onethird fewer than in 2021.
[1:12:12] Not to mention, many of the closures are
[1:12:15] concentrated inside the A20 loop,
[1:12:18] leaving Central Fort Worth, including
[1:12:21] historic black and brown neighborhoods,
[1:12:24] disproportionately affected. That, my
[1:12:26] friend, is problematic. While our
[1:12:29] college campus early voting sites have
[1:12:31] been eliminated, disenfranchising young
[1:12:34] voters, firsttime voters, and working
[1:12:37] students who depend on access accessible
[1:12:40] polling near their college campus.
[1:12:43] Let this sink in. The following cities
[1:12:46] have no early voting locations
[1:12:48] whatsoever. Everman, Kennedale, Halum
[1:12:52] City, Hurst, Ulis, and Edgecliffe. and
[1:12:57] there is only one location for the whole
[1:13:00] of Grand Prairie. That, my friend, is
[1:13:03] problematic.
[1:13:05] This comes on the heels of midterm
[1:13:08] redistricting battles that already
[1:13:10] weaken community representation.
[1:13:13] Now, reducing polling locations is a
[1:13:16] direct, in my opinion, a direct
[1:13:18] continuation of attacks on every
[1:13:20] citizen's fundamental right to vote.
[1:13:23] Once the number of polling places
[1:13:25] decreases, it rarely rebounds.
[1:13:29] The precedent being set here risks
[1:13:31] locking in long-term voter suppression.
[1:13:34] In my humble opinion, in the 2023
[1:13:38] election, turnout was just 12.48%
[1:13:41] of registered voters and five sites saw
[1:13:44] fewer than 300 voters. Instead of
[1:13:47] closing sites, again, we should be
[1:13:49] asking why turnout is so low and
[1:13:51] addressing excess barriers.
[1:13:54] Residents without cars who rely on
[1:13:57] public transit or who juggle multiple
[1:13:59] jobs will face the greatest burden when
[1:14:02] polling sites are miles farther away or
[1:14:05] reduced altogether. And let me add this,
[1:14:08] this is part of the systemic problem. We
[1:14:11] have people who do not connect and re
[1:14:13] resonate with the people in the
[1:14:15] community. We don't have people who are
[1:14:18] here who are making decisions who are
[1:14:20] poor, who work multiple jobs, who have
[1:14:23] transportation issues, who have child
[1:14:25] care issues and all of these barriers
[1:14:27] facing them, but they are the ones that
[1:14:29] are making the decisions for these
[1:14:30] individuals. We're leaving these people
[1:14:33] out of the process.
[1:14:35] We are making them invisible.
[1:14:38] And that ain't right. Our job is to
[1:14:41] represent every represented, every
[1:14:43] person in the county. The ones that look
[1:14:46] like us, the ones that don't look like
[1:14:48] us, the ones who have what we have, and
[1:14:50] the ones who don't. Everybody needs to
[1:14:52] be included in this process. And the way
[1:14:55] it is presently presented, they do not.
[1:14:59] And that's problematic. And we need to
[1:15:02] look at the humanness of ourselves and
[1:15:04] begin to see people for who they are and
[1:15:06] where they are and what they need and
[1:15:08] not make decisions and judgments based
[1:15:10] upon our experience and our lens.
[1:15:15] That's what we're doing. We're making
[1:15:17] decisions based upon our personal lens
[1:15:20] and we're not taking into account what
[1:15:22] the people who will be affected by this
[1:15:25] need.
[1:15:27] [Music]
[1:15:28] I want you to think about that.
[1:15:32] While state regulations and budgets
[1:15:34] create pressures, disenfranchising
[1:15:37] entire communities is not an acceptable
[1:15:40] solution.
[1:15:41] Democracy should not be sacrificed for
[1:15:45] administrative convenience or cost
[1:15:47] savings.
[1:15:49] Democracy in Taran County is being
[1:15:51] chipped away. First through
[1:15:53] redistricting, now through cuts, now to
[1:15:56] voting sites. This is not about
[1:15:58] efficiency. It's about eroding access
[1:16:01] and silencing voices.
[1:16:04] 60 years ago, these kinds of tactics
[1:16:08] were unacceptable and today they remain
[1:16:11] an insult to every voter in Taran
[1:16:14] County. And as I close my remarks, in
[1:16:17] the words of Dr. Martin Luther King,
[1:16:19] give us the vote. We're not asking for
[1:16:22] it. Give it to us because it belongs to
[1:16:25] us. Thank you.
[1:16:30] Sit down. I have something else.
[1:16:42] Okay. So, um this this plan as presented
[1:16:46] today, it just it makes it harder for
[1:16:49] people to vote. Not easier. And so
[1:16:53] making it easier for people to vote, I
[1:16:57] hopefully that's what we all want is
[1:17:01] more voter turnout. Um I've heard Clint
[1:17:04] say since I've been on this panel uh
[1:17:07] over and over he needs more polling
[1:17:10] locations. He has stood at that podium
[1:17:13] and said that repeatedly repeatedly.
[1:17:17] And so, um, we've got a perfectly good
[1:17:21] list of polling places from 2023.
[1:17:27] Use it. The ones that are not welcoming
[1:17:30] us back, of course, but use that. Now,
[1:17:34] make this make any sense to me, and um,
[1:17:38] Commissioner Krauss, I think, touched on
[1:17:40] it. The Northeast
[1:17:44] uh, Gary Ficus Subcourthouse
[1:17:48] number
[1:17:49] eight on the list of the highest vote
[1:17:53] getting polling places in the county,
[1:17:55] but he removed it.
[1:17:59] Uh
[1:18:00] that kind of thing has got to be
[1:18:03] explained. Um
[1:18:06] so
[1:18:09] people need to be able to vote without
[1:18:10] having to worry about trying to figure
[1:18:13] out where to go. Everybody's not going
[1:18:15] to jump on their phone and or try to
[1:18:17] find out what their precinct number is.
[1:18:20] U they're going to turn around and go
[1:18:21] home if it's not at the usual place that
[1:18:25] it's been at. And
[1:18:28] we know resources are not the problem.
[1:18:32] Um the the
[1:18:35] FY24
[1:18:37] fullear contract labor spend was 2.4 4
[1:18:41] million and the current budget allocates
[1:18:44] 3.3 million for contract labor. Uh so
[1:18:49] that gives us more than enough to fund
[1:18:52] the staffing needs to keep voting
[1:18:54] accessible.
[1:18:56] Uh you know, unless I'm wrong, but you
[1:19:00] can come by and tell me. I'm just I
[1:19:02] looked at your looked at the budget.
[1:19:05] Um so it feels like we're doing two
[1:19:08] things at the same time. We just
[1:19:09] finished drawing up a new map because
[1:19:12] our county is growing so fast, right? We
[1:19:15] just redistricted,
[1:19:18] got all these new people,
[1:19:21] we think, but then we turn right around
[1:19:24] and say we're going to cut our voting
[1:19:27] spots in half. Come on now. Come on. Um
[1:19:33] that just does not add up. And so when
[1:19:36] you take away places to vote from
[1:19:42] I can't even there's so many segments of
[1:19:45] the community that you're discriminating
[1:19:48] against. I it's hard to pick one. Senior
[1:19:51] citizens.
[1:19:53] You know, when you say UTA, you think
[1:19:56] the campus, but if you've lived in
[1:19:58] Arlington for almost 40 years, as I
[1:20:01] have, you know that neighborhood. And
[1:20:05] that neighborhood is a senior
[1:20:08] neighborhood.
[1:20:09] Those people can walk right across the
[1:20:11] street, get their steps in, and vote on
[1:20:14] campus.
[1:20:16] You're discriminating against
[1:20:17] African-Americans. Who takes coma?
[1:20:20] You're discriminate. Who
[1:20:23] You know, the voter turnout at Vernon
[1:20:27] Newsome
[1:20:29] is a high minority population, but
[1:20:34] um and and I'm going back and forth
[1:20:36] between the list, election day and
[1:20:39] early. Um so
[1:20:43] y'all know what this is called, voter
[1:20:46] suppression,
[1:20:48] uh impeding access to the ballot box.
[1:20:52] Um, and really Clint,
[1:20:55] it was what almost a year ago that we
[1:20:57] were up here about the college the
[1:20:59] polling places on college campuses
[1:21:02] and um it's a big fight. A whole bunch
[1:21:05] of people up here. Um, and it and it
[1:21:08] failed.
[1:21:10] So, we know the Republican party of
[1:21:13] Taran County, they've said it,
[1:21:16] thinks only students are only Democrats
[1:21:19] and they only vote on college campus,
[1:21:21] whatever.
[1:21:23] So, what you're doing is the work of the
[1:21:27] Republican party. You You went so we
[1:21:29] wouldn't have to debate it up here. You
[1:21:32] went ahead and said, "I'll I'll just
[1:21:35] remove all college campuses."
[1:21:38] Um, and you are SP you an elections
[1:21:42] administrator
[1:21:44] must have integrity.
[1:21:47] You you 100% have to. And that's called
[1:21:50] into question when you cut by 44% almost
[1:21:57] in half the number of polling places for
[1:22:02] each of these constituents. We talk
[1:22:04] about working families.
[1:22:06] gotta rush home and pick up the kids
[1:22:09] from daycare and vote. That's you're
[1:22:10] discriminating against them when you cut
[1:22:12] these vote centers in half. Um, senior
[1:22:15] citizens, African-Americans, Latinos, it
[1:22:18] it goes on and on. And so, um, I I'm
[1:22:23] I've got my motion on the floor. Um, it
[1:22:27] just this proposal, this list is not
[1:22:30] right. And I do have a PowerPoint
[1:22:33] presentation because you don't, do you?
[1:22:36] No, ma'am.
[1:22:37] » Okay, I do. And I can show you show the
[1:22:41] public what it looks like now and how
[1:22:45] many um uh spots you're taking away. Do
[1:22:48] y Where's the IT? Where are the IT
[1:22:50] people? Is it up?
[1:22:56] Gabe, if you can click
[1:23:05] All right. In 2023, we had 331 election
[1:23:10] day polling locations.
[1:23:12] In 2024, that number was 349.
[1:23:17] Uh, and this draft proposal today has
[1:23:19] 214 sites. That's a net loss of 117
[1:23:22] polling places from the last
[1:23:24] constitutional amendment election. Um, a
[1:23:27] 35% loss of location. So, um, that's
[1:23:31] what that looks like. 23, look at all
[1:23:34] those accessible locations. 24
[1:23:38] or 25 proposed 25. And that's what we're
[1:23:41] talking about um doing. That's election
[1:23:46] day.
[1:23:48] And
[1:23:50] here's early vote 2023.
[1:23:54] 44 early vote locations.
[1:23:57] in 2025 uh 2024 we had 51 but we I
[1:24:01] didn't show that. So then you go to the
[1:24:04] proposed for 2025
[1:24:08] I mean
[1:24:11] it's ridiculous. Go back to um 23
[1:24:15] 25.
[1:24:17] Thank you sir. These aren't small
[1:24:19] changes. These are drastic cuts that
[1:24:22] will have a real and painful impact on
[1:24:25] our voters. And what really gets me is
[1:24:27] where these cuts are being made. Um, all
[1:24:31] the colleges are gone. Our young people,
[1:24:33] students, they deserve a convenient
[1:24:35] place to vote. Um, and walking uh from
[1:24:38] UTA to the Arlington subcours is a hike
[1:24:41] when you're walking. Okay. Um, so we we
[1:24:46] should be encouraging participation in
[1:24:48] our democracy, not putting up barriers
[1:24:51] to folks civic duties. Um, so that's
[1:24:55] that's all I've got for now.
[1:24:57] » All right. Anybody else have anything?
[1:24:58] Yes, ma'am. Sir,
[1:24:59] » I was just going to say in 2023, we only
[1:25:02] utilize two college campuses anyway, and
[1:25:04] UTA was not one of them.
[1:25:05] » Okay. I know. I know that.
[1:25:08] » Anything else from anyone up here before
[1:25:10] we go to the speakers?
[1:25:13] » All right. Thank you, Clint.
[1:25:18] » This is I3. All right. Our first speaker
[1:25:20] you uh I will remind you please follow
[1:25:22] the rules.
[1:25:24] Our first speaker is Mindy Tacket.
[1:25:26] Following Mindy Tacket we have Daniel
[1:25:28] Peters.
[1:25:32] If you if I call your name and will you
[1:25:34] please make your way to the center
[1:25:36] aisle.
[1:25:41] It's one minute for the these this item.
[1:25:44] In 1980, Paul Hyrick, a founder of the
[1:25:47] modern right, said the quiet part out
[1:25:50] loud. I don't want everybody to vote.
[1:25:54] Our leverage goes up as the voting
[1:25:56] populace goes down. That's the playbook.
[1:26:00] And his heirs obviously are still at
[1:26:03] work closing polling places in black and
[1:26:06] Latino neighborhoods and college
[1:26:08] campuses. coming on the heels of maps
[1:26:11] that split communities apart. All behind
[1:26:14] it, white Christian nationalism. If your
[1:26:17] faith, your race, your neighborhood
[1:26:19] doesn't fit their vision, the goal is
[1:26:21] keep you from the ballot box. That's
[1:26:24] what's happening here. You all fear the
[1:26:27] people of Tarant County. You want to
[1:26:29] decide who counts and who doesn't.
[1:26:32] » But democracy only works when voters
[1:26:34] choose their leaders. And today,
[1:26:37] everyone here and everyone watching
[1:26:39] online can see how dangerous your
[1:26:42] choices are to our democracy.
[1:26:45] » Thank you. Is Mr. Peters present? Daniel
[1:26:48] Peters? Do we still have people out
[1:26:51] there?
[1:26:54] Anyone?
[1:26:55] » I don't know, but I'll find out.
[1:26:56] » All right. Daniel Peters, I called him.
[1:26:58] We're moving to Candace Swanson.
[1:27:01] Following Miss Swanson, we have Allison
[1:27:03] Compalo.
[1:27:07] Is this Miss Swanson? Okay,
[1:27:14] » Judge. We do still have people outside.
[1:27:16] » Say it again.
[1:27:16] » We do still have people out in the
[1:27:17] overflow.
[1:27:19] » Ready? Thomas Jefferson said, "We do not
[1:27:22] have a government by the majority. We
[1:27:24] have a government by the majority who
[1:27:26] participate. The new locations will
[1:27:29] suppress participation.
[1:27:31] Tarant County is growing. 89 people move
[1:27:34] here a day. Closing half the early
[1:27:36] polling locations and 130 some odd of
[1:27:39] the same day sites will suppress
[1:27:41] turnout. By creating voting deserts in
[1:27:45] minority communities, you force voters
[1:27:47] to travel farther to exercise their
[1:27:49] rights, especially the elderly and those
[1:27:52] of limited means. These tactics are not
[1:27:54] a sign of a healthy democracy, but we
[1:27:57] all understand you need to ensure a win
[1:27:59] for your side. Judge, you demand respect
[1:28:02] in your court. Cracking, packing, and
[1:28:04] suppression are unfair and disrespectful
[1:28:06] to those you serve. Please be fair and
[1:28:09] respect the voters. Do not make it more
[1:28:11] difficult to participate in elections.
[1:28:13] Thank you for your attention to this
[1:28:15] matter.
[1:28:16] » Thank you, Miss Compalo. Following Miss
[1:28:18] Compalo is Taylor Ramett.
[1:28:23] » Hello. Um, okay. So, I called Clint the
[1:28:26] other day and I I asked for locations
[1:28:27] and he said that's something for the
[1:28:29] commissioners to change the list. So,
[1:28:31] I'm officially requesting that we change
[1:28:32] the list of the proposed polling
[1:28:34] locations. Um, I would at the very least
[1:28:37] recommend that we add in some polling
[1:28:40] locations. Um, even if we don't add in
[1:28:41] all of them, I'm not asking you to open
[1:28:42] the Everman Civic Center if nobody votes
[1:28:44] there. Um, I would please request the
[1:28:46] following six locations. Uh, which is
[1:28:48] the South Service Center or something
[1:28:50] equivalent to it. uh the Ulus family
[1:28:52] senior center, the Komao Community
[1:28:53] Center, and the Bob Duncan Center. Those
[1:28:55] are the top four. So, those were in the
[1:28:56] top 24 by population and by turnout um
[1:28:59] from the 2023 list. Those were very
[1:29:01] highly uh utilized and used. And then
[1:29:04] also the Vernon Newsome Stadium and at
[1:29:06] least one location in the north side.
[1:29:08] And you know, I know Manny and I agree
[1:29:10] on almost nothing, but he's completely
[1:29:12] right. We can't have no locations in the
[1:29:14] north side. We need at least one. Um, we
[1:29:17] closed the North Side Community Center,
[1:29:18] you closed the campus, you closed the
[1:29:19] Diamond Jarvis Library. That's not
[1:29:21] acceptable. We need last one. Nobody's
[1:29:23] going to Thank you.
[1:29:26] » Is that Mr. Rett? Okay. Following Mr.
[1:29:28] Rette, we have Nicole White.
[1:29:33] » As an Air Force veteran, I took an oath
[1:29:35] to defend the Constitution. A note that
[1:29:37] didn't end when I hung up my uniform.
[1:29:39] That oath is why I'm standing here
[1:29:41] today. At its core, the right to vote is
[1:29:44] not a partisan issue. It is the
[1:29:46] foundation of who we are as Americans.
[1:29:49] Every one of us in this room may differ
[1:29:51] on policy or party, but we should all
[1:29:54] agree on this. The ballot box must
[1:29:56] remain open, accessible, and fair. The
[1:30:00] proposal to cut the early to cut the
[1:30:02] number of early voting locations in half
[1:30:04] and the closing of over 100 election day
[1:30:06] polling sites will make it harder for
[1:30:08] working people, for young people, for
[1:30:10] black and brown folks, seniors, for
[1:30:13] voters who depend on nearby places to
[1:30:16] cast their ballot. We are not saving
[1:30:18] money. We're spending trust. And once
[1:30:21] and and once trust in our elections is
[1:30:23] gone, it doesn't come back. It doesn't
[1:30:26] come back with a stroke of a budget.
[1:30:28] History may not remember the margins of
[1:30:30] this election, but it will remember
[1:30:32] whether we expanded or diminished it.
[1:30:36] » Uh Nicole White, is she present?
[1:30:40] Following Miss White, William Marks,
[1:30:43] William Marks present.
[1:30:47] Next we would have Fallon Brazzle.
[1:30:53] William Marks or Fallon Brazzle.
[1:31:01] The voters you're trying to suppress are
[1:31:03] my constituents. My name is William
[1:31:05] Marks. I'm a candidate for the Texas
[1:31:07] 25th Congressional District. So
[1:31:10] eliminating voting locations is an
[1:31:12] assault on the rights of the working
[1:31:14] class, an assault on young voters, an
[1:31:17] assault on everyday Texans, and an
[1:31:20] assault on truth, justice, and the
[1:31:22] American way.
[1:31:24] This map of voter suppression is
[1:31:27] stealing the American promise that
[1:31:29] everyone has a voice, that the
[1:31:31] government exists of the people, by the
[1:31:34] people and for the people. So if
[1:31:36] Republican policies are so good, let
[1:31:39] them stand on their own. Let the people
[1:31:42] decide and bring back every location
[1:31:45] you're trying to eliminate.
[1:31:49] » Is Fallon Brazzle here?
[1:31:53] » All right. with no foul and brazle.
[1:31:55] Whitney Wood Wararez.
[1:31:58] It's Miss Wararez present.
[1:32:01] Whitney Wood Wararez.
[1:32:04] Is that Miss Warez?
[1:32:07] Are you Miss Wararez?
[1:32:08] » Okay. Following Miss Wararez is Abiola
[1:32:12] Agoro.
[1:32:15] » Good morning. Access to the ballot box
[1:32:18] is the foundation of our democracy.
[1:32:20] Closing these locations will create
[1:32:23] unnecessary barriers for students,
[1:32:26] working families, and communities of
[1:32:28] color. Many of these voters already face
[1:32:32] challenges like transportation and long
[1:32:34] work hours. Removing convenient polling
[1:32:37] places will only make it harder for them
[1:32:39] to participate in our elections.
[1:32:42] Instead of limiting access, our county
[1:32:44] should be doing everything possible to
[1:32:47] expand it. Every voter, every vote
[1:32:52] matters.
[1:32:54] Every voter should have an equal
[1:32:56] opportunity to cast their ballot. Thank
[1:32:59] you.
[1:33:00] » Thank you. Is Abiola Agoro present?
[1:33:04] Following Miss Agoro, we have Diane
[1:33:06] Simmons or Simons.
[1:33:10] » How many of you all still have your
[1:33:11] grandparents or your parents alive? Show
[1:33:14] of hands. Nobody has grandparents or
[1:33:16] parents. If your grandmother fell in the
[1:33:19] middle of the road when I had an
[1:33:20] interview, would you want me to take the
[1:33:22] time to help her? We often talk about
[1:33:25] what is legal. We talk about what we
[1:33:27] feel obligated to do. But helping people
[1:33:30] is not convenient. Helping people and
[1:33:33] doing what is necessary for people is
[1:33:36] one of the most inconvenient things in
[1:33:38] the entire world.
[1:33:40] » But it is what we must do. Many of you
[1:33:43] all have lived by different models your
[1:33:46] entire life. I'm sure Judge will
[1:33:47] recognize veritas liberavit vos for the
[1:33:51] truth will make you free from SMU
[1:33:54] disciplina precidium civotas or
[1:33:56] cultivated minds are the guardian genius
[1:33:58] of democracy I'm not asking for you all
[1:34:01] to do what is easy I'm not asking for
[1:34:03] you all to do anything that is easy but
[1:34:06] I am asking for you to abide by what you
[1:34:07] have been said to abide by for your
[1:34:09] entire lives
[1:34:10] » Thank you following Miss Simons we have
[1:34:12] Josiah Weber
[1:34:22] I'm Diane Simons, uh, precinct. Oh, I
[1:34:24] guess it's two now. Um, but I'm also a
[1:34:27] precinct chair 1206. Also, I am a house
[1:34:30] uh, uh,
[1:34:33] coordinator uh, that takes care of 97.
[1:34:36] And I just want to let you know that,
[1:34:38] you know, I've lived and grown up in Ben
[1:34:40] Brook and I still go to KO.
[1:34:43] Why? Because the parking is horrible in
[1:34:45] Benber. And if you're disabled, the
[1:34:47] parking, all the people that park there
[1:34:50] and the parking spot work there. And
[1:34:52] it's
[1:34:54] hard to get around and not actually hit
[1:34:56] somebody if you're doing curbside voting
[1:34:58] as well. Uh KO has a lot of curbside
[1:35:00] voting. And uh anybody that's been
[1:35:03] there, they'll always see that. And so
[1:35:05] you're taken away and people that are in
[1:35:08] a wheelchair, our public transportation
[1:35:10] only holds two people max and people are
[1:35:12] having to wait for the next time to come
[1:35:14] around. You took all the other locations
[1:35:16] out of Fort Worth pretty much. We have
[1:35:19] to be able to get there.
[1:35:20] » Thank you.
[1:35:21] » And you can't take them away.
[1:35:22] » Thank you. Is Josiah Weber present?
[1:35:26] Josiah Weber. Okay. The time is 11:31.
[1:35:31] We are going to take a break, a recess
[1:35:33] until 11:40.
[1:35:35] So, we will be back at 11:40 to continue
[1:35:37] public comments. We're in recess.
[1:47:07] Sorry.
[1:47:15] Yeah.
[1:47:18] » All right. Please go ahead and find your
[1:47:20] seats. Uh we will resume.
[1:47:25] And the next person we have to speak is
[1:47:29] Stella Fair. Following Miss Fair, we
[1:47:33] have Sonia Bole. Is Miss Fair present?
[1:47:37] » I heard her say, "I'm here."
[1:47:41] I think I heard that.
[1:47:49] » Good morning. I guess it's still
[1:47:51] morning. During a commission's court
[1:47:53] meeting in early 2024, one of you said,
[1:47:56] and I quote, "I don't believe it's the
[1:47:58] county government's responsibility to
[1:48:00] try to get more people out to the
[1:48:02] polls." While this statement may be
[1:48:04] true, it is also not your responsibility
[1:48:07] to reduce voter turnout by eliminating
[1:48:10] eliminating access to polling places. It
[1:48:12] is your responsibility, however, to
[1:48:15] ensure that all voters of Tarant County
[1:48:17] have unfettered access to free and fair
[1:48:20] elections. I urge you to honor your duty
[1:48:22] to the voters of this county and reject
[1:48:24] this proposal.
[1:48:26] » Thank you. Uh Sonia Bole present. Uh,
[1:48:30] following Mr. Bole, we have Elizabeth
[1:48:32] Gonzalez.
[1:48:36] » Hello. It's nice to see y'all. Um,
[1:48:39] commissioners, I'm here speaking today
[1:48:42] to urge you not to close any voting
[1:48:44] locations and perhaps add more to HB
[1:48:47] area, DFW area, and other parts of the
[1:48:50] community, especially those serving
[1:48:51] lower income and diverse neighborhoods.
[1:48:54] These communities already face
[1:48:55] significant barriers to voting,
[1:48:57] including limited access to reliable
[1:48:59] transportation and great challenges for
[1:49:02] elderly residents. Reducing polling
[1:49:04] places would only make those obstacles
[1:49:06] worse, forcing people to travel further,
[1:49:08] wait longer, and potentially give up on
[1:49:11] voting altogether. I currently volunteer
[1:49:14] to help seniors in my area to get to
[1:49:16] appointments, grocery visits, and any
[1:49:19] other oblig obligatory appointments that
[1:49:21] they need in their free time. This would
[1:49:23] put a significant obstacle on those
[1:49:25] individuals.
[1:49:27] We have seen in the past elections that
[1:49:28] long wait times, fewer voting sites hit
[1:49:30] workingass and minority voters the
[1:49:33] hardest. This resident, these residents
[1:49:35] deserve the same access to the
[1:49:37] » Thank you.
[1:49:38] » Thank you.
[1:49:40] Uh, Elizabeth Gonzalez. It's Miss
[1:49:42] Gonzalez present.
[1:49:45] Elizabeth Gonzalez.
[1:49:48] Okay. Isabella Barnett.
[1:49:51] » Hi. Following Miss Barnett, we have
[1:49:53] Stephanie McCartney.
[1:49:57] » Hi.
[1:49:58] » Hi.
[1:49:59] » I believe that it is common knowledge to
[1:50:01] most people in this room that having
[1:50:03] equal access to the ballot box is a
[1:50:05] civil right that's recognized and
[1:50:06] protected by the Constitution. I believe
[1:50:09] it is the representatives responsibility
[1:50:11] to protect and uphold that right through
[1:50:13] their actions and policies. That's why
[1:50:16] I'm speaking today to express my deep
[1:50:18] opposition to the motion to close a
[1:50:19] portion of Tarant County's early voting
[1:50:21] locations. To call early voting
[1:50:23] locations a waste of taxpayer money is
[1:50:25] an extremely insensitive and quite
[1:50:27] honestly an insult to the people of
[1:50:29] Tarant County. Personally, I do not
[1:50:32] believe it is an elected officials place
[1:50:34] to hypothesize on how to disengage
[1:50:37] constituents from their civic
[1:50:38] participation. This decision would
[1:50:41] affect college students living on
[1:50:42] campus, specifically those without a
[1:50:44] vehicle, individuals without the means
[1:50:46] to travel, working people without the
[1:50:48] schedule to vote, and those with
[1:50:49] disabilities, and more from marginalized
[1:50:51] communities. To move forward with this
[1:50:53] decision is an active form of voter
[1:50:55] suppression, specifically targeting
[1:50:57] young working voters and black and brown
[1:50:59] voters. Thank you.
[1:51:00] » Thank you. Uh Stephanie McCartney.
[1:51:03] Following Miss McCartney, we have
[1:51:04] Vanessa Nun.
[1:51:11] Tarant County and this court have a
[1:51:13] shameful record. Texas already like
[1:51:15] ranks last in voter access and Tarant
[1:51:18] County is following the state's worst
[1:51:19] trends. We demand transparency and
[1:51:22] justice. We call on this court to
[1:51:25] immediately halt all closures and
[1:51:27] release the full list of cuts. hold
[1:51:29] public hearings in affected areas and
[1:51:32] restore voting access with mobile
[1:51:33] polling units and extended early voting
[1:51:35] like Harris County. This is about
[1:51:38] fairness and if you unwisely proceed, we
[1:51:40] will file federal complaints under the
[1:51:42] Voting Rights Act. We will mobilize
[1:51:44] voters to remember this in November.
[1:51:47] Expose who benefits from silencing
[1:51:49] black, Latino, disabled, young, and
[1:51:51] workingclass voters. The nation is
[1:51:53] watching. Will Tarant County stand for
[1:51:56] democracy or suppression? Thank you.
[1:51:59] Thank you. Uh, Miss Nun, did I call out
[1:52:02] Vanessa Nun?
[1:52:05] I'm calling out Vanessa Nun now. Vanessa
[1:52:07] Nun,
[1:52:09] Jennifer Snowden,
[1:52:12] Vanessa Nun, or Jennifer Snowden. Do we
[1:52:14] still have people outside?
[1:52:16] » Okay. Uh, Sabrina Ball.
[1:52:22] Vanessa Nun, Jennifer Snowden, Sabrina
[1:52:25] Ball. Okay.
[1:52:29] How about Suzanne Mabe?
[1:52:33] Miss Mab, come on up.
[1:52:35] No, we'll go ahead and let her go now.
[1:52:36] Miss Mab, we'll have you second. Okay.
[1:52:44] » Hi, I'm a native Texan and a mom and an
[1:52:47] election judge in Commissioner Ramirez's
[1:52:49] district, or at least I hope to still
[1:52:51] be. At my precinct, we've worked hard to
[1:52:53] grow turnout. I see men and women coming
[1:52:55] straight from long shifts, sweaty and
[1:52:57] tired, but determined to vote. I see
[1:52:59] mothers with children, seniors, and
[1:53:01] veterans who depend on us. These are not
[1:53:03] wealthy families, but they are American
[1:53:05] families with the same right to vote as
[1:53:07] anyone in South Lake. When you cut early
[1:53:09] voting sites like, KOMO, and TCU, sites
[1:53:12] with great access for working families
[1:53:14] and the elderly, you're not saving
[1:53:16] money. You're sacrificing democracy to
[1:53:19] save a buck. Working families built this
[1:53:21] country. Don't silence them now. Stand
[1:53:24] with us, not against us.
[1:53:27] » Next we have Suzanne Mab. Following Miss
[1:53:30] May, we have Gwen Bude.
[1:53:38] » Hi. I I came here to um ask you to
[1:53:42] reconsider these uh selections that you
[1:53:46] presented to us, but uh Commissioner
[1:53:49] Miles stole all my thunder.
[1:53:52] And so I want to second everything that
[1:53:55] he said, but I have a couple of couple
[1:53:58] of small things to say. Uh if your goal
[1:54:01] is to suppress voting, you're doing a
[1:54:04] really good job. And uh there are only
[1:54:07] two sites within loop 820 and the public
[1:54:10] transportation outside of loop 820 is
[1:54:13] non-existent almost. So that needs to be
[1:54:17] rectified.
[1:54:18] And uh then I want I want to ask you why
[1:54:21] should why would you make it harder for
[1:54:24] every year for people to vote? uh you
[1:54:27] are charged with overseeing the
[1:54:29] elections and you shouldn't try and cut
[1:54:32] the budget to keep people from voting by
[1:54:35] removing places to vote. Uh
[1:54:39] » Thank you. Following this birude we have
[1:54:42] Andrew Kawa.
[1:54:50] » Hello Gwen Bude here. I now represent
[1:54:53] Texans Defending Democracy, a nonprofit,
[1:54:55] nonpartisan organization committed to
[1:54:58] protecting Texans right to vote. This
[1:55:01] proposal would reduce Tarant County
[1:55:03] polling locations and it lacks clear
[1:55:06] rationale. Looking at early voting
[1:55:08] locations alone, high turnout and
[1:55:10] polling locations across Tarant County
[1:55:12] such as Brookside Center, KO Community
[1:55:15] Center, and Ulis Family Life Center as
[1:55:17] well as the Golden Triangle location
[1:55:19] would all be closed. while lower turnout
[1:55:22] areas would lose access altogether. As
[1:55:24] Commissioner RmIrez pointed out, this
[1:55:26] means voters will travel farther, face
[1:55:28] longer lines, and depend on limited
[1:55:31] public transportation services.
[1:55:34] Twothirds of the remaining sites are
[1:55:36] hard to reach without a car. And if one
[1:55:40] site shuts down due to technical
[1:55:42] problems, the backup would be the backup
[1:55:45] would be few and far as far as locations
[1:55:48] would be few and far between. These
[1:55:50] closures make voting harder, not easier.
[1:55:52] Please make voting easier.
[1:55:54] » Thank you. Is Andrew Kawa present?
[1:55:59] » All right. K K A W A is how to pronounce
[1:56:01] it. Andrew. Uh Molly Sanchez.
[1:56:08] Katherine Godby.
[1:56:12] All right. Molly Sanchez.
[1:56:14] Miss Godby, come on up.
[1:56:20] following Miss Godby and Zeta.
[1:56:27] I've been trying to understand what it
[1:56:29] means that I'm white. Uh, believe me,
[1:56:32] it's a painful journey. When I first
[1:56:35] learned that this was agendaized today,
[1:56:37] my spirit sank. I'm so tired of these
[1:56:41] racist policies, racist actions by my
[1:56:44] county government. Voter suppression is
[1:56:46] an act of violence. It's in the long
[1:56:48] tradition of what Ben Boswell calls
[1:56:51] white terrorism.
[1:56:53] As in the middle passage, child slavery,
[1:56:56] police brutality, redlinining, mass
[1:56:58] incarceration, gerrymandering, sundown
[1:57:01] towns, lynchings,
[1:57:03] urban renewal, Jim Crow laws. White
[1:57:06] people have been terrorizing black
[1:57:08] people for over 400 years, and we've got
[1:57:11] to stop it. Thank you.
[1:57:14] Uh, an Zeta following Miss Zeta's Aaron
[1:57:18] Perks or Perus.
[1:57:21] » Good morning. I'm An Zeta, newly
[1:57:23] racially gerrymandered into precinct 4.
[1:57:26] I didn't realize until I was preparing
[1:57:27] my remarks that I was dressed all in
[1:57:29] black, but I guess it's apppropo of the
[1:57:30] issue that I'm here to speak on, the
[1:57:32] steady whittling away of our democracy.
[1:57:34] With only one minute to speak, another
[1:57:36] example of your efforts to limit the
[1:57:37] voices of constituents. I will just say
[1:57:39] that I am opposed to the reduction of
[1:57:41] polling locations that
[1:57:42] disproportionately impact black and
[1:57:44] brown voters. Several years ago, while
[1:57:46] serving on the Fort Worth City Council,
[1:57:47] a demographer from Rice University
[1:57:49] presented to us the growth of minority
[1:57:51] community communities that were destined
[1:57:53] to make Fort Worth and Tarant County
[1:57:55] majority minority. And here we are. And
[1:57:57] now we have to fight to ensure that
[1:58:00] those voices are heard. Eliminating
[1:58:01] polling locations will not make people
[1:58:03] go away, but it does make it harder for
[1:58:05] those voices to be heard. This is voter
[1:58:07] suppression. I also wanted to say that
[1:58:09] with the limited process of voters, it's
[1:58:11] about it's not about limiting the
[1:58:13] ability to process voters. It's the
[1:58:15] proximity of voters to hear their vo
[1:58:18] their voices to be heard. And is the
[1:58:20] goal the bare minimum? I keep hearing
[1:58:22] the bare minimum.
[1:58:23] » Thank you. It's Aaron Perkus present.
[1:58:27] Perks, my apologies. Aaron Perks.
[1:58:29] Following Miss Perks is Anan Patel.
[1:58:32] Okay.
[1:58:33] » Hello, I'm Aaron Perks, a resident and
[1:58:34] taxpayer in the 76110 zip code of
[1:58:37] Mistletoe Heights. I'm here today to
[1:58:39] share concerns about the proposed
[1:58:40] closures of early voting locations.
[1:58:43] Under this plan, residents of Mistletoe
[1:58:45] Heights, Berkeley, Tinglewood, Overton
[1:58:46] Park, Monaceel, Crestwood, and many more
[1:58:48] would lose access to long-standing
[1:58:50] voting sites like Southside Community
[1:58:52] Center, TCU, and Health Science Center.
[1:58:55] Leaving only the downtown courthouse,
[1:58:56] which is harder to reach and navigate,
[1:58:58] tens of thousands of residents would be
[1:59:00] funneled into one location. If this is
[1:59:03] about efficiency, why aren't reductions
[1:59:05] distributed evenly across the county?
[1:59:07] Central Fort Worth and historic black
[1:59:09] and Hispanic neighborhoods would be
[1:59:11] disproportionately impacted while other
[1:59:13] areas are left untouched. What steps
[1:59:15] will this court take to ensure that
[1:59:17] these cuts don't unfairly burden some
[1:59:19] communities over others? Trust in our
[1:59:21] system depends on every voter having
[1:59:23] equal unburdened access to the right to
[1:59:25] vote. Thank you very much.
[1:59:27] » Thank you. Uh is Anand Patel present?
[1:59:32] Anand Anand. Uh, next, Loretta Hardman.
[1:59:41] Following Miss Hardman, we have Ivonne
[1:59:43] Thompson.
[1:59:44] » Good morning.
[1:59:45] » Good morning.
[1:59:46] » I am your lead for KO. I would just like
[1:59:49] to say real quick, KO is a welloiled
[1:59:51] machine. We're efficient, professional,
[1:59:54] and if you vote there one time, you'll
[1:59:58] come back. If you come in with a
[2:00:00] problem, I'm going to make sure you have
[2:00:02] a solution. That's my promise.
[2:00:05] Commissioner RmIrez, thank you for
[2:00:07] recognizing Kamo. It's needed. Uh,
[2:00:10] Commissioner Krauss, is that right?
[2:00:12] Happy birthday.
[2:00:15] That's it.
[2:00:18] Uh, Ivon Thompson. It's Ivon Thompson
[2:00:21] present.
[2:00:24] All right. Peter Irvin.
[2:00:28] Uh, Ivon Thompson. I'll call again. Um,
[2:00:32] following Mr. Irvin. We have Aisha
[2:00:34] Hassan.
[2:00:37] » My name is Peter Irvin. I have been a
[2:00:38] resident of Tarant County for four
[2:00:41] years. I urge no demand the court reject
[2:00:44] the proposed early voting and election
[2:00:46] day polling locations for the November
[2:00:48] 4th, 2025 joint special and
[2:00:50] constitutional amendment election.
[2:00:52] Furthermore, it appears that at least
[2:00:54] three members of the commissioner's
[2:00:56] court have forgotten our founding
[2:00:57] father's position on petty tyranny. To
[2:01:00] this end, I will remind you that when in
[2:01:02] the course of human events, it becomes
[2:01:04] necessary for one people to dissolve the
[2:01:06] political bands which have connected
[2:01:08] them with another, and to assume the
[2:01:10] powers of the earth, the separate and
[2:01:12] equal station to which the laws of
[2:01:14] nature and of nature's God entitled them
[2:01:16] a decent respect to the opinions of
[2:01:18] mankind requires that they should
[2:01:20] declare the cause which impel them to
[2:01:22] the separation. We hold these truths to
[2:01:24] be self-evident that all men are created
[2:01:26] equal, that they are endowed by their
[2:01:28] creator with certain unalienable rights,
[2:01:30] that among these are life, liberty, and
[2:01:32] the pursuit of happiness. That to secure
[2:01:35] these rights, governments are instituted
[2:01:37] among men.
[2:01:38] » Thank you, sir. Next, we have Aisha
[2:01:41] Hassan. Following Miss Hassan, we have
[2:01:42] Reed Bills.
[2:01:45] » Good morning. My name is Aisha Hassan
[2:01:47] and I live in North Fort Worth in
[2:01:48] precinct 4. I'm speaking in opposition
[2:01:51] to the consideration to approve early
[2:01:52] voting in election day polling locations
[2:01:55] for the November 4th, 2025 election. My
[2:01:58] message today is to you, Commissioner
[2:02:00] Manny Ramirez.
[2:02:02] I am appalled at the idea of shutting
[2:02:04] down so many early voting election day
[2:02:06] polling locations. This is a first class
[2:02:10] example of voter suppression and you
[2:02:14] know it is.
[2:02:16] This proposal disproportionately impacts
[2:02:18] people of color and their right to
[2:02:20] accessible voting locations. You cannot
[2:02:22] possibly stand for this. Um you cannot
[2:02:25] possibly stand for this proposal with
[2:02:27] goodwill and face the people you sought
[2:02:29] to represent just like me knowing you
[2:02:32] are actively suppressing votes. This
[2:02:34] proposal is a disgrace and I ask you as
[2:02:37] a citizen in your precinct to please
[2:02:39] stand on the right side of history and
[2:02:41] not vote for this. Thank you.
[2:02:44] » Thank you. Reed Bills present. Following
[2:02:46] Miss Bills, we have Libby Willis.
[2:02:59] Judge O'Hare and his Republican cohorts
[2:03:02] are again trying to suppress voting in
[2:03:05] Tarant County by drastically cutting the
[2:03:08] number of polling locations, especially
[2:03:11] in places where people of color and
[2:03:14] college students usually vote. I would
[2:03:17] like to address the funding implications
[2:03:19] of this proposal.
[2:03:22] The court
[2:03:24] communication indicates
[2:03:28] there is no fiscal impact.
[2:03:33] Apparently no fiscal impact study was
[2:03:37] conducted.
[2:03:40] So I assume that means there is no
[2:03:42] costsaving to reducing the number of
[2:03:45] locations by half. If that is the case,
[2:03:49] that leaves only political motiv
[2:03:53] motivation for this proposal.
[2:03:56] I urge you to vote against this blatant
[2:03:58] act of voter suppression.
[2:04:01] » Follow. Is Miss Willis present? Libby
[2:04:03] Willis?
[2:04:06] Libby Willis.
[2:04:08] Uh next, uh Anna or Anna Kamarena.
[2:04:13] Miss Kamarena present. Lydia Bean.
[2:04:19] Uh, following Miss Bean, we will have
[2:04:21] Rita Adam.
[2:04:27] My name is Lydia Bean. I'm the chair of
[2:04:29] the Broadway Baptist Justice Committee
[2:04:31] and one of the founders of the Tarant
[2:04:34] County Faith and Justice Coalition. I'm
[2:04:36] speaking here today to ask you to not
[2:04:38] adopt this proposal to close polling
[2:04:41] locations which are disproportionately
[2:04:43] in black and Latino and working-class
[2:04:44] neighborhoods. And I want to remind you
[2:04:47] that the right to vote is not a
[2:04:49] suggestion and it shouldn't depend on
[2:04:51] the color of your skin or the
[2:04:53] neighborhood where you live. And when
[2:04:55] you close polling locations, you make it
[2:04:57] very expensive and timeconuming for
[2:04:59] working people to vote. You force people
[2:05:02] to take off work, to take a bus across
[2:05:04] town, to walk two and a half hours to
[2:05:08] the nearest because that's how long it
[2:05:09] takes to walk 5 miles in Tarant County.
[2:05:13] So creating a pole tax is a violation of
[2:05:16] people's voting rights. Please
[2:05:17] reconsider this list, particularly
[2:05:20] focusing on historic neighborhoods of
[2:05:21] color, and make sure that everyone has a
[2:05:23] polling location where they can easily
[2:05:25] and conveniently vote without having to
[2:05:27] take off work, hire a babysitter. Thank
[2:05:29] you. Is Rita Adam present?
[2:05:33] Rita Adam.
[2:05:35] Uh Alexandria Williams.
[2:05:39] Following Miss Williams, we have Toby
[2:05:41] Laws.
[2:05:43] Hello. I am a Terry County resident,
[2:05:46] college student, and precinct chair 4179
[2:05:49] where early voting will be almost
[2:05:51] non-existent for us. Um our Texas
[2:05:53] Constitution,
[2:05:55] actually, no, I'm sorry. The study by
[2:05:57] Enrico Canton shows that a quarter mile
[2:05:59] increase in travel distance can cause
[2:06:00] voter turnout to drop by 5%. You're
[2:06:03] considering cutting more than 100
[2:06:04] polling places. So, what do you think
[2:06:06] that difference will make? Um, fewer
[2:06:09] sites means longer lines, lower turnout.
[2:06:11] It'll lead to confusion, more mistrust
[2:06:14] and unnecessary boundaries in our
[2:06:16] government. This means seniors,
[2:06:18] students, and families without reliable
[2:06:20] transportation will be unfairly
[2:06:21] burdened. This is not efficient. This is
[2:06:23] voter suppression. These changes will
[2:06:25] fall the hardest on underserved
[2:06:27] communities, young people, and working
[2:06:29] families. And at a time when trust in
[2:06:31] elections is already fragile, cutting
[2:06:33] polling places is a direct spit in the
[2:06:35] face of democracy.
[2:06:37] Voting is a fundamental part of
[2:06:39] democracy and these decisions should
[2:06:42] expand access, not restrict it.
[2:06:44] » Thank you.
[2:06:45] » Thank you.
[2:06:46] » Uh Rita Adam, is Rita Adam present? I
[2:06:48] didn't read that one very long. Toby LS
[2:06:53] following Mr. LS is David Richardson.
[2:07:01] » I too uh disagree with
[2:07:04] this proposal to remove many polling
[2:07:08] locations
[2:07:10] all across the land. People feel as
[2:07:14] though democracy is very much fleeting
[2:07:18] and representation is not
[2:07:22] reflective of the population and those
[2:07:26] entrusted
[2:07:27] to serve the public
[2:07:30] often do not.
[2:07:33] It is very disheartening
[2:07:36] uh for this to even be proposed.
[2:07:39] I admit some appreciation for Mr.
[2:07:43] Ramirez for at least trying to be
[2:07:47] somewhat objective about some things and
[2:07:51] encourage you all to
[2:07:54] not necessarily vote on this, gather
[2:07:57] more detail and truly serve Tarant
[2:07:59] County.
[2:08:02] Following Mr. Richardson. We have Laura
[2:08:04] Leman.
[2:08:11] Thank you.
[2:08:13] We've been drowned in facts and reason
[2:08:18] and enlightenment thinking today. I have
[2:08:21] too much to say for my minute. So, I'm
[2:08:23] going to tell you a story.
[2:08:26] I want to tell you about my neighbor's
[2:08:28] grandmother.
[2:08:29] She lives out past the gravel road where
[2:08:33] the mailbox leans like an old man in the
[2:08:35] wind.
[2:08:37] She's voted in every election since
[2:08:39] 1952.
[2:08:42] Rain, shine, or Texas heat.
[2:08:49] Last year, she took two buses and
[2:08:52] arrived from a church volunteer to reach
[2:08:54] her polling place.
[2:08:57] If we cut locations in half, she won't
[2:08:59] make it.
[2:09:02] And if she doesn't vote,
[2:09:04] something sacred goes quiet.
[2:09:08] Not just her voice, but the memory of
[2:09:11] every generation she carried with her in
[2:09:14] that ballot box. Am I done?
[2:09:17] » Yes, sir. I'm assuming that's what that
[2:09:19] beep was. Okay. Um
[2:09:22] All right. Laura Leman is next.
[2:09:24] Following Miss Leman, we have Stacy
[2:09:26] Melo.
[2:09:31] » Good morning. Yes, I'm Laura. Well, here
[2:09:34] we go again. How to cheat and steal to
[2:09:36] keep power by suppressing voting
[2:09:38] opportunities in Tarant County. Leading
[2:09:40] this charge, Judge O'Hare, Commissioner
[2:09:42] Ramirez, and Krauss for the November 4th
[2:09:45] special election. And these three men
[2:09:47] shamelessly want to slash over 100
[2:09:49] polling locations, cutting election day
[2:09:51] sites from 349 down to just 214.
[2:09:55] People are not stupid. While you claim
[2:09:57] this is about efficiency, we all know
[2:09:59] it's really about making voting harder.
[2:10:01] Just like when you tried to close
[2:10:02] college polling locations last year and
[2:10:05] just like you racially gerrymandered the
[2:10:06] county commissioner precincts.
[2:10:08] Commissioner Ramirez, remember when you
[2:10:10] said add more sites, don't take any away
[2:10:13] regarding the college polling locations
[2:10:15] debacle. Stealing power by cheating
[2:10:18] voters lacks morality and it it flies in
[2:10:22] the face of biblical teachings. Proverb
[2:10:24] 11, the Lord hates anyone who cheats,
[2:10:27] but he likes everyone who is honest.
[2:10:30] We've had enough of your terrible
[2:10:31] policies. Voters are already what your
[2:10:34] actions are harmful. Thank you,
[2:10:35] » Stacy Melo. Stacy Melo present.
[2:10:42] All right. Following Miss Melo, we have
[2:10:43] Karen Gryom.
[2:10:50] Well, well, well. Here we are again
[2:10:52] fighting for our right to vote. I'm not
[2:10:56] surprised though, as it seems like the
[2:10:58] only thing that y'all are really good
[2:10:59] for is suppressing people's right to
[2:11:01] vote. So, congrats on that. Um, listen,
[2:11:05] I'm not going to sit here and beg y'all
[2:11:06] to do what's right, which is voting
[2:11:09] against this voting list. You already
[2:11:11] know that that's the right thing to do.
[2:11:14] Uh, but I also know that y'all don't
[2:11:15] really care what your constituents have
[2:11:18] to say. You didn't care when you
[2:11:20] racially gerrymandered our precinct maps
[2:11:23] and you don't really care now. Um, so
[2:11:25] really what I just want youall to be
[2:11:26] aware of is that we know that the reason
[2:11:28] that you're doing this is because you're
[2:11:30] scared. You're scared of the reckoning
[2:11:32] that is coming for you in 2026.
[2:11:35] And you should be because we every every
[2:11:39] single time that y'all try to do this BS
[2:11:42] of trying to restrict our right to vote,
[2:11:44] it just lights a fire under us. So I
[2:11:47] hope that you are scared because we are
[2:11:49] coming for your seats in 2026.
[2:11:51] » Thank you.
[2:11:52] » Thank you. All right,
[2:11:53] » Miss Gryom. Is Miss Gryom present?
[2:11:57] Karen Gryom.
[2:12:00] All right. Following Miss Gryom or I
[2:12:02] guess not following but June Naylor
[2:12:05] Harris.
[2:12:08] Approximately how many people are still
[2:12:09] out there? Deputy if you had to guess.
[2:12:16] Okay. Uh June Naylor Harris.
[2:12:20] June Naylor Harris present.
[2:12:24] Jennifer MSUS.
[2:12:27] Jennifer MSAS present.
[2:12:30] Chandler, do we have uh you said there's
[2:12:32] speakers out there, so I'm assuming
[2:12:34] they're right outside those two doors.
[2:12:36] Hear it. I should see them pop up.
[2:12:38] » What I've been told by staff is we're
[2:12:39] trying to call names ahead of time out
[2:12:40] there to have them lined up if they are
[2:12:42] sitting up.
[2:12:42] » All right. Jennifer MSAS,
[2:12:47] uh Charles Bills,
[2:12:51] following Mr. bills is Leavon Cochril.
[2:12:57] » I want to reiterate something that Mr.
[2:12:59] Miles said about uh that the voters when
[2:13:02] they come they want a place that they
[2:13:04] always know they can go to vote and when
[2:13:07] you close something that's been around
[2:13:09] like Komo Center has always been open
[2:13:11] for voting and have it suddenly not be
[2:13:14] available to voting that that just
[2:13:16] causes way too much stress and
[2:13:18] confusion. You know, there's not
[2:13:20] anything buddy saying, "No, now you have
[2:13:22] to go three miles away." There's just
[2:13:24] nothing. There's just no voting there,
[2:13:26] and that's just not acceptable.
[2:13:29] Uh, Miss Cochril, following Miss Cochril
[2:13:32] is Wesie Anderson, Jr.
[2:13:39] Being unpopular is a problem. Better
[2:13:42] lost Taran County by only 24,319
[2:13:46] votes. Judge O'Hare, you won by 34,9 69
[2:13:50] votes and Commissioner Ramirez, you won
[2:13:52] by 23,628.
[2:13:55] But 38,000 registered Democrats who live
[2:13:58] on the north side did not vote.
[2:14:01] Cutting $81 million to JPS, ICE raids,
[2:14:05] locking up Nicole Collier, Taran County,
[2:14:07] Trump's approval rating is 38% and
[2:14:10] falling. Republics are unpopular.
[2:14:12] Hurting people is unpopular. Cutting
[2:14:14] polling places is unpopular.
[2:14:17] and you work basically one day a month
[2:14:20] for a 220,000 plus salary.
[2:14:24] I laugh because you can't stop
[2:14:26] publicity, the doortodoor explainers,
[2:14:28] the continuous phone calls to the
[2:14:29] Democratic headquarters, our thousands
[2:14:32] of volunteer forms filled out. You can't
[2:14:35] calm the anxiety in Tarant County
[2:14:37] because you created it.
[2:14:39] » Thank you.
[2:14:39] » You awoke a low blood sugar giant.
[2:14:42] » Please step away from the microphone.
[2:14:45] Um Wesie Anderson.
[2:14:49] Mr. Anderson.
[2:14:50] » Okay. Following Mr. Anderson is Kristen
[2:14:53] Hartwell.
[2:14:55] » Well, good afternoon. Afternoon,
[2:14:56] » Texas. Been here two years. Only thing I
[2:14:59] heard since I've been here is voter
[2:15:01] suppression. My question for you on the
[2:15:04] redistricting is how does it affect you
[2:15:07] three as far as your neighborhoods
[2:15:11] polling closes? How does it affect you
[2:15:13] three people?
[2:15:18] » It's not It's not a Q&A. Use your minute
[2:15:20] however you choose.
[2:15:21] » Okay. Well, everybody's complaining
[2:15:23] about voters being suppressed. I don't
[2:15:25] hear anybody on your side of town say
[2:15:26] y'all losing voters.
[2:15:32] It's crickets.
[2:15:35] [Music]
[2:15:39] » Anything else?
[2:15:40] » That is all, sir. I got 15 seconds
[2:15:42] » Not to just stand there and do nothing.
[2:15:44] So, thank you, sir. No problem.
[2:15:45] » Miss Hartwell is next.
[2:15:47] » It doesn't affect their districts.
[2:15:48] Redistricting didn't affect their
[2:15:50] district.
[2:15:50] » Commissioner Simmons, you just brought
[2:15:51] up that one of my polling places was
[2:15:53] closed. It was in one of the top 10
[2:15:54] polling places in all of Tarant County.
[2:15:56] So, I wouldn't say that's exactly true.
[2:15:57] » Miss Miss Hartwell, is Miss Hartwell
[2:16:00] present?
[2:16:03] Jerry Michael Stein.
[2:16:09] Following Mr. Stein is Donna Reagan.
[2:16:15] » Jerry Stein, precinct number one. Uh,
[2:16:19] Commissioner Miles summarized most of my
[2:16:21] major points. I just the only original
[2:16:23] thought I could add here is that there
[2:16:24] are consequences for your actions and
[2:16:26] I'd like you to think about that dearly.
[2:16:29] When you cut off the ability to pe for
[2:16:31] people to express their views
[2:16:33] peacefully, then you have people coming
[2:16:36] out at a meeting like this. Then you
[2:16:37] have them go having large rallies at
[2:16:40] Barnett Park. After that, there are less
[2:16:42] than peaceful actions and and that's
[2:16:45] something that concerns me and should
[2:16:46] concern you. Don't cut off people's
[2:16:49] peaceful expression of their views.
[2:16:51] Thank you.
[2:16:52] » Thank you. Are you Miss Hartwell? Are
[2:16:55] you Miss Reagan? Miss Reagan.
[2:16:59] Following Miss Reagan, we have Andrew
[2:17:01] Fizer.
[2:17:04] » Good morning. My name is Donna Reagan
[2:17:05] and it's my first time to appear here.
[2:17:08] Um, I understand it's customary to
[2:17:11] address the court as your honors.
[2:17:13] However,
[2:17:15] the only honor I've picked up on here is
[2:17:17] honor among thieves. Thieves who are
[2:17:20] trying to steal the power of we the
[2:17:21] people. While voter suppression is no
[2:17:26] laughing matter, it seems to be the
[2:17:27] running gag of this court.
[2:17:29] Instead of fulfilling your duty to
[2:17:31] safeguard fair elections, you're focused
[2:17:33] on delivering the same sad punchlines
[2:17:35] over and over. Play party politics,
[2:17:37] disenfranchise voters, target
[2:17:39] communities of color. When officials
[2:17:42] manipulate who gets to vote, who gets
[2:17:44] streamline of a process, and who gets
[2:17:46] stuck at the back of the line, it's not
[2:17:48] honorable. It's cowardly.
[2:17:50] It's fixing the game before it's played
[2:17:53] just so you don't have to face a fair
[2:17:54] fight. And if you think racism is hidden
[2:17:57] by bureaucratical language, think again.
[2:17:59] Denying minority groups their voice
[2:18:01] isn't just a bad joke, it's the oldest,
[2:18:03] ugliest reoccurring joke in American
[2:18:05] history.
[2:18:05] » Thank you.
[2:18:06] » Thank you.
[2:18:07] » Andrew Fizer present. Andrew Fizer
[2:18:10] Fiser.
[2:18:12] Uh
[2:18:14] Destin or Destiny Denini.
[2:18:18] Destiny.
[2:18:22] Following Miss Denini is Katherine Cano.
[2:18:32] I was born and raised in Fort Worth. I
[2:18:34] live in Ridgely Hills now with my
[2:18:36] husband where we're raising our
[2:18:37] beautiful little girl. I am a Texan. I
[2:18:41] get when I get excited, my eye sounds
[2:18:43] get longer. If I see a need, I scream
[2:18:46] and I help. I scream at the TV just like
[2:18:50] everyone else when the game is on. As a
[2:18:53] Texan, if I make a mistake, I accept
[2:18:55] accountability and make amends when
[2:18:57] necessary. If I lose, though I may not
[2:19:00] be happy about it, I can shake my
[2:19:02] opponent's hand and say, "Good game."
[2:19:06] And when I have a problem with someone
[2:19:08] as a Texan, I can look them in the eye
[2:19:10] and say, "So, I have a problem with
[2:19:13] you."
[2:19:15] I ask that if polling places are being
[2:19:18] added for the November 4th elections,
[2:19:21] current polling places not be removed.
[2:19:24] To be a part of a team, you earn your
[2:19:26] spot. As repres as representatives of
[2:19:29] this county, it is your job to rise to
[2:19:31] the occasion and meet the needs of all
[2:19:33] your constituents.
[2:19:34] » Thank you. Is Miss Kano present?
[2:19:41] Gary McMatterin
[2:19:45] Gary Mcmadaran Gary McMatterin
[2:19:50] Steve Christian
[2:19:54] following Mr. Christian Sad Dumis
[2:19:59] Thank you. I'm a lifelong resident of
[2:20:02] Fort Worth um precinct 4 live in
[2:20:05] precinct 4. Thank you uh Commissioner
[2:20:08] Miles for everything you said and a lot
[2:20:10] of others saved me some time in my one
[2:20:12] minute. Um the main thing that I got
[2:20:15] from the presentation from staff today
[2:20:17] was we have low voter turnout and so the
[2:20:21] answer to that is to cut polling places.
[2:20:26] What that something doesn't seem right
[2:20:28] with that to me. Um but um I'm
[2:20:32] particularly
[2:20:34] everyone else has spoken eloquently
[2:20:35] about the other reasons for this. I'll
[2:20:39] speak for the college students and the
[2:20:41] fact that eliminating all polling places
[2:20:44] from colleges and universities is
[2:20:47] sending them a message that their voices
[2:20:49] are not valued and it discourages civic
[2:20:52] engagement for our next generation of
[2:20:54] leaders which I can hardly wait for them
[2:20:56] to get here.
[2:20:58] In a healthy democracy. In a healthy
[2:21:00] democracy. Thank you, sir. We should be
[2:21:02] working to expand access.
[2:21:04] » Thank you, sir.
[2:21:05] » Thank you.
[2:21:06] » Are you Miss Dumis?
[2:21:09] » No. Did I call your name?
[2:21:11] » Okay. Please state your name for us.
[2:21:15] » Good afternoon, Shade Dumas.
[2:21:18] I want to speak against reducing polling
[2:21:20] locations because saving a little over a
[2:21:23] million dollars are meeting the minimum
[2:21:25] requirement under the Springer bill does
[2:21:27] not outweigh the harm of
[2:21:29] disenfranchising
[2:21:31] tens of thousands of voters. Democracy
[2:21:34] demands more than the bare minimum. It
[2:21:36] demands fairness and full access.
[2:21:39] Polling locations are not simply numbers
[2:21:41] on a budget sheet. Each site represents
[2:21:45] real people, real communities, and their
[2:21:48] voices matter. Their votes matter. And
[2:21:52] honestly, voting should not depend on
[2:21:55] whether a community has the financial
[2:21:56] resources to buy its way into democracy.
[2:22:00] That in itself undermines the principle
[2:22:02] of equal access. It erodess trust and it
[2:22:05] weakens our democracy. So, I urge you
[2:22:07] all to reject reducing polling
[2:22:10] locations. It is time to expand access
[2:22:12] to the ballot box, not to reduce it.
[2:22:15] Thank you.
[2:22:15] » Thank you, S Dumis.
[2:22:18] » That was me.
[2:22:18] » Oh,
[2:22:21] Kelly Tuful.
[2:22:29] Okay. Kelly Tuful.
[2:22:31] TOEFL.
[2:22:33] Allan Loba.
[2:22:38] Callie Tuful. All right, Mr. Loba,
[2:22:41] following Mr. Loba is Jessica Irvin.
[2:22:46] » Thank you so much. With all due respect
[2:22:48] to my good friend Stella, I thought the
[2:22:50] quote was, "It's not our job to make
[2:22:52] voting easier." I'd love to debate that
[2:22:54] when we have more than a minute, but I
[2:22:56] only have a minute. So, I would tell you
[2:22:58] that hardwired into your job
[2:23:00] descriptions, woven into the fabric of
[2:23:02] your calling is to make life better for
[2:23:06] every resident in Tarant County.
[2:23:10] » Serve every resident of Tarant County,
[2:23:12] make their lives better. All due
[2:23:14] respect, I love what you've said to us.
[2:23:17] You're my representative on this
[2:23:19] council. I've heard two phrases, bare
[2:23:22] minimum, 10 mile radius. you can close
[2:23:27] 20 of the closest uh polling places near
[2:23:31] my house. I'll get in my car. I'll
[2:23:34] Google where I need to go. I'll get
[2:23:36] there. But making somebody walk 9 and a
[2:23:39] half miles to a polling place because
[2:23:42] they have limited resources, limited
[2:23:44] time, limited access to transportation.
[2:23:47] » Thank you, sir.
[2:23:48] » Polling tax.
[2:23:49] » Mr. Irvin or Mrs. Irvin, I'm sorry.
[2:23:52] Jessica Irvin, sir. Jessica Urban
[2:24:02] Libertad Heredia
[2:24:06] following Miss Heredia is Richard Perez.
[2:24:21] Um, hi. My statements aren't very
[2:24:24] polished because like a lot of people, I
[2:24:25] was blindsided by, you know, this map
[2:24:27] that came out with the suggested polling
[2:24:29] location closures. And as I was sitting
[2:24:31] here listening to uh members of this
[2:24:33] court, I realized that a lot of you guys
[2:24:35] were also blindsided. And I commend uh
[2:24:38] the commissioners from precincts 1, 2,
[2:24:40] and four for voicing their concerns and
[2:24:41] standing on their principles. Um I
[2:24:46] I suppose I am echoing the sentiment of
[2:24:48] a lot of people here in saying that
[2:24:50] adding additional hurdles uh in response
[2:24:53] to low voter turnout is the wrong
[2:24:55] approach to take. Um it's a degradation
[2:24:57] of our democratic institutions and that
[2:25:00] hurts everybody regardless of our
[2:25:02] personal beliefs. Even if you might feel
[2:25:04] like you're winning something,
[2:25:05] ultimately we all lose if we allow this
[2:25:07] to happen. and respectfully contrato um
[2:25:11] if we are concerned about budget I would
[2:25:13] suggest you look at your taxpayer funded
[2:25:16] salaries before cutting access to voting
[2:25:19] locations respectfully thank you
[2:25:22] » Is Mr. Richard Perez here all right
[2:25:24] following Mr. Perez. We have Deborah
[2:25:26] Kratkkey.
[2:25:28] [Music]
[2:25:30] » I'm Richard Perez and I live in District
[2:25:34] 2 near the historic stocky darts and I
[2:25:37] stand firm with District 2 Councilman
[2:25:40] Carlos Flores and District 11
[2:25:42] Councilwoman Janette Martinez as they
[2:25:45] both oppose this proposal. They've
[2:25:47] released statements as of yesterday. I
[2:25:51] live in the historic area of Fort Worth
[2:25:54] near the stockyards. I also live four
[2:25:56] blocks from a infamous historic building
[2:25:58] called the Ellis Picon factory. We know
[2:26:01] the initial purpose of that building was
[2:26:04] the Fort Worth Claver at the beginning
[2:26:06] of the 20th century and that was used to
[2:26:09] intimidate people in North Side, black
[2:26:12] and brown people, people of diversity.
[2:26:16] They were known for suppression of
[2:26:17] voting.
[2:26:19] Uh they were known for their
[2:26:21] intimidation.
[2:26:23] I would hate to see that our great Fort
[2:26:25] Worth and I my family's been here 80
[2:26:27] years. I'd hate to see them.
[2:26:31] » Thank you, sir.
[2:26:32] » Thank you.
[2:26:33] » Following Miss Katr, we have Amy Super.
[2:26:38] » Yes, Debbie Katr here. Um in listening
[2:26:41] to the other comments, I'm not going to
[2:26:42] add what's already been said, but there
[2:26:44] are two things that concerned me. And
[2:26:46] one of them was the fact when you asked
[2:26:48] the electeduh the elections official if
[2:26:50] the amendments were the only thing on
[2:26:52] the ballot and he said yes. That's not
[2:26:54] true. Actually Senate uh Senate seat
[2:26:57] that's currently held by Kelly. Uh
[2:26:59] » Yeah, I said that.
[2:27:01] » There you go. Okay. Then the last thing
[2:27:03] I'm going to say is in 1873 there was a
[2:27:07] Dallas resident who said that Fort Worth
[2:27:10] was very much like a sleeping panther.
[2:27:13] And the one thing I can promise you is
[2:27:15] that panther has awoken and we will see
[2:27:18] you at the ballot box. Uh Amy Super
[2:27:22] following Miss Super Stanley Johnson.
[2:27:27] [Music]
[2:27:31] » Facts matter. All voters still have the
[2:27:34] same 12 days, 121 hours plus election
[2:27:37] day, another 12 hours to cast their
[2:27:39] votes. Nothing changes with that. That's
[2:27:41] not voter suppression. I analyzed the
[2:27:44] data. I told Commissioner Simmons how to
[2:27:45] analyze the data. Guess she didn't want
[2:27:47] to do that. It clearly shows us where
[2:27:49] people want to go to vote and which
[2:27:51] places they prefer not to choose to vote
[2:27:53] at. This proposed plan reflects that. Uh
[2:27:57] the proposed list is a direct reflection
[2:27:59] of that data. Here's a fun fact. 202021
[2:28:02] um 48 EV sites voter turnout 8.29. 2023
[2:28:07] you took away four
[2:28:09] voter turnout went up not down. Okay. Do
[2:28:15] do you get that? Okay. I'd remind you
[2:28:17] once again of your responsibility. Take
[2:28:18] a more pragmatic approach when making
[2:28:20] decisions that involve how our tax
[2:28:21] dollars are spent. Million dollars would
[2:28:23] cover your salary. So that's a savings I
[2:28:25] would think is good. I do recommend also
[2:28:27] to get KO back. Great parking and one of
[2:28:29] the best crew sites in Karent County.
[2:28:32] » Thank you. Is Mr. Johnson present?
[2:28:35] Stanley Johnson. Following Mr. Johnson,
[2:28:38] we have Nidia Cardinis.
[2:28:42] » I have a rhetorical question for the
[2:28:44] judge and the election administrator.
[2:28:47] Uh, but I want to preface it by this uh
[2:28:51] quote uh from our uh highly uh respected
[2:28:56] previous election administrator in his
[2:28:58] protest uh uh resignation letter. Judge
[2:29:02] O'Hare, my formula to administer a
[2:29:04] quality, transparent election stands on
[2:29:07] respect and zero politics. Compromising
[2:29:09] on these values is not an option for me.
[2:29:11] You made it clear in our last meeting
[2:29:13] that your formula is different. Thus, my
[2:29:15] decision to leave. I wish you the best.
[2:29:17] Taran County deserves that you find
[2:29:19] success. And so, my question is, u what
[2:29:23] is your formula?
[2:29:25] um we're only going to save in a million
[2:29:27] dollars, I believe 11/10enth of a
[2:29:30] percent
[2:29:32] and it's not addressing the problem. The
[2:29:35] problem is low turnout, not too many
[2:29:38] voting places.
[2:29:40] » Thank you.
[2:29:41] » Thank you. Uh following, do we have Miss
[2:29:43] Cardinis present? Nidia Cardinus.
[2:29:45] Following Miss Cardinis, we have Drew
[2:29:47] Brown.
[2:29:51] Hello, my name is Nia Cardinas and I
[2:29:53] want to know why we have a bare minimum
[2:29:54] mindset about the most foundational
[2:29:56] principle of democracy which is the
[2:29:58] right to vote. And coming into this
[2:30:00] meeting, I tried to read all the news I
[2:30:02] could find about it. And all of them
[2:30:04] said that there was no comment on your
[2:30:05] behalf, judge. And I was kind of like,
[2:30:07] why is he not saying anything about why,
[2:30:09] you know, he's advocating for this? And
[2:30:11] I realized coming into this meeting is
[2:30:12] because you barely just got the
[2:30:13] information. So, how could you feel
[2:30:15] comfortable making such a significant
[2:30:18] decision about people's access to voting
[2:30:20] with what sounds like less than a week
[2:30:22] of information? And so, I'm very
[2:30:25] concerned about how every time I come to
[2:30:27] this court, every decision is being made
[2:30:28] with little transparency, little
[2:30:31] creative thinking. And if this is
[2:30:33] financial, then I would encourage us to
[2:30:35] ask the public interest law firm for a
[2:30:37] $250,000 refund um that we're paying
[2:30:40] them to fight the lawsuit against
[2:30:42] redistricting. um and we can fund what
[2:30:44] was it 20 23 of the sites based on the
[2:30:47] um administrator's budget of 10,600 um
[2:30:51] for an early voting site. So let's do
[2:30:53] that instead.
[2:30:54] » Is Drew Brown present
[2:30:56] following Mr. Brown? We have Becky Don.
[2:31:01] » Good morning.
[2:31:02] » Good morning,
[2:31:02] » Mr. Brooks. You used to be my
[2:31:04] commissioner. I'm sorry you're not. I
[2:31:07] voted for you.
[2:31:08] » Uh and uh hi. You're my new
[2:31:12] commissioner. I didn't vote for you. I
[2:31:13] hope I don't get arrested.
[2:31:15] So, uh, and M. County Judge, uh, I had
[2:31:20] the opportunity to vote for you, but I
[2:31:22] made a different decision because that's
[2:31:24] my rights and voting. So, you represent
[2:31:26] the whole county. So, uh,
[2:31:30] and Commissioner Brooks, so all you said
[2:31:32] was facts, not opinion. So, uh, what
[2:31:35] we've got here is a bait and switch.
[2:31:38] They want to make that decision today.
[2:31:40] table the decision. What they're going
[2:31:42] to do is M commissioner Meris and
[2:31:46] Commissioner Krauss, they're going to
[2:31:47] throw a couple of bones over here. We're
[2:31:48] going to give you we're going to give
[2:31:50] you com. We're going to give you this
[2:31:51] that that vote on. We're done. And think
[2:31:54] that they're heroes. Wrong.
[2:31:57] » Is Becky Don present?
[2:31:59] » Following Mr. Dawn, we have Peyton
[2:32:01] Bullis.
[2:32:05] [Music]
[2:32:07] Some people imagine themselves as tasked
[2:32:10] by God to be liberators and protectors
[2:32:12] of purity and virtue. There are those of
[2:32:15] us who disagree and think they are
[2:32:17] merely dominators and oppressors of
[2:32:20] other people. They use the language of
[2:32:23] spiritual warfare to scapegoat out
[2:32:25] outsiders by implying they are evil or
[2:32:27] inferior beings. These so-called
[2:32:30] liberators dismiss others as undeserving
[2:32:32] of the civil rights of our constitution,
[2:32:35] demeaning them by labeling them as
[2:32:37] freeloaders, immoral or criminals.
[2:32:42] Local and federal agents are throwing
[2:32:44] innocent people in jail, often knowing
[2:32:46] they have not committed a crime. The
[2:32:48] color of their skin is their sin.
[2:32:51] Poverty criminalized when the is
[2:32:53] criminalized when the homeless are
[2:32:55] incarcerated. Mental illness needs only
[2:32:57] to be controlled and often with
[2:32:59] brutality. When those in power redraw
[2:33:02] maps, cut polling sites, eliminate early
[2:33:04] voting. The message is that being sent
[2:33:07] it.
[2:33:08] » Thank you.
[2:33:09] » Thank you.
[2:33:09] » Thanks.
[2:33:10] » Peyton Bullis, present.
[2:33:12] Peyton Bullis.
[2:33:15] Uh Jack Bowen.
[2:33:17] Jack Bowen present. All right. Following
[2:33:20] Mr. Bowen, we have Linda Henry.
[2:33:25] Big word said here today was integrity
[2:33:28] and integrity related to credibility.
[2:33:31] And Judge O'Hare, my wife and I were
[2:33:34] stunned last fall when you said WFA,
[2:33:38] this is about partisan politics. Talking
[2:33:40] about redistricting, this is about
[2:33:42] partisan politics and making sure we
[2:33:44] have a stronger Republican majority on
[2:33:47] the court. Not it was right. Not it was
[2:33:50] fair. Not it was honest. This is about
[2:33:53] partisan politics. So when we see this
[2:33:56] kind of cut proposed to places to vote,
[2:33:59] we see the president saying, "Let's ban
[2:34:01] mailin voting and we see the
[2:34:04] legislature, the governor going, it's an
[2:34:06] emergency. Let's rejerrymander the last
[2:34:09] gerrymander we did." So we're
[2:34:12] suspicious. And even before a peaceful
[2:34:16] rally here in Fort Worth, the chairman
[2:34:17] of the Republican party said, "Few
[2:34:20] wellplaced snipers could handle it." And
[2:34:22] if you wonder why Tarant County lacks
[2:34:25] credit,
[2:34:26] » Thank you sir.
[2:34:26] » There you go.
[2:34:27] » Uh following Miss Hanratty, we have
[2:34:31] Dr. Harold.
[2:34:33] [Music]
[2:34:36] » I object to the 50% reduction in early
[2:34:38] voting polling places and commensurate
[2:34:40] reduction in the election day voting
[2:34:42] places. Both of my early voting places,
[2:34:44] Ko Community Center and TCU, are slated
[2:34:47] for elimination, though apparently KO
[2:34:50] may come back in. I guess they found out
[2:34:52] it wasn't just black voters who voted
[2:34:54] there. Um,
[2:34:57] why are we reducing the number of
[2:34:59] polling places when Taran County is one
[2:35:00] of the fastest growing counties in the
[2:35:03] country? This appears to be a f
[2:35:05] furtherance of the county's court's
[2:35:07] mission to disenfranchise Tarant County
[2:35:09] voters which started with the recently
[2:35:12] recent grossly racial racist
[2:35:14] redistricting that we're all going to
[2:35:16] pay a huge amount of money for way more
[2:35:19] than all the voting places you're
[2:35:21] eliminating. The court says that their
[2:35:24] policies are helping county residents
[2:35:26] and thus deserve re-election.
[2:35:29] But but it seems to me that reducing
[2:35:31] polling places means they're afraid of
[2:35:33] us. And of course, the other thing the
[2:35:35] court has done is they reduce
[2:35:37] » Thank you.
[2:35:38] » The meeting places.
[2:35:39] » Uh following Dr. Harold, we have Carla
[2:35:41] Palyus.
[2:36:01] Running fair, accessible elections is
[2:36:04] one of your highest duties. This
[2:36:07] proposal to cut early voting in half and
[2:36:10] to slash election day polling v places
[2:36:13] will make voting harder for every
[2:36:16] citizen. The numbers are staggering.
[2:36:19] These cuts would force more than 8,000
[2:36:22] voters into each polling place. over
[2:36:25] five times the national average. MIT
[2:36:28] research shows that would add more than
[2:36:31] an hour to wait times. And I have charts
[2:36:34] here, Chandler, for you to pass out. Um,
[2:36:38] Tarant County's growth demands more
[2:36:41] polling places, not fewer. Yet, this
[2:36:44] plan eliminates
[2:36:47] college sites and slashes early voting
[2:36:49] in half. Vote no on this proposal.
[2:36:53] Making voting harder is never the right
[2:36:57] answer.
[2:36:58] » Right.
[2:36:59] » Is Miss Polyaris present? Carla Palaris.
[2:37:04] Uh Angela Rodriguez Pryin
[2:37:09] following Miss Pryin. Hollis Kirkpatre.
[2:37:16] Howdy. My name is Angela Rodriguez
[2:37:20] Prryin, but most people know me as Heli
[2:37:22] um like in Helica. Um and I am an
[2:37:25] entrepreneur um and a mom who lives in
[2:37:28] Monaceel area. And I'm the granddaughter
[2:37:31] of Pauline Gosa Valenciano. A lot of
[2:37:34] people in here know who she is. She died
[2:37:36] in 2018. She served this city for a very
[2:37:38] long time, helping open more voting
[2:37:40] locations, expanding it to people who
[2:37:42] speak Spanish and different languages.
[2:37:44] And my grandma, she's rolling in her
[2:37:45] grave right now.
[2:37:47] about all this. And I'm just asking you,
[2:37:50] you know, if you're trying to save
[2:37:51] money, use that money to put out
[2:37:53] marketing to say it's voting time. Hey,
[2:37:56] you know, here's the people who are on
[2:37:58] your ballot. Let people know who's
[2:38:00] running so they can actually come out
[2:38:02] and vote. It's just basic stuff like
[2:38:04] that. And I'm also a fighting Texas
[2:38:06] Aggie, class of09. Whoop. And we don't
[2:38:09] put up with liars, cheaters, or tolerate
[2:38:12] those who do. And I'm asking you guys to
[2:38:15] please just make it more accessible to
[2:38:18] people.
[2:38:19] » Is Hollis Kirkpatre present?
[2:38:22] Hollis Kirkpatrick.
[2:38:26] Olivia Cartwright.
[2:38:29] Following Miss Cartwright, we have
[2:38:31] Alexander Montalvo.
[2:38:39] The justification of low turnout ignores
[2:38:41] that turnout is low because of
[2:38:42] structural barriers. For example, in
[2:38:45] Polytenic Heights, voters currently walk
[2:38:47] or take a 10 to 15minute ride to
[2:38:50] Rosedale to vote. Under this plan, they
[2:38:52] would be forced to Bey Street instead,
[2:38:55] doubling driving time or up to an hour
[2:38:57] by way of bus. For a minimum wage
[2:39:00] worker, that's up to three hours of pay,
[2:39:02] roughly $30 just to cast a ballot. That
[2:39:05] is not access. It is a deterrent. Clint
[2:39:09] has now apparently had two opportunities
[2:39:11] to present data. And I I commend you,
[2:39:14] Judge O'Hare, for asking those important
[2:39:16] questions. And unfortunately, we have
[2:39:18] yet to see an ounce of scientific method
[2:39:21] or data. Commissioners who demonstrated
[2:39:24] your commitment to factbased decisions
[2:39:26] last year when you voted to preserve
[2:39:28] campus polling locations. I ask the
[2:39:31] fellow commissioners and judge to apply
[2:39:33] that same principle here. This is not
[2:39:36] science. This is politics. Taran County
[2:39:39] has consistently Thank you.
[2:39:41] » Is Mr. Montalvo present. Alexander
[2:39:44] Montalvo.
[2:39:46] All right. Next, we have Kimberly Agoro.
[2:39:54] Following Miss Agoro, we have Candida
[2:39:55] Garcia.
[2:39:59] [Music]
[2:40:02] » I am Reverend Dr. Kimberly.
[2:40:06] I've been greatly disappointed with my
[2:40:08] so-called friends, neighbors, and fellow
[2:40:11] followers of Christ. At least with the
[2:40:14] open races, and groups like the Proud
[2:40:17] Boys and the KKK, you know exactly where
[2:40:19] they stand, and you know what to expect.
[2:40:22] But with today's good people like
[2:40:24] yourselves,
[2:40:26] people who toss rocks and hide their
[2:40:27] hands, who sit silent while allowing the
[2:40:30] balance of power to be shifted unfairly
[2:40:33] and still demanding that folks pull
[2:40:35] themselves up by the bootstraps that you
[2:40:37] are cutting. Jesus is wondering how his
[2:40:40] greatest commandment to love your
[2:40:42] neighbor as you love yourself is
[2:40:43] embodied in this legislation. I'm at a
[2:40:46] loss as to how you expect me to bask in
[2:40:49] what is not love. This is not love. This
[2:40:51] is not justice. This is not right. And
[2:40:54] guys, as the woman who chaired text pack
[2:40:56] and put corn porny and put Greg in
[2:40:59] office, I'm back. You got me back. I'll
[2:41:02] be here. Is Miss Garcia present? Candida
[2:41:06] Garcia.
[2:41:09] Uh Paul David Williams.
[2:41:15] Next we would have Katherine Brennan.
[2:41:22] uh this this uh is supposed to be a
[2:41:25] republic of democracy and you're trying
[2:41:29] to make it authoritarian. That's not
[2:41:31] right. And uh we need people to love
[2:41:34] each other and we put you in place to do
[2:41:37] that and you're not doing it. You're
[2:41:40] denying people the love that they need
[2:41:43] by taking away their voting. We need to
[2:41:46] have the districts be fair and we need
[2:41:49] to have people to be able to vote
[2:41:53] without any uh problems and you're
[2:41:57] making more problems for us.
[2:42:00] What you're doing is wrong. What the
[2:42:02] world needs is love. It's up to you to
[2:42:05] do it.
[2:42:08] » Is Katherine Brennan present?
[2:42:12] Katherine Brennan,
[2:42:15] Claudia Busby, Claudia, I'm sorry,
[2:42:18] excuse me, Claudia Busby,
[2:42:20] and following Mr. Busby, Dixie Davis.
[2:42:26] Good afternoon. Uh, I'm against this.
[2:42:29] Um,
[2:42:31] closing the polling places. Each time we
[2:42:33] go to election, uh, this past time was
[2:42:35] election, we have people come in and
[2:42:37] they want to vote and they not register
[2:42:38] to vote. They have vote registration
[2:42:40] cards. And I thought that was odd this
[2:42:41] past year. And then now we come back and
[2:42:43] we close places. I hear Romero asked
[2:42:46] about all these questions. And I said,
[2:42:48] why he asking questions? He normally
[2:42:50] don't say anything. And they were
[2:42:51] beating questions in order for the other
[2:42:54] guy to speak cross to speak in.
[2:42:56] Basically, what we trying to do is
[2:42:57] railroad people and get rid of these
[2:42:59] voting places. We need these voting
[2:43:00] places. You know it. And you trying to
[2:43:03] play like you're not doing it. These
[2:43:05] people in this room here are against
[2:43:07] this. Not going to listen to us. I
[2:43:09] recommend that the people in this room
[2:43:11] share this information with the young
[2:43:12] people and let them put it on social
[2:43:14] media and see how y'all run our media.
[2:43:16] If you want your child to run a meeting
[2:43:18] the way you run across, let your kids
[2:43:20] see this because you're not you
[2:43:22] disrespect of Miss Sims, disrespectful
[2:43:24] audience here, you don't want to listen
[2:43:26] to us.
[2:43:26] » Thank you.
[2:43:27] » Thank you.
[2:43:28] » Dixie Davis following Miss Davis is
[2:43:31] Carol Raburn.
[2:43:38] My name is Dixie Davis, speaking on
[2:43:39] behalf of the League of Women Voters of
[2:43:41] Tarant County, a nonpartisan civic
[2:43:43] organization whose mission is to empower
[2:43:45] voters and defend democracy. Cutting
[2:43:47] nearly half of polling sites this
[2:43:49] November would continue a persistent
[2:43:50] pattern of voter suppression by this
[2:43:52] court. a pattern that includes the
[2:43:54] defunding of Trinity Metro bus rides on
[2:43:56] election days, last year's attempt to
[2:43:58] eliminate all college campus polling
[2:44:00] sites, and the recent dilution of voters
[2:44:02] voices through blatant racial
[2:44:03] gerrymandering. Fewer polling sites
[2:44:06] means more confusion, longer lines, and
[2:44:08] greater barriers, especially for college
[2:44:10] students, seniors, and voters of color
[2:44:12] who may need to travel farther to vote.
[2:44:14] This court has a duty to voters to make
[2:44:16] every election accessible and well
[2:44:18] funded and ensure our polling places are
[2:44:20] numerous and well staffed regardless of
[2:44:22] voter turnout or what's on the ballot.
[2:44:25] We urge you to prioritize the needs of
[2:44:27] voters and keep all polling sites from
[2:44:29] the 2023 election. Thank you.
[2:44:31] » Thank you. Following Miss Raburn, we
[2:44:33] have Leon Reed Jr.
[2:44:39] So, I've worked the election as a judge
[2:44:41] many times in Arlington at various
[2:44:44] locations. We don't need to lose any of
[2:44:47] those locations. All of them have been
[2:44:49] very busy. Most of the ones, especially
[2:44:51] the subcourthouse and UTA are are
[2:44:56] staffed full-time. There's people there
[2:44:58] voting all day long. We don't need to
[2:45:00] double either one of those locations,
[2:45:02] especially taking away the UTA location.
[2:45:05] that smacks of total voter
[2:45:08] discrimination because you're
[2:45:10] discriminating against young people and
[2:45:12] we're working really hard to get young
[2:45:14] people registered to vote and to
[2:45:16] encourage them to vote at UTA and TCC
[2:45:19] when they graduate from high school.
[2:45:21] You're telling them that doesn't matter
[2:45:23] and they're not going to be able to do
[2:45:24] that anymore. It's very disappointing.
[2:45:28] » Mr. Reed, following Mr. Reed, we have
[2:45:30] Judith Cotton.
[2:45:40] [Music]
[2:45:43] I'm here to remind you that life prefers
[2:45:46] balance. But don't trust me. Trust
[2:45:48] science. Trust Isaac Newton when he
[2:45:51] tells you that for every action there is
[2:45:54] an equal and opposite reaction. Don't
[2:45:56] trust me. Trust God. when he tells you
[2:45:59] in Galatians chapter 6 that you will
[2:46:02] reap what you sow. Trust good old boys
[2:46:06] when they tell you that chickens will
[2:46:08] eventually come home to roost. The
[2:46:11] further you try to stretch Tarant County
[2:46:14] in one direction, the further and more
[2:46:17] vicious the snapback will be. It has
[2:46:20] been noted that Tarant County is one of
[2:46:22] the fastest growing counties in the
[2:46:24] country. Yet we want to cut the polling
[2:46:27] locations. It's
[2:46:30] past time that politicians stopped
[2:46:32] electing voters and allowed the voters
[2:46:35] to elect the politicians. That is the
[2:46:38] American way, not what we're seeing
[2:46:40] right now.
[2:46:42] » Thank you. Is Miss Cotton present?
[2:46:45] Okay. Following Miss Cotton, we have
[2:46:47] Ronald Bendian.
[2:46:50] I do not support this repeated attempt
[2:46:52] of voter suppression from your mission
[2:46:54] statement to work collaboratively with
[2:46:56] our stakeholders to improve the
[2:46:57] satisfaction of the residents and
[2:46:59] businesses of Tarant County through the
[2:47:00] effective and efficient provision of
[2:47:02] services. Removing over 100 voting
[2:47:05] locations is not effective or efficient
[2:47:07] provision of services. Taran County is
[2:47:09] the third most populous county in Texas
[2:47:11] and 15th in the USA. It's contradictory
[2:47:14] that a rapidly growing county with over
[2:47:16] two million citizens should reduce
[2:47:18] voting locations from 349 to 214. This
[2:47:22] attempt will leave citizens of North
[2:47:24] Side, Southside, KOMO, all college
[2:47:27] campuses in the county and the
[2:47:28] hardworking without effective and
[2:47:30] efficient early voting on election day
[2:47:32] locations in the November elections. It
[2:47:34] is your duty to uphold the United States
[2:47:36] Constitution, your mission, goal as
[2:47:39] county commissioners, and do not approve
[2:47:41] this attempt of voter suppression of the
[2:47:44] citizens of Tarant County. Thank you.
[2:47:46] » Thank you. Ronald Bendian. Ronald
[2:47:48] Bendian present.
[2:47:53] Aandra Kulie.
[2:47:56] Following Miss Kulie, we have Roelio
[2:48:00] Mahero.
[2:48:20] Since I only have a minute, I'm hoping
[2:48:22] you are taking note that so far it's
[2:48:26] been one person for this and the rest of
[2:48:29] us in this audience have been against
[2:48:31] it.
[2:48:32] Uh, I'm here to say that I'm against it,
[2:48:35] too. Let the people you sworn to
[2:48:38] represent vote.
[2:48:44] Reducing the number of sites
[2:48:48] will
[2:48:50] disenfranch disenfranchise
[2:48:53] and suppress the vote of the young
[2:48:55] people, the working poor, the middle
[2:48:58] class, and of course the people of
[2:49:00] color.
[2:49:02] I hear that a couple of you are familiar
[2:49:04] with the Old Testament
[2:49:06] and of the Ten Commandments because I
[2:49:09] hear they're posted everywhere now.
[2:49:12] Number eight says don't steal. And isn't
[2:49:16] that what you're trying to do?
[2:49:19] The absence of polling sites on
[2:49:21] campuses.
[2:49:22] » Thank you, Miss
[2:49:24] » Uh Mr. Is it Mo? Can you help me
[2:49:26] pronounce that?
[2:49:28] » Moio.
[2:49:30] You got a judge. Uh, Roelio is the name
[2:49:32] and Muo the last name.
[2:49:33] » Muo like
[2:49:35] Okay. Following Mr. Muo is Dorothy
[2:49:38] Deose. Go ahead, sir.
[2:49:40] » All right. Thank you so much.
[2:49:42] Commissioners, I want you all to think
[2:49:43] back for a second. The first time you
[2:49:45] voted for me, in my case, it was a UT
[2:49:48] Arlington. That feeling of pride, the
[2:49:50] feeling of being part of this great
[2:49:51] country. Do you remember?
[2:49:55] I'm a proud for generation Tehano, a
[2:49:56] student at UT Arlington and the son of
[2:49:58] immigrants who believe that Tehas says
[2:49:59] Latenos because after all we are our
[2:50:03] parents American dream and yet this
[2:50:05] court wants to shut down my campus
[2:50:06] polling site. Don't tell me that this
[2:50:09] about efficiency. This is about cracking
[2:50:10] and packing our communities because this
[2:50:12] is about bringing Jim Crow through the
[2:50:13] back door or in this case through the
[2:50:15] front door today. And transportation is
[2:50:18] already the biggest barrier. Not
[2:50:19] everyone gets to have a car like you.
[2:50:21] I've been riding my bicycle for many
[2:50:23] years now in Taran County. But
[2:50:24] ultimately, I don't have all the time in
[2:50:26] the world to spend and the TR, the TXRE,
[2:50:30] because transportation is already the
[2:50:31] biggest barrier. I ask you to front the
[2:50:33] bill. I ask you to provide free and
[2:50:34] rapid transit for every single person so
[2:50:36] that it's not a barrier for us. I want
[2:50:38] you to help me increase voter turnout.
[2:50:41] » Thank you.
[2:50:42] » Is Mr. Deose present?
[2:50:46] » No. Is Miss Dose present?
[2:50:49] » Yes. Following Mr. Debose is Jane
[2:50:51] Collins.
[2:50:54] » Good evening, judge and commissioners.
[2:50:56] My name is Dorothy Deose and I strongly
[2:50:58] oppose a proposed reduction of the early
[2:51:00] v early voting sites and election day
[2:51:04] sites.
[2:51:06] When polling places move farther away,
[2:51:08] seniors without cars and students
[2:51:10] relying on public transit
[2:51:12] face longer, more borders bordersome
[2:51:15] trips just to cast their vote. You are
[2:51:18] making it harder to vote. That
[2:51:21] discourages participations in silenced
[2:51:23] neighborhoods that rightfully deserve
[2:51:26] strong representation.
[2:51:28] Taran County is growing.
[2:51:30] Our access to democracy must grow with
[2:51:34] it, not shrink. I urge you to preserve
[2:51:38] fair access for every neighborhood by
[2:51:40] keeping their sites open. I have lived
[2:51:43] within five blocks of my vote all my
[2:51:46] life and I find that for all
[2:51:48] neighborhoods for me to have to go 10
[2:51:51] miles to vote is unacceptable. Thank
[2:51:53] you.
[2:51:54] » Thank you. Uh following Miss Collins, we
[2:51:56] have Jimmy Blackwell.
[2:52:01] » Hello, I'm Jane Collins from Arlington.
[2:52:04] And when I first listened to the report,
[2:52:07] it sounded like everything was just
[2:52:09] about finances, how to save money. But
[2:52:13] thanks to M uh Commissioner Miles, we uh
[2:52:17] heard that it's about a lot more than
[2:52:20] just saving money. And I totally
[2:52:23] encourage anybody listening to this uh
[2:52:27] session on on their computers to
[2:52:31] relisten to that. I couldn't have said
[2:52:33] it better. And uh once again, I'm going
[2:52:38] to appeal to to Mr. Ramirez's
[2:52:42] uh at least please vote to table. I'm
[2:52:45] totally against any of this uh cutting
[2:52:48] of polling places because I think it's
[2:52:50] undemocratic, especially as we're
[2:52:53] growing. But I'm going to appeal to you
[2:52:55] at least table this until we get more
[2:52:59] analysis. as Commissioner Simmons has
[2:53:02] asked for.
[2:53:03] » All right. Following Mr. Blackwell, we
[2:53:05] have Andrea West,
[2:53:15] Judge O'Hare.
[2:53:18] Taran County is in a recession.
[2:53:22] It's not a financial recession,
[2:53:25] but a recession with the truth,
[2:53:28] honesty, integrity, and fairness.
[2:53:33] It's an absolute disgrace
[2:53:37] what you are proposing and what you will
[2:53:40] just force down the throat of Taran
[2:53:42] County voters. You know what you're
[2:53:45] doing.
[2:53:47] So, don't look at me like you're
[2:53:48] innocent. You know exactly what you're
[2:53:51] doing. You're trying to suppress
[2:53:54] the vote of precent one and precent two.
[2:54:00] You want to change everything to your
[2:54:02] lacking.
[2:54:03] And we are here to fight back and say
[2:54:05] it's not going to happen. So I stand
[2:54:08] strongly and ask you to reject
[2:54:12] this racist
[2:54:15] MAGA s proposal. It stinks.
[2:54:18] » Thank you, sir. Uh, Miss West.
[2:54:21] Uh, following Miss West, we have Lee
[2:54:23] Henderson.
[2:54:24] [Music]
[2:54:26] » Good afternoon. My name is Andrea West
[2:54:28] and I represent District 6 on behalf of
[2:54:30] the office of Councilwoman Dr. Mia Hall.
[2:54:32] Our district includes historic Lake Ko
[2:54:34] community and the Komo Community Center,
[2:54:36] an accessible polling place now being
[2:54:39] considered for removal along with James
[2:54:41] Avenue Service Center and several north
[2:54:43] side and college campuses
[2:54:46] college campus polling places within the
[2:54:48] city of Fort Worth. These are
[2:54:49] neighborhoods made up of working
[2:54:51] families, seniors, and voters who rely
[2:54:53] on nearby familiar polling sites to make
[2:54:55] their voices heard. Removing these
[2:54:57] locations would create unnecessary
[2:54:59] barriers to voting access, especially
[2:55:02] for communities that already face
[2:55:04] challenges. This is not about politics.
[2:55:06] It's about fairness, equity, and access.
[2:55:10] Voting should be convenient, not harder.
[2:55:13] I respectfully urge this court to
[2:55:15] maintain these polling sites and protect
[2:55:17] access to the ballot for all of Fort
[2:55:19] Worth and Taran County residents. Thank
[2:55:21] you.
[2:55:22] » Thank you. Is Lee Henderson present?
[2:55:26] Lee Henderson,
[2:55:28] Mark Connelly,
[2:55:30] is Mark Connelly present.
[2:55:36] Messia Savis Messia Savis.
[2:55:41] Okay. How many of you signed up to speak
[2:55:44] on this particular item besides Mr.
[2:55:46] Montalvo and came in late?
[2:55:50] Anyone?
[2:55:53] Okay, Mr. Montalo, come on.
[2:56:01] » All right. I didn't know my time was
[2:56:02] appointed to a certain time, so I don't
[2:56:03] know how late applies, but I want
[2:56:07] everyone to understand who is watching
[2:56:09] this, who is in the audience, that this
[2:56:12] is the MAGA movement doing everything it
[2:56:15] can to kill democracy.
[2:56:18] The MAGA movement that O'Hare loves to
[2:56:21] be a part of
[2:56:23] is anti-American,
[2:56:26] is anti-democracy.
[2:56:30] And a lot of folks will think, well,
[2:56:32] dang, America's got a pretty ugly past.
[2:56:35] You know, he may be doing the things
[2:56:37] that
[2:56:39] it was designed to do. But I'm here to
[2:56:41] say that people have died for our
[2:56:44] rights.
[2:56:46] Black and brown community members,
[2:56:48] women, and even white community members
[2:56:51] have sacrificed to get us where we're
[2:56:53] at, and they are here to undo it, and
[2:56:56] it's time for everyone to take action
[2:56:58] and step up.
[2:57:01] All right, those are all the speakers we
[2:57:02] have on this item. We have a motion to
[2:57:05] table. I don't have any form from you or
[2:57:08] you. I read them all.
[2:57:12] » Sure.
[2:57:20] I believe that's Mr. Bell. Can Can you
[2:57:23] check and see if Mr. Bell is on this
[2:57:24] list? I don't recall saying his name at
[2:57:27] any point.
[2:57:34] » We have you signed up under Let me see
[2:57:36] it.
[2:57:37] » I4. No,
[2:57:40] » 104.
[2:57:41] » He probably meant it. probably supposed
[2:57:43] to be I4.
[2:57:45] » So, all right, we have a motion to table
[2:57:49] this item. We have a second motion, I
[2:57:52] mean a second on that motion.
[2:57:56] Any further discussion from the court
[2:57:58] before we vote?
[2:58:02] All right, seeing none, all in favor of
[2:58:04] tableabling the motion, please raise
[2:58:05] your hand.
[2:58:08] Okay, so that fails two to three. Do we
[2:58:11] have another motion? I'm making it
[2:58:14] quiet.
[2:58:16] » Please remove her from the room.
[2:58:19] » Um, please remove her from the room.
[2:58:26] » I'm not going to move him. I'm just
[2:58:27] going to move you. Please remove her.
[2:58:32] » Okay. So, we have Do we have another
[2:58:34] motion? I make a motion to approve all
[2:58:42] » I make a motion that we approve all the
[2:58:44] voting site locations that were put
[2:58:46] forward by uh Mr. Lewig with the uh to
[2:58:50] add on to it KO community center legacy
[2:58:53] learning center the Tarant County uh
[2:58:56] college northwest campus the Charles
[2:58:58] Griffin Building and the Northeast
[2:59:00] Subcourthouse.
[2:59:03] I'll second that.
[2:59:04] » I have
[2:59:06] one moment. We have a motion and a
[2:59:08] second.
[2:59:09] » Further discussion.
[2:59:14] » I wonder why. So, the motion was to
[2:59:17] approve the sites presented with the
[2:59:20] addition of KOMO
[2:59:23] » Legacy Learning Center,
[2:59:24] » Legacy Learning Center,
[2:59:25] » Tarant County College Northwest Campus,
[2:59:28] the Charles Griffin Building, and the
[2:59:29] Northeast Subcourthouse.
[2:59:32] » Okay. So there's a motion and a second
[2:59:34] discussion.
[2:59:36] » I have several sites to add as well. So
[2:59:40] would that require an additional motion
[2:59:42] to amend this motion?
[2:59:45] » You can make a motion to amend the
[2:59:48] motion and then you it does not have to
[2:59:52] be accepted by the original motion
[2:59:54] maker.
[2:59:55] » That's correct, judge. What would happen
[2:59:57] in the case of an amendment here would
[2:59:59] be the amendment would require a second.
[3:00:01] The court would then vote on the
[3:00:02] amendment and then proceed on the main
[3:00:04] motion as amended.
[3:00:05] » Okay. So, state your motion.
[3:00:10] Uh, my motion is to add
[3:00:14] Bob Duncan, University of Texas at
[3:00:17] Arlington,
[3:00:19] uh, TCC Southeast
[3:00:22] campuses or those sites back.
[3:00:27] » All right. So, there's a motion
[3:00:30] to amend Commissioner Krauss's motion to
[3:00:33] add the following sites. Bob Duncan,
[3:00:35] UTA, and TCC
[3:00:36] » Southeast.
[3:00:37] » Southeast. Do we have a second on that?
[3:00:39] » Second.
[3:00:40] » We have a second on that. Any discussion
[3:00:42] on that one?
[3:00:42] » Yeah. No. Uh, Mr. Credville, do I
[3:00:46] indicate whether I will accept or reject
[3:00:48] that amend? Amend.
[3:00:50] » No, Commissioner, at this point, because
[3:00:51] there's been an a motion to amend and
[3:00:54] then a second, the court should vote on
[3:00:56] the motion to amend. And then if it is
[3:00:58] adopted, the court should vote on the
[3:01:01] main motion that you presented as
[3:01:02] amended.
[3:01:03] » And if it's fails, then you vote on the
[3:01:05] original motion.
[3:01:06] » Correct.
[3:01:06] » Okay. Okay. So, the motion. Does anybody
[3:01:09] need me to repeat the motion up here?
[3:01:11] » All right. We have a motion in a second.
[3:01:13] Any discussion on this?
[3:01:14] » Yeah. I don't know which sites exactly.
[3:01:16] Um I didn't write them all down. There
[3:01:18] were three.
[3:01:18] » Bob Duncan, UTA, and TCC Southeast.
[3:01:22] » Clint, did you have any problems with
[3:01:24] any three of those?
[3:01:26] » UTA traditionally isn't an odd year
[3:01:28] early voting location. Um so, that one
[3:01:32] we would have to see if that's something
[3:01:34] that they would even want to do. Uh and
[3:01:37] UTA and TCC Southeast, both those
[3:01:40] locations do not give us a separate
[3:01:43] room. So, that's going to if if they
[3:01:46] will allow it, we're going to have to
[3:01:48] set up and tear down those sites every
[3:01:49] single day uh to to make those ones
[3:01:51] work.
[3:01:53] » All right. So, we have a Hang on. We
[3:01:55] have a motion and a second
[3:01:58] to amend the original motion to add Bob
[3:02:01] Duncan, UTA, and TCC Southeast. Okay.
[3:02:05] Just to Clint, uh, in regards to Taran
[3:02:08] County College Southeast Campus, I would
[3:02:11] recommend reaching out to their
[3:02:12] governmental affairs director, Reginald
[3:02:15] Gates, with the district office,
[3:02:18] about accommodating you. And if you need
[3:02:20] me to provide you with his contact
[3:02:23] information, I can do that or I can make
[3:02:24] the call.
[3:02:25] » I'd appreciate that, Commissioner. And
[3:02:27] my understanding is
[3:02:30] the actual
[3:02:33] due date
[3:02:35] could accommodate.
[3:02:37] So if this motion fails
[3:02:41] and you and the reg the first motion
[3:02:45] passes, there is still time to add these
[3:02:49] if they can accommodate the law. Is that
[3:02:53] accurate?
[3:02:55] » Yes. Like this. Okay.
[3:02:57] » Well, could could you alternatively if
[3:03:00] the if the motion passed but they didn't
[3:03:03] want to since we're publishing a list
[3:03:05] say let's say we approve those sites and
[3:03:07] then you subsequently find out that they
[3:03:09] can't accommodate uh in accordance with
[3:03:11] the law. What happens then? Do we have
[3:03:12] to come back and remove the site by
[3:03:14] court action?
[3:03:17] I I believe we would just have to post
[3:03:19] the notice that that site is not going
[3:03:21] to be available. I don't remember the
[3:03:24] exact posting requirements off the top
[3:03:25] of my head. I don't have the election
[3:03:27] code, but we would just have to notify
[3:03:29] that it is not available um and where
[3:03:31] the nearest locations are at.
[3:03:34] » Okay. So,
[3:03:36] what here's my comment on this.
[3:03:42] Bob Duncan did not say we cannot
[3:03:44] accommodate.
[3:03:46] » No, they didn't.
[3:03:46] » Okay. UTA and TCC South Southeast did.
[3:03:50] » Correct. after you reached out.
[3:03:52] » Correct.
[3:03:52] » Okay. So, um
[3:03:56] the other issue, well, I can I I would
[3:04:01] probably support the Bob Duncan one. Uh
[3:04:03] I'm not going to support those two and
[3:04:05] they've already said no. But if you can
[3:04:08] come back
[3:04:10] and be able to analyze it and explain it
[3:04:13] and why it's good, why it isn't, but the
[3:04:16] idea that UTA is never a constitutional
[3:04:19] amendment election um site, I mean
[3:04:23] weighs with me. So, uh All right.
[3:04:27] Anybody else have anything on this
[3:04:28] before we vote on the amendment? I would
[3:04:30] just say in order of operation, I think
[3:04:33] it would be better if we didn't add
[3:04:35] those polling sites in right now that
[3:04:37] have already told us they couldn't
[3:04:38] comply with state law and then try to
[3:04:40] come back and add them in later than to
[3:04:42] maybe approve them on the front end and
[3:04:43] then have to come back and post a notice
[3:04:45] and go through all that. So, um, but I
[3:04:48] agree if it's just the Bob Duncan
[3:04:50] Center, I'm I'm great with adding that
[3:04:52] into this list of of amended sites.
[3:04:55] » It's not just the Bob Duncan Center.
[3:04:57] It's those sites I named. And I have an
[3:05:00] amendment to my motion to add um I move
[3:05:05] to amend my motion to add the Vernon
[3:05:08] Newsome stadium.
[3:05:12] » Would you be willing to revoke your
[3:05:14] previous amending motion
[3:05:17] and then make one?
[3:05:19] » Sure.
[3:05:20] » For those four?
[3:05:21] » Yes.
[3:05:22] » All right. You you vote?
[3:05:26] » Yes.
[3:05:27] » Okay. I move to resend
[3:05:31] my motion.
[3:05:33] » No, you just withdraw. You withdraw your
[3:05:35] amending motion.
[3:05:36] » I withdraw my
[3:05:37] » Now you're going to make a new motion
[3:05:38] for
[3:05:39] » I'm going to make a new motion.
[3:05:44] Amended motion to add
[3:05:47] Vernon Newsome Stadium, TCC
[3:05:51] Southoutheast Campus,
[3:05:53] Bob Duncan, and the Kennedale site. So
[3:05:57] you're now taking UTA off.
[3:06:00] » Okay. So Bob Duncan, when you say the
[3:06:05] Kennedale site, what is the Kennedale
[3:06:07] site?
[3:06:08] » Kennedale Community Center.
[3:06:10] » Have you
[3:06:11] » Yeah, I don't I don't have the name of
[3:06:13] it because they just they had to move.
[3:06:15] We used to be in the library, but
[3:06:16] they're doing some construction. So it's
[3:06:18] um
[3:06:21] Dober Hall is is the location.
[3:06:22] » Have you talked to them about that about
[3:06:25] being able to do that this time?
[3:06:27] We haven't, but we can just reach out
[3:06:29] and um and ask.
[3:06:32] » So, let me say this. This this my whole
[3:06:33] point of tableing this until we have uh
[3:06:38] time to go through it. So, sitting up
[3:06:41] here on this day is um without the
[3:06:47] information
[3:06:48] um is
[3:06:50] irresponsible.
[3:06:52] It's unprofessional.
[3:06:54] Um, and so the rush, what's what's the
[3:06:58] urgency to do this?
[3:07:01] We can have a special call meeting. We
[3:07:04] can do it on September 3rd. Um, which
[3:07:08] gives him plenty of time
[3:07:10] um, according to the elections calendar
[3:07:13] to get this get this approved. So, what
[3:07:16] what is the rush um to do this?
[3:07:20] Commissioner Miles might have some some
[3:07:22] sites. Commissioner RmIrez might have
[3:07:24] some sights.
[3:07:24] » Is that a rhetorical question or
[3:07:26] » No, no, I need to know.
[3:07:28] » Uh I think two pieces to this is one
[3:07:33] I'm ready to vote and I think we can
[3:07:35] vote. There is an OP. So there is an
[3:07:38] option to bring the other sites when
[3:07:41] they've had the ability to do diligence.
[3:07:44] Um so I don't see a reason at this point
[3:07:48] to postpone it. We can vote if yours
[3:07:52] fails. We can vote on his original
[3:07:54] motion. If yours passes, we can vote on
[3:07:56] the amended motion alto together. Take a
[3:07:58] vote and then if there's something else
[3:08:00] to add, it can come back and be added
[3:08:02] and it gives him a chance to do the
[3:08:04] diligence. So that that's the an answer
[3:08:06] to that question.
[3:08:07] » And anybody else want to weigh in on
[3:08:09] that question?
[3:08:12] » What's the
[3:08:13] » The list of amended sites? There's I
[3:08:15] don't see any of well all of the
[3:08:18] additions. I don't see any sites that
[3:08:21] historically would tell us no don't
[3:08:23] don't show up here. Um so I'm I'm pretty
[3:08:25] confident that the list of ads um we can
[3:08:29] make happen.
[3:08:29] » Which which list are you referring to?
[3:08:31] » KO all all of them. KO T T T T T T T T T
[3:08:33] T T T T T T T T T T T TCC Northwest, the
[3:08:34] Charles Griffin Northeast Sub, Vernon
[3:08:36] Newsome, Bob Duncan, and TCC Southeast,
[3:08:40] and Kennedale.
[3:08:41] » I thought you already said TCC said they
[3:08:43] couldn't accommodate. They can't
[3:08:44] accommodate the individual polling
[3:08:47] location and us having a room, but they
[3:08:49] will let us conduct voting there.
[3:08:53] » Okay. So, at the moment, we have a
[3:08:58] motion to amend Commissioner Krauss's
[3:09:00] motion
[3:09:02] to add Bob Duncan, Kennedale
[3:09:07] Health Center or something to that
[3:09:09] effect, TCC Southeast, and Vernon
[3:09:12] Newsome Stadium as locations. Did I
[3:09:14] repeat your motion correctly?
[3:09:16] » Yes, but I have a question for the
[3:09:18] administrator.
[3:09:20] Um, so are you going to hold this list?
[3:09:24] Because the judge said we can always
[3:09:27] come back and add sites. Are you going
[3:09:29] to hold this until the next meeting
[3:09:31] before submitting it or publishing it or
[3:09:35] whatever you have to do to it? Did you
[3:09:37] hear what he said?
[3:09:39] » The
[3:09:41] what is approved today is what we're
[3:09:43] going to move forward with to to start
[3:09:45] getting the election done. And I don't
[3:09:48] if we get an improved list of of what we
[3:09:50] want then that's what we would.
[3:09:52] » So he's he wasn't quite accurate when he
[3:09:55] said that that we can add if if if
[3:09:59] commissioner Krauss's passes and my
[3:10:03] amendment fails, we can come back and
[3:10:06] try to add some more sites at a future
[3:10:08] meeting. There's there's still time. Um
[3:10:12] if we if the court wanted to agendaize
[3:10:14] an item and and add those on the
[3:10:16] September 3rd meeting, we could add
[3:10:18] those in. It just taking this list and
[3:10:20] moving forward lets us start getting the
[3:10:22] programming done. All the work for the
[3:10:24] election. This will be the majority of
[3:10:26] it. I wouldn't imagine that any ads are
[3:10:28] going to be much significant after uh
[3:10:31] the list that we've we've gained here.
[3:10:33] So, we will be able to continue what
[3:10:35] what we've presented and if there were
[3:10:38] ads, we could add those in.
[3:10:42] » All right. Are we ready to vote on the
[3:10:44] amendment to the motion?
[3:10:46] » I've got a comment.
[3:10:47] » Okay.
[3:10:48] » Um ju just in general, uh I I think this
[3:10:51] process again, communication is key, um
[3:10:54] for our elections administrator, um on
[3:10:56] the next iterations of this. uh but I do
[3:10:59] think you know while I may not share the
[3:11:02] viewpoint uh of some of my colleagues up
[3:11:05] here I I do think that the robust
[3:11:07] discussion uh is healthy and I think
[3:11:11] being able to discuss it and you know
[3:11:14] not everybody it's not a win or loss
[3:11:16] type of thing not everything's
[3:11:17] adversarial um you know it's it's
[3:11:20] viewpoints on what's the most efficient
[3:11:22] way to do something what's the most
[3:11:24] responsible and at the end of the day
[3:11:26] how to best serve all of the citizens in
[3:11:28] Taran County, all of them, uh, in each
[3:11:30] of our individual precincts. So, I do
[3:11:33] think that the conversation's
[3:11:34] productive, uh, just to go through the
[3:11:37] exercise and and again, Clint, I think
[3:11:39] hopefully um, in the future, we have
[3:11:41] this discussion before uh, we have a
[3:11:43] final proposal so that everybody's
[3:11:45] viewpoints are included. Um, but but
[3:11:47] this process again, I think, has gone
[3:11:51] about as well as it could with getting
[3:11:52] the information how we got it. So,
[3:11:55] thanks.
[3:11:55] » Yeah, I don't I don't think anything's
[3:11:57] been adversarial up here. Um, it's what
[3:12:01] I said at the beginning, the process.
[3:12:04] Um, and you know, you're not worth two
[3:12:08] damn cents because I asked you Friday if
[3:12:14] this could be postponed.
[3:12:17] You said yes. All weekend
[3:12:21] you and Chandler said no, it can't. I
[3:12:25] wait. I've spoken with election
[3:12:28] administrators in four other counties.
[3:12:32] So, I know you did not tell me the truth
[3:12:36] this weekend
[3:12:38] as I attempted to pull this item off the
[3:12:42] agenda and move it to the September 3rd
[3:12:46] meeting. You wanted this circus. You
[3:12:49] wanted You ought to be embarrassed. So
[3:12:53] now you just said
[3:12:56] you could put it on the September. I
[3:12:59] I've got emails I will post on social
[3:13:01] media for these people to see.
[3:13:03] » Please do commission. I like I said and
[3:13:05] I told you for the programming side of
[3:13:07] it, yes, we have time. The issue is both
[3:13:10] myself and the assistant elections
[3:13:12] administrator are not going to be here
[3:13:14] on the 3 in order to present it. And
[3:13:17] that is why we wanted to get this in
[3:13:19] here in front of the court so we could
[3:13:20] have this discussion. and so I could get
[3:13:22] my team a list of sites so that they
[3:13:24] could work with
[3:13:25] » And I took that into consideration and
[3:13:27] my motion. All I've talked about is a
[3:13:31] special call meeting because this county
[3:13:34] has to stop because two individuals
[3:13:37] won't be here. He'll be at a conference.
[3:13:40] Hey, go go go to the conference a day
[3:13:42] late. But the business of this county
[3:13:45] has to continue.
[3:13:48] Forget your conference. You got a list
[3:13:50] to do. You got programming to start.
[3:13:53] Skip a day of the conference.
[3:13:56] » All right. We have a motion and a second
[3:13:59] on an amending motion. What?
[3:14:01] » You do not have a second for the
[3:14:02] amendment, judge.
[3:14:03] » Um,
[3:14:04] » Do we have a second?
[3:14:05] » Seconded.
[3:14:06] » Okay.
[3:14:06] » Second.
[3:14:07] » We have a motion and a second on an
[3:14:10] amending motion. Any further discussion
[3:14:12] before we vote on it?
[3:14:14] » Just one more question because TCC
[3:14:16] Southeast is included in this. Correct.
[3:14:18] » Correct. and they have told us that they
[3:14:20] cannot comply with state law
[3:14:23] » With the the separate room. Now there's
[3:14:26] as long as we have a room within there
[3:14:29] that we can tear down and store the
[3:14:31] equipment every night then we can still
[3:14:33] make that happen. They didn't say they
[3:14:34] could not do that. They just said that
[3:14:35] we could not have our own voting room.
[3:14:37] So I can go back and see can they
[3:14:38] accommodate that or they could say no
[3:14:40] they can't and and then it wouldn't be
[3:14:42] compliant with the state law and we
[3:14:44] wouldn't be able to use it. So, you feel
[3:14:45] reasonably confident that we'll be able
[3:14:47] to make that site work?
[3:14:49] » I'll do everything I can to find a way
[3:14:51] to make it happen.
[3:14:54] » So,
[3:14:56] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11. The 11th lowest
[3:15:03] turnout from the 2023 constitutional
[3:15:07] amendment election is the one out of
[3:15:11] what now has risen to approximately
[3:15:16] 28
[3:15:18] plus 4 32 locations. We're going to make
[3:15:23] an accommodation for them being the 11th
[3:15:25] lowest that no other early voting site
[3:15:28] has to make. So for an average of
[3:15:30] approximately
[3:15:35] 50 voters a day. All right. Again, if if
[3:15:39] this had if
[3:15:41] if we had this information ahead of
[3:15:43] time, we wouldn't be up here doing this.
[3:15:46] It doesn't make sense either
[3:15:50] to get rid of the northeast courthouse
[3:15:54] and they bring in they're the one, two,
[3:15:57] three, four, five, six, seven, eighth
[3:16:00] highest vote getting site in Taran
[3:16:02] County. Make it make sense, sir. That
[3:16:05] was part of the discussion and that was
[3:16:06] one of the locations that I said likely
[3:16:08] could be added. But when we were looking
[3:16:10] at the fact that there is another higher
[3:16:12] performing location right there next to
[3:16:14] it
[3:16:15] » And what we had done consistently was if
[3:16:17] there was a higher if there were two
[3:16:18] locations together and one was a higher
[3:16:21] location that was the location that was
[3:16:23] chosen to facilitate the voters.
[3:16:26] » And and the administrator was very
[3:16:28] responsive and helpful with me when I
[3:16:29] called and asked that very question. He
[3:16:31] laid all of that out to me and gave me a
[3:16:33] clear reason for why that was not done.
[3:16:36] And so I appreciated that. There was a
[3:16:37] rhyme and reason behind every site that
[3:16:39] we asked him about and that was very
[3:16:41] helpful.
[3:16:42] » Well, what I don't appreciate
[3:16:46] is are the games and the lack of
[3:16:49] transparency from you, Clint, and from
[3:16:52] you, Mr. Merritt. Um,
[3:16:55] and what I don't appreciate
[3:16:58] is these people coming down here
[3:17:01] parking, spending their time, leaving
[3:17:04] their jobs, whatever. To be
[3:17:06] disrespected.
[3:17:08] When over a hundred
[3:17:11] people tell us what to do and one says
[3:17:16] no, we do what they tell us to do. We
[3:17:20] were elected by them. Y'all are
[3:17:23] disrespectful to our constituents.
[3:17:26] and your disrespect for our staff is one
[3:17:29] of the most abhorent things I have ever
[3:17:31] seen. Be quiet now.
[3:17:34] » They don't they don't have to be quiet.
[3:17:36] They can respond.
[3:17:37] » Yes, you do. Remove him.
[3:17:40] » Yeah. And you know what? When I have the
[3:17:42] microphone, I have the ability.
[3:17:46] [Music]
[3:17:48] So you you love you love. Excuse me.
[3:17:56] because
[3:17:59] he's got to throw people out.
[3:18:01] » No.
[3:18:01] » Disrespectful of these people who have
[3:18:04] par, paid to park, come down here, taken
[3:18:06] their time to tell us how to do their
[3:18:11] business. These are taxpayers
[3:18:14] » And you are constantly calling our staff
[3:18:16] members liars, questioning their
[3:18:19] integrity uh over and over and over.
[3:18:22] They lie.
[3:18:23] » Would you do me a favor? I let you
[3:18:25] speak. Would you do the same for me?
[3:18:27] » Okay, I'll speak after you. So,
[3:18:28] » Of course you will. You can never stop.
[3:18:30] So,
[3:18:32] » You repeatedly get up here and call our
[3:18:35] staff members liars when you don't agree
[3:18:38] with what they say. You You confuse
[3:18:41] facts. You say things that are
[3:18:43] inaccurate as though they are fact
[3:18:45] literally every single meeting. And
[3:18:49] Clint has been very clear from the time
[3:18:52] this started that the deadline to turn
[3:18:55] this in is not today.
[3:18:58] But they also don't want to go down to
[3:19:00] the very last minute because voting
[3:19:03] starts in I believe it is uh mid October
[3:19:08] and they have less at this point than
[3:19:10] two months to start going on it. It
[3:19:13] would be nice if you would stop accusing
[3:19:16] the staff members who disagree with you
[3:19:18] and don't do what you think they should
[3:19:20] do every minute. It would be nice if you
[3:19:22] would stop accusing them of being liars
[3:19:24] and deceiving and deceptive. You did it
[3:19:27] to him today. You did it to Helen last
[3:19:30] week. You do it to Chandler multiple
[3:19:31] times a year. Enough's enough.
[3:19:34] » Okay. So,
[3:19:36] » Judge might be right.
[3:19:37] » If this is No, no. I was going after
[3:19:39] him. If this
[3:19:41] is a comprehensive
[3:19:44] report analysis,
[3:19:46] methodology
[3:19:48] on why we should be cutting our polling
[3:19:52] places in half.
[3:19:54] We're sad. This is sad. This is
[3:19:57] ridiculous. I ask him,
[3:20:00] "Where where's your arithmetic? Where's
[3:20:01] your data? Where's your methodology?
[3:20:03] It's all over my office, ma'am. I I I
[3:20:06] would I would have to put it together."
[3:20:08] And this is what I got on Saturday. So
[3:20:11] if you don't want to be critiqued
[3:20:13] and criticized, you've got to do better.
[3:20:17] You've got This is This is pathetic. And
[3:20:20] I don't miss I don't mince facts. I've
[3:20:22] got facts. My data is always accurate.
[3:20:26] It comes if it's ever inaccurate. It
[3:20:29] comes from the staff, this staff. Um, so
[3:20:34] you can allege that all you want. Um,
[3:20:38] but you are wrong. You can you can
[3:20:42] praise these people. Let me tell you
[3:20:44] guys why he can praise these people.
[3:20:46] They are terrified of him. He couldn't
[3:20:49] dare they couldn't dare tell him, you
[3:20:52] know, judge, that's not a good idea.
[3:20:55] They'd be gone. He has whitewashed
[3:20:58] this administrative staff. When we got
[3:21:00] here, it was very diverse. We've got
[3:21:03] three minorities left on this
[3:21:06] administrative staff. So, they're
[3:21:09] terrified of him. He's got the power.
[3:21:12] You see? One, two, three. Those guys,
[3:21:14] you're going to one, two, three. Lock
[3:21:16] step. They're not going to consider you.
[3:21:20] I am,
[3:21:24] » Sir.
[3:21:24] » And don't you ever say anything about
[3:21:26] being a Marine again. My son is Marine
[3:21:28] Captain about to be a major. and you're
[3:21:31] embarrassing.
[3:21:33] » Sir,
[3:21:36] » If we're done, I was going to call the
[3:21:37] question, but sounds like we're there.
[3:21:40] » I I'll say one more thing. Um, the fact
[3:21:43] that nobody listens on this DAS, it it's
[3:21:47] just not true. In fact, you're seeing
[3:21:49] this amendment play out. Thank you to my
[3:21:51] friend Loretta, uh, who wish me a happy
[3:21:53] birthday, who made a strong case for CO
[3:21:56] as a lot of other people did after
[3:21:58] conversations. That's why this is on
[3:22:00] here. We talked about the Charles
[3:22:01] Griffin Center uh that was really
[3:22:04] important to uh Commissioner Miles
[3:22:06] that's on here. So when you say nobody's
[3:22:09] listening to you, that's just not true.
[3:22:10] Taking a lot of feedback today. That's
[3:22:12] what this amendment is all about. You're
[3:22:14] being heard even if you don't always
[3:22:15] agree, but those changes are being
[3:22:17] incorporated.
[3:22:19] » All right, question.
[3:22:21] » Is the amendment for early voting or
[3:22:24] election day sites or both?
[3:22:28] » Great question. I believe the amendment
[3:22:29] was for early voting sites is how I
[3:22:33] interpreted it. Is that accurate?
[3:22:36] » Yes.
[3:22:36] » Okay.
[3:22:39] » All right. We have
[3:22:40] » So, we're not even addressing election
[3:22:42] day.
[3:22:44] At the moment, we have a motion to amend
[3:22:49] the motion on the floor to add Bob
[3:22:52] Duncan, Kennedale,
[3:22:55] Tarant County College Southeast, and
[3:22:57] Vernon Newsome Stadium to the list of
[3:22:59] early voting sites.
[3:23:01] Um, all those in favor, please raise
[3:23:04] your hand.
[3:23:08] All right, so it passes four to one.
[3:23:11] Uh so now we have an amended motion on
[3:23:15] the floor which is to approve the list
[3:23:19] provided by Clint
[3:23:21] and also to include Bob Duncan Kennedale
[3:23:26] Tarant County College Southeast Vernon
[3:23:28] Newsome Stadium the Northeast
[3:23:30] Subcourthouse
[3:23:32] KO
[3:23:34] » Legacy Learning Center
[3:23:35] » Legacy Learning Center and
[3:23:37] » TCC Northwest
[3:23:39] » TCC Northwest gest that I get them all.
[3:23:42] All right. Uh all those in favor of
[3:23:45] this, please raise your hand.
[3:23:48] All right. This passes 3 to two. All
[3:23:52] right. That is it for that item. We will
[3:23:55] now take a 10-minute recess and be back
[3:23:57] in here at 1:30. We are in recess.
[3:34:28] All right, we are back from recess
[3:34:32] and
[3:34:34] the next item on the agenda
[3:34:38] is item I4
[3:34:41] from consent.
[3:34:45] I make a motion to approve.
[3:34:48] » All right, we have a motion and a second
[3:34:49] to approve item I4. Let me go find I4
[3:34:54] so I can read it.
[3:34:59] » This is the uh consideration to approve
[3:35:01] the changes to the EFG
[3:35:04] » Elections Administration consideration
[3:35:06] to approve changes to certain voting
[3:35:07] precinct boundaries and authorized
[3:35:09] publication of required notices. All
[3:35:12] right, we have a motion and a second.
[3:35:14] Discussion before we bring up the
[3:35:16] speakers
[3:35:30] » Have a comment, but I can wait until I
[3:35:32] speak. Okay. Uh,
[3:35:34] » So we have uh Dr. Valencia Edner is
[3:35:37] first up. Following Dr. Edner, we have
[3:35:40] Amy Super.
[3:35:55] I guess I should thank you for the small
[3:35:57] win.
[3:35:59] Yet, it does not change the motive
[3:36:03] behind the way things get done. It takes
[3:36:07] a weak body,
[3:36:09] executive or judicial, to continue to
[3:36:11] keep rigging the system in its favor.
[3:36:15] This is not politics. This is fear.
[3:36:18] Without your schemes, the people would
[3:36:20] speak and your power would shrink.
[3:36:23] This boundary change is not math. It's
[3:36:26] malice.
[3:36:28] It's not efficiency. It's voter
[3:36:30] suppression. steel.
[3:36:33] If you continue to vote for these
[3:36:35] tactics, you are not serving the people.
[3:36:37] You are silencing them.
[3:36:40] Your fear of a county
[3:36:43] where white or perceived white supremacy
[3:36:46] no longer rules has led you down a path
[3:36:49] of exclusion.
[3:36:50] But hear me. When you change boundaries
[3:36:54] that you could make the adjustment to,
[3:36:56] don't give me the lie about the law.
[3:37:00] When you cut places for people to vote,
[3:37:04] you cut away democracy.
[3:37:07] When you suppress votes, you suppress
[3:37:09] justice.
[3:37:11] Reckoning will come not from men, but
[3:37:15] from God.
[3:37:17] You should have tabled the vote.
[3:37:20] Do not enshrine voter suppression into
[3:37:23] the history of this county. And you
[3:37:26] cannot look at me if you don't choose
[3:37:28] to, but you need to because I speak for
[3:37:32] the people of Tarant County, not for the
[3:37:36] agenda of misguided
[3:37:40] politicians, of which unfortunately
[3:37:43] many of you are. Fix your heart and
[3:37:47] maybe it'll fix your mind and your
[3:37:51] motive.
[3:37:54] » Amy Super is next. Following Miss Super,
[3:37:56] we have Geraldine Jackie Cox.
[3:38:04] » Hey, just a a quick request. Won't even
[3:38:06] use up my three minutes. Um, under the
[3:38:10] court actions requested, I'm going to
[3:38:13] ask that you please request Tarant
[3:38:15] County elections to also provide
[3:38:17] notification to both parties, current
[3:38:19] precinct chairs. Um, so we start filing
[3:38:23] as early as next month, September, at EC
[3:38:27] meetings for both parties. And for me,
[3:38:29] my precinct is changing from one that
[3:38:31] starts with a four, the one that starts
[3:38:33] with a two.
[3:38:34] » What what is the request? uh that the
[3:38:36] notification about these changes, these
[3:38:38] are changing our precinct numbers
[3:38:40] » And that they res they they uh provide
[3:38:42] that notification not only to the what
[3:38:44] they have listed here but also to the
[3:38:46] currently seated precinct chairs for
[3:38:48] both political parties so they know what
[3:38:50] precinct number to file to be on the
[3:38:52] ballot for.
[3:38:53] » All right,
[3:38:53] » That's all I'm asking.
[3:38:55] » Thanks.
[3:38:56] » Is that the whole thing? Yeah.
[3:38:57] » Okay. So, uh, can we even do what she
[3:39:01] just asked today sitting here the way
[3:39:03] this is noticed or is this something
[3:39:06] Clint's going to do anyway?
[3:39:07] » Judge, let me check the notice and I I
[3:39:08] will I will let you know uh with
[3:39:10] precision.
[3:39:11] » Okay.
[3:39:13] So the in the process
[3:39:17] we sent the notice that this hearing was
[3:39:19] going to happen to the precinct chairs
[3:39:22] that did go out the the approval then
[3:39:24] that the notice posting here requires
[3:39:26] the website and in the newspaper of the
[3:39:28] changes that you that are approved but
[3:39:30] there's we can send this out to all the
[3:39:32] precinct chairs as well. It's it's not
[3:39:34] hard.
[3:39:35] » Okay. All right. Uh next is Gerald and
[3:39:37] Jackie Cox.
[3:39:40] Following Miss Cox we have Dr. Michael
[3:39:42] Bell.
[3:39:45] » Miss Cox, are you coming?
[3:39:57] » Thank you, commissioners. Uh my name is
[3:39:59] Geraldine Jackie CS
[3:40:02] precinct and I want to bring to your
[3:40:05] attention today the fact that the
[3:40:07] memorandum prepared uh by the
[3:40:10] administration's uh elections division
[3:40:14] cites some but fewer than all of the
[3:40:17] statutes that really govern what may
[3:40:20] happen when a countywide a pre a county
[3:40:24] which does countywide voting
[3:40:27] may alter the way in which it assigns
[3:40:30] voting precincts.
[3:40:32] Uh and the first of the things which we
[3:40:34] need to look at or that I ask you to
[3:40:36] look at is the text of uh our election
[3:40:41] code section 42.06
[3:40:45] that mandates that countings with voting
[3:40:48] age populations of more than 100,000
[3:40:50] persons
[3:40:52] must produce precincts that have at
[3:40:56] least 100
[3:40:57] but no fewer than 5,000
[3:41:00] registered voters.
[3:41:02] Attached to Mr. Ludig's memorandum for
[3:41:06] you is a chart that shows the number of
[3:41:11] voters who will be in the new precincts
[3:41:15] that he wants sent to the elections
[3:41:18] board.
[3:41:19] Uh and precinct 2656 has two voters
[3:41:24] quite a few many fewer than 100.
[3:41:28] Precincts 46 4620
[3:41:32] has 62 voters again less than 100.
[3:41:37] Uh but the big place where you see
[3:41:39] deviations from what is permitted under
[3:41:42] another section of the election code
[3:41:45] which is 42.0051. 0051
[3:41:50] has to do not just with counts but also
[3:41:53] with how you make up the new precincts.
[3:41:56] What you do and section 42%.
[3:42:01] 51
[3:42:03] provides that you uh can only change
[3:42:07] voter precincts if you're in a county
[3:42:10] with a population of less than 1.2
[3:42:13] million voters.
[3:42:15] So right now as of today you don't have
[3:42:19] authority to make the changes that are
[3:42:22] in part of what you propose.
[3:42:24] You do however you won't you'll have
[3:42:26] that authority when uh a bill passed by
[3:42:33] uh the Senate the legislature this
[3:42:36] session becomes law if you meet a whole
[3:42:39] bunch of fact
[3:42:41] requirements.
[3:42:43] Uh, and I'm not sure you do, but one of
[3:42:45] the requirements is that you may not
[3:42:49] violate the Voting Rights Act.
[3:42:52] And we've had a lot of evidence today
[3:42:57] that the manner in which this was done
[3:42:59] does violate the Voting Rights Act.
[3:43:01] » Dr. Bell,
[3:43:03] you're passing. Next, we have Jimmy
[3:43:06] Blackwell.
[3:43:23] [Music]
[3:43:25] Judge your hair
[3:43:29] again. I smell a rat
[3:43:32] because some somehow the truth is not
[3:43:35] coming through here.
[3:43:38] You have too many people who have spoken
[3:43:40] against this proposal to just go ahead
[3:43:44] and force a vote and
[3:43:47] get things done the way you want them
[3:43:49] done.
[3:43:52] That's not leadership.
[3:43:55] Leadership is when you listen to every
[3:43:58] person on the court
[3:44:01] and then you either discuss it, have a
[3:44:04] lengthy discussion, a vibrant discussion
[3:44:07] to see where people stand because you
[3:44:10] have commissioners here who represent
[3:44:13] certain precepts
[3:44:15] and they have to go along with what
[3:44:17] their constituents say.
[3:44:20] But you judge, you are over the whole
[3:44:23] county. you don't have a precent.
[3:44:26] So, we would think that a person who is
[3:44:28] over the whole county have a level head
[3:44:32] can make sound decisions.
[3:44:34] But apparently that's not the case.
[3:44:38] So my message to the voters out there is
[3:44:41] first to replace you
[3:44:44] and to get people with integrity
[3:44:48] and honesty
[3:44:50] to listen to those who elected them
[3:44:53] like Commissioner Simmons and
[3:44:57] Commissioner
[3:44:59] uh Rodri so eloquently
[3:45:02] explain every time we come to comm uh to
[3:45:05] Commissioner's
[3:45:07] Now, judge, I know it's against your ego
[3:45:11] to have an African of the diaspora woman
[3:45:17] challenge your authority. And I think
[3:45:19] I've made that point before.
[3:45:22] But here's the case. You should want
[3:45:25] feedback from strong opposition so that
[3:45:28] you don't get a big head thinking that
[3:45:30] you know everything when we know that
[3:45:33] you don't.
[3:45:35] You made decision to destroy this
[3:45:38] county.
[3:45:41] I guess that's what you come to work to
[3:45:43] do because you do not listen to
[3:45:47] opposition voices.
[3:45:50] You only listen to those voices who
[3:45:53] agree with you even when you're wrong.
[3:45:57] They don't present any opposition, any
[3:46:00] feedback that may be detrimental to your
[3:46:03] thinking.
[3:46:04] That's not leadership.
[3:46:06] That's dictatorship.
[3:46:09] And we don't need another Putin in
[3:46:12] America.
[3:46:13] We already had one in Alaska.
[3:46:16] That's dictatorship. That's not good. I
[3:46:20] smell a rat, but apparently they missed
[3:46:22] the three blind mice.
[3:46:26] All right, that's all the speakers we
[3:46:28] have for I4.
[3:46:30] Uh we have a motion and a second to
[3:46:32] approve the item. further discussion.
[3:46:34] » Yes. Uh while this seems simple on its
[3:46:36] face, uh like just a routine
[3:46:40] authorization to publish new boundaries,
[3:46:43] it it represents the culmination of a
[3:46:46] process that I have been vocally and
[3:46:50] fundamentally opposed to from the very
[3:46:52] beginning.
[3:46:54] The mid decade racial germander was
[3:46:58] unnecessary and unw warranted. The 2020
[3:47:03] census data showed our precincts were in
[3:47:06] compliance and there was no need to
[3:47:08] spend taxpayer
[3:47:11] money on consultants to redraw maps.
[3:47:15] This entire process has been
[3:47:17] irresponsible
[3:47:18] and this map cleanup is just a drop in
[3:47:21] the bucket compared to the consequences
[3:47:23] both intended and
[3:47:26] that are having to be corrected for no
[3:47:29] real reason. Furthermore, these new
[3:47:31] boundaries are a political and legal
[3:47:33] travesty.
[3:47:35] As I have said before, this is not about
[3:47:37] fixing a problem. This is about creating
[3:47:39] one. It is a calculated attempt to
[3:47:42] dilute the voting power uh voting
[3:47:44] strength of minority communities to
[3:47:48] silence the voices of my constituents
[3:47:50] and to strip representation from people
[3:47:53] of color. the UCLA Voting Rights
[3:47:56] Project.
[3:47:58] That analysis confirmed that these maps
[3:48:01] are a textbook example of racial
[3:48:05] gerrymandering. We've got two lawsuits
[3:48:08] uh on the books. So this this action
[3:48:12] today
[3:48:14] uh is just another necessary cleanup in
[3:48:17] an unnecessary process that has lacked
[3:48:21] transparency,
[3:48:23] public input, and moral justification.
[3:48:26] So, I just want to be on the record to I
[3:48:29] want the record to reflect my continued
[3:48:31] and unequivocal opposition to this map,
[3:48:35] » Which I believe um is legally
[3:48:38] questionable, morally wrong, and a
[3:48:41] disservice to the voters of Taran
[3:48:43] County.
[3:48:46] » All right, we have a motion, a second on
[3:48:47] this item. Any other discussion?
[3:48:50] All right. Seeing none, all in favor of
[3:48:53] approving I4, please raise your hand.
[3:48:58] All right. Oppose, please raise your
[3:48:59] hand.
[3:49:01] All right. It passes 3 to two. Takes us
[3:49:03] to item I5 removed from consent. Item I5
[3:49:08] is consideration to approve supplemental
[3:49:10] appointments of county election judges
[3:49:12] and alternate election judges.
[3:49:14] » Move for approval.
[3:49:15] » Second.
[3:49:15] » We have a motion and a second to approve
[3:49:17] that item. Uh, any further discussion
[3:49:20] there before I bring the speakers?
[3:49:24] All right, first speaker is Amy Super.
[3:49:27] Following Miss Super is Jennifer Blunt.
[3:49:36] [Music]
[3:49:39] I'm asking the court to get
[3:49:41] clarification on what it is you're
[3:49:43] voting on today. So the subject is
[3:49:47] titled consideration to approve
[3:49:49] supplemental appointments of county
[3:49:51] election judges and alternate election
[3:49:53] judges. You voted on a list to do that
[3:49:57] on July 1st and that list had was not
[3:50:00] the list that the parties submitted in
[3:50:03] its entirety. There were names on that
[3:50:05] list that they didn't submit. There were
[3:50:07] names on that list that they did submit
[3:50:08] that weren't on that list that you
[3:50:10] approved. So what I'm asking is this the
[3:50:12] list now? Because if it's the list, it's
[3:50:14] not a supplemental list. It's the list.
[3:50:17] Um, a supplemental list is as indicated
[3:50:20] in the background covered in tech uh,
[3:50:22] Texas Selection Code 32. I don't know
[3:50:25] what. Um, it tells you in great detail
[3:50:28] how this should be done. Um, I just
[3:50:31] would like for you guys to get some
[3:50:32] clarification. Is this an actual
[3:50:34] supplemental appointments, which you are
[3:50:36] free to make, the law specifies that, or
[3:50:38] is this the two-year list corrected?
[3:50:42] Um, that would be my only question I
[3:50:45] think with regards to that. Just change
[3:50:47] that so we all know what we're doing.
[3:50:49] There are people that you approved that
[3:50:50] are no longer on this list. So, do you
[3:50:53] have to vote to take them off or are
[3:50:55] they just off? Good questions to ask.
[3:50:58] Just want some clarity on that. Um, and
[3:51:01] then, um, since I have time left, I did
[3:51:04] not address when you were talking about
[3:51:06] the approval of the, uh, precinct
[3:51:07] boundaries. Um, make sure because the
[3:51:11] code is very specific about how
[3:51:14] » Okay. Are you are you talking about item
[3:51:17] I5 at the moment?
[3:51:18] » They're they're combined because it has
[3:51:20] to do with the election judges. The way
[3:51:22] they're aortioned has to do with the way
[3:51:24] people voted within different precincts.
[3:51:26] So, you've moved precincts within county
[3:51:28] precincts. So, the aortionment of which
[3:51:31] party gets to have the presiding judge
[3:51:32] in each poll site has to be completely
[3:51:35] redone. and I want to just make sure
[3:51:37] that that's done in time for us to
[3:51:40] adjust and get make sure our
[3:51:41] appointments are done within alignment
[3:51:43] with Texas election code. Thank you.
[3:51:45] » Thank you. Is Jennifer Blunt present?
[3:51:51] » No. Okay. Uh Clint, can you address some
[3:51:54] of those things there?
[3:51:58] when we were wording the list um we did
[3:52:02] uh consult legal on how to exactly word
[3:52:05] the item because there are additions
[3:52:07] from both the parties to add to this
[3:52:09] list. Additionally, when we were going
[3:52:11] through this um looking at the code, we
[3:52:14] noticed that the how historically this
[3:52:18] list had been done had been assigning
[3:52:20] judges to precincts and as a countywide
[3:52:22] polling location, that's not the correct
[3:52:24] way to do it. So we went through and
[3:52:26] changed that to make it reflect the the
[3:52:29] proper way the list should have been
[3:52:30] formatted and not the way that it had
[3:52:33] been submitted prior.
[3:52:34] » So the list that we voted on in July
[3:52:38] was not the list submitted by the two
[3:52:41] parties.
[3:52:42] » It contained names of the list submitted
[3:52:44] by the two parties. The it didn't have
[3:52:46] all the names on the list. the
[3:52:49] commissioner's court. Uh we had to move
[3:52:52] up our deadline and to submit that um
[3:52:55] because there was only going to be the
[3:52:56] one court. I believe it was July and the
[3:52:58] requirement is this gets approved in
[3:53:00] July. And
[3:53:01] » Okay, so hang on just a second. Just so
[3:53:03] I'm clear about what we're talking
[3:53:05] about. The list that the parties
[3:53:08] submitted, it's a list. It's got names.
[3:53:12] Whatever it is, 10, 20, five, seven, it
[3:53:15] has names.
[3:53:16] The list that that both Well, let's
[3:53:19] start with the Republican party. The
[3:53:20] list the Republican party submitted. Was
[3:53:23] that the list that showed up on the July
[3:53:25] meeting?
[3:53:26] » Not all of it. No, judge.
[3:53:27] » Well, it's either the list or it isn't.
[3:53:30] It's one or the other.
[3:53:31] » This is the entire party list now. We've
[3:53:34] we've worked with them to get all of
[3:53:35] their names, all the changes.
[3:53:37] » That's not what I'm The list that we
[3:53:39] approved in July was not they had a list
[3:53:42] of names, 10 names, 10 whatever we did.
[3:53:45] That wasn't the list we voted on. There
[3:53:47] were some people on that list that we
[3:53:49] voted for. There were some people not on
[3:53:50] that list that we voted for. Is that
[3:53:52] accurate?
[3:53:53] » Yes, judge.
[3:53:54] » Okay. The Democrat one, was that list
[3:53:57] correct that we voted on?
[3:53:58] » Not all of it. No, it was missing some
[3:54:00] names, Judge.
[3:54:00] » All right. How did that happen?
[3:54:02] » The when the deadline moved to submit
[3:54:04] everything, um, we jumped through to try
[3:54:07] to get everything onto the court. The
[3:54:09] parties technically had till the end of
[3:54:11] the 30th to submit, so they still had
[3:54:13] time to give us names. They hadn't given
[3:54:14] us all their names and then we hadn't
[3:54:16] completed a working list and so in the
[3:54:18] scramble to get a list to get on that
[3:54:20] July 1st court when they compiled the
[3:54:22] staff compiled the list they didn't get
[3:54:24] everything and there were some names
[3:54:26] that were missed.
[3:54:27] » Okay. So now what we're voting on today
[3:54:31] is the list that Republicans asked for
[3:54:35] and the list that Democrats asked for.
[3:54:38] » Yes, Jeff. What happens to the people
[3:54:40] that were not on the list
[3:54:44] that these parties submitted or either
[3:54:46] party don't care? What happens to those
[3:54:49] folks who were approved in July? Are
[3:54:53] they now removed by this?
[3:54:56] » No, this is the supplemental list. So
[3:54:58] the the ones the parties want to have
[3:55:00] are all on the list. This is correcting
[3:55:04] the the previous list and making sure we
[3:55:07] worked with both parties to ensure that
[3:55:08] we had every single person that they
[3:55:10] wanted included and we had removed every
[3:55:13] single person that they wanted removed.
[3:55:14] » Okay. So I think the answer to the
[3:55:16] question this list is the entire list
[3:55:20] that each party wants and by voting for
[3:55:23] this today does that remove anyone who
[3:55:26] was previously voted for in July?
[3:55:29] Mr. Proud of bill.
[3:55:30] » Uh I'm checking the statute right now,
[3:55:32] judge. And um
[3:55:34] » I mean, basically, are we now voting on
[3:55:35] two lists and then now the people we
[3:55:37] voted on in July and these people are
[3:55:39] now all on this together?
[3:55:41] » What's the deal?
[3:55:42] » What the what the statute contemplates
[3:55:43] here is is the ability of the party
[3:55:45] chairs to supplement the original list
[3:55:47] of names that was okay.
[3:55:49] » Submitted. So there
[3:55:49] » The original list of names is not what
[3:55:51] we voted on.
[3:56:02] Let me ask you this. Would y'all We can
[3:56:05] move on if there's no objection from the
[3:56:07] court. We can move to some other items.
[3:56:09] Come back to this when y'all have had
[3:56:10] time to when you've had time to research
[3:56:13] it and understand it.
[3:56:14] » That would be helpful, Judge. Yes.
[3:56:16] » Okay.
[3:56:16] » Can we
[3:56:16] » Come back during this court?
[3:56:18] » That's what I meant. Yeah.
[3:56:20] » Can we just move to table this?
[3:56:23] » Yes.
[3:56:23] » Was there not a deadline?
[3:56:26] uh
[3:56:28] the the first list of names which I
[3:56:30] understand is kind of in flux here uh
[3:56:32] was due to be acted upon in July and uh
[3:56:37] there is a deadline of
[3:56:40] 15 days before a special election or 20
[3:56:42] days before a general election. So just
[3:56:45] from my cursory reading of the statute I
[3:56:46] believe we have some some time to still
[3:56:49] approve any additional supplemental
[3:56:51] list.
[3:56:53] So, I go back to my question,
[3:56:57] which
[3:56:58] mistakes happen, wrong list, submitted,
[3:57:02] whatever.
[3:57:04] The the idea here was we're cleaning up
[3:57:06] those lists, but I don't believe I've
[3:57:08] got an answer to the question of
[3:57:10] somebody that was voted for in July that
[3:57:14] was not supposed to be on the list. Do
[3:57:17] they remain
[3:57:19] a an election and an alternate judge if
[3:57:22] they were previously approved or is this
[3:57:25] action taking them off?
[3:57:28] » Judge, if we table this, I will get you
[3:57:29] an answer to that question.
[3:57:30] » Is there any reason we can't table this?
[3:57:33] No, judge.
[3:57:34] » Okay,
[3:57:36] » Move the table.
[3:57:37] » Well, we already Hang on. We already
[3:57:38] have We already have a motion to
[3:57:40] approve. Um,
[3:57:43] » You want me to resend my motion to
[3:57:44] approve?
[3:57:45] » Well, if you want to resend your motion,
[3:57:46] you can resend your motion.
[3:57:48] » Well, I I I guess
[3:57:49] » But any anybody can ask questions away.
[3:57:52] » I I don't feel like we have to table it.
[3:57:54] If we get the answers from Mr.
[3:57:56] Crowdville and others by the end of this
[3:57:58] session that satisfies everybody, but
[3:58:01] then we can table at that point. Um, I
[3:58:04] guess that's the way I would I would
[3:58:06] recommend going about it. Just seeing if
[3:58:08] we can answer the questions by the end
[3:58:09] of the court and if not then we move to
[3:58:11] table.
[3:58:12] » I don't see any reason wrong with this.
[3:58:14] Nobody the dem neither the Democrats or
[3:58:16] the Republicans are bothered by it.
[3:58:19] Let's just get the right answer. Um,
[3:58:23] so
[3:58:25] how about we
[3:58:28] um
[3:58:30] well, so Commissioner Miles, did you
[3:58:33] just vote to table? Did you just make a
[3:58:34] motion to table it?
[3:58:35] » Yes, sir.
[3:58:36] » How are you about Let's move on from
[3:58:39] this item. We have a motion sitting on
[3:58:42] the floor. Let's go to the next set of
[3:58:44] items. Do all the stuff we're doing.
[3:58:45] Come back before we close. See if we
[3:58:47] have an answer.
[3:58:50] I think it would be better just to table
[3:58:52] this so that they can get the accurate
[3:58:54] information to us and clear up the
[3:58:57] confusion because there is confusion
[3:58:59] instead of just waiting till the end of
[3:59:01] the court and hoping that they can
[3:59:03] provide the accurate information to
[3:59:05] bring clarification and clarity. I think
[3:59:08] we should just table it until a later
[3:59:10] date.
[3:59:12] » Okay. So, all right. Thank you. You have
[3:59:15] a motion and a second on the floor. Can
[3:59:17] I can I just move to postpone?
[3:59:20] » Yes. Either and and to be clear, the
[3:59:23] terms table and postpone are used
[3:59:25] synonymously in a lot of cases. Um but
[3:59:27] in either case, what I would advise is
[3:59:29] that does take precedent over the main
[3:59:31] motion on the floor right now. And so it
[3:59:34] can either be tabled or postponed until
[3:59:35] later in the meeting or a future
[3:59:37] meeting, whatever the court prefers.
[3:59:40] » Okay. I don't Does anyone care up here
[3:59:42] which one we do?
[3:59:44] » I'd say we hold it until after closed.
[3:59:47] and give them time to sort it out. Come
[3:59:49] back after close. If they don't have
[3:59:50] time at that point, we can table it for
[3:59:52] a future meeting if they don't have
[3:59:53] their
[3:59:54] » Okay. So, in terms of the order of this,
[3:59:57] he has a motion that's still sitting
[3:59:59] there. He has made a motion to to table
[4:00:03] the item. Doesn't seem like we have a
[4:00:06] consensus on tableing the item. So, do I
[4:00:09] now have to hear that motion before
[4:00:12] going to his motion?
[4:00:14] » That would be correct. save for. There
[4:00:16] needs to be a second on the motion to
[4:00:17] table and I would I would just ask that
[4:00:19] it be to uh a particular time whether it
[4:00:21] be after close.
[4:00:22] » Clarify your motion.
[4:00:25] » I move to table this to a later date.
[4:00:27] » Okay. Do we have a second on that?
[4:00:30] » Second.
[4:00:30] » So we have a motion and a second to
[4:00:32] table this item until a later date
[4:00:36] which now has removed his motion
[4:00:39] essentially. Or this has to be addressed
[4:00:41] first.
[4:00:41] » This has to be addressed first and then
[4:00:42] you can proceed on the made motion. Does
[4:00:43] anybody want to say something about
[4:00:45] this?
[4:00:47] » All right.
[4:00:47] » Um, I I I do I want to say what I've
[4:00:50] been saying all day. This is
[4:00:53] unprofessional.
[4:00:54] You're not prepared.
[4:00:57] This is a bad look on this county and
[4:01:00] this staff.
[4:01:03] I'm not going to throw you a parade
[4:01:04] because you're a nice guy. You have a
[4:01:07] job. We should not have all these
[4:01:09] questions. We shouldn't be confused.
[4:01:13] Um,
[4:01:16] it's ridiculous.
[4:01:19] Now, y'all can pat him on the back if
[4:01:20] you want, but this is crazy.
[4:01:23] » We have a motion and a second to
[4:01:24] postpone this until a later date.
[4:01:28] Anybody else wish to weigh in?
[4:01:31] All right. All in favor of postponing
[4:01:34] until a later date, please raise your
[4:01:36] hand.
[4:01:38] All right. All those against postponing
[4:01:40] to a later date, please raise your hand.
[4:01:43] All right. So, the motion to postpone to
[4:01:46] a later date
[4:01:48] fails. So, now we have a motion to
[4:01:51] approve sitting before us.
[4:01:53] » And I will make a motion to postpone
[4:01:54] till after closed. Second,
[4:01:57] » But we had a motion.
[4:01:59] » And now we have another.
[4:02:00] » But he needs to rescend his other one.
[4:02:02] » He didn't have to rescend it for him to
[4:02:04] do it. So, I don't know why he would.
[4:02:05] » Well, he made me resend motions earlier.
[4:02:08] Does he Don't we have a motion on the
[4:02:10] floor? Yes, that is correct,
[4:02:12] Commissioner. Except for the fact that a
[4:02:13] motion to table or a motion to postpone
[4:02:15] takes precedent over the main motion on
[4:02:16] the floor.
[4:02:16] » Voted on that one.
[4:02:17] » It's a different motion.
[4:02:19] » I'm talking to the
[4:02:20] » And I'm and I'm and I run the court and
[4:02:22] it's a different motion and so we're
[4:02:24] going to hear the motion.
[4:02:24] » So, we heard that motion. There was a
[4:02:26] there was an uh there was a motion on
[4:02:28] the floor. Correct.
[4:02:30] » The the motion to table uh was heard and
[4:02:33] now you're on to the main motion, but
[4:02:35] there has now been another motion to
[4:02:36] table or a motion to postpone which
[4:02:38] takes precedent over the underlying
[4:02:40] motion.
[4:02:41] » Correct.
[4:02:42] » So, we have a motion to postpone until
[4:02:45] after closed to see if we have an
[4:02:48] answer. Is that your motion?
[4:02:49] » That's it.
[4:02:49] » Do we have a second?
[4:02:51] » Second.
[4:02:51] » We have a second. Any further
[4:02:53] discussion?
[4:02:55] All right. All in favor of this motion
[4:02:58] to postpone until after close, please
[4:03:01] raise your hand.
[4:03:03] Okay. All those opposed?
[4:03:06] So the motion to postpone until after
[4:03:09] close passes 3 to two.
[4:03:12] Uh now
[4:03:14] we move to
[4:03:24] I believe in this order it is J1
[4:03:29] um
[4:03:31] which is consideration of a community
[4:03:33] facilities facilities agreement with the
[4:03:35] city of Fort Worth related to utility
[4:03:37] improvements for the Plaza garage
[4:03:39] expansion expansion project including
[4:03:41] the 2025 5 capital improvement program.
[4:03:45] So, this was the same thing we addressed
[4:03:50] two meetings or two weeks ago, I should
[4:03:52] say,
[4:03:53] » Where Fort Worth wanted to charge us
[4:03:55] $76,000 or so to inspect our parking
[4:03:58] garage
[4:04:00] and we failed this item and now there's
[4:04:05] a reason you have brought it back. Would
[4:04:07] you please tell everyone what that is?
[4:04:10] » Yes, sir. to the unenviable task of
[4:04:12] returning something to the court. My
[4:04:13] apologies. Um the the community
[4:04:16] facilities agreement is, as you know, an
[4:04:19] agreement between the county and the
[4:04:21] city for modifications to their public
[4:04:23] improvements. They have public
[4:04:25] improvements within the foundation lines
[4:04:27] of our current ongoing plaza garage
[4:04:30] project.
[4:04:32] And the approval of this would allow us
[4:04:35] to continue um the expedited
[4:04:39] construction of that garage. A
[4:04:42] disapproval will cause us as a county to
[4:04:46] have to put a stop work notice to the
[4:04:48] work or a portion of the work at which
[4:04:51] place puts the county at risk for
[4:04:53] additional costs to the contractor.
[4:04:55] » And when does when is that and how is
[4:04:58] that additional cost triggered? uh it's
[4:05:02] triggered by a stop work notice. In
[4:05:03] other words, if we as the county or the
[4:05:06] owner cause something or do not
[4:05:08] facilitate something that allows
[4:05:10] progression of the work and it impacts
[4:05:12] the extending duration of the
[4:05:14] construction contract.
[4:05:15] » Okay. Has anyone had a discussion with
[4:05:18] our contractor as to how they would play
[4:05:20] this while we work this out with Fort
[4:05:23] Worth or try to?
[4:05:25] » Yes, actually. It's been a hot topic
[4:05:27] with the contractor for about two
[4:05:29] months.
[4:05:30] » Okay. Okay. Um between the previous
[4:05:33] court and this court, we've been able to
[4:05:35] facilitate the work without causing any
[4:05:37] further hindrance. Uh at this point,
[4:05:39] delay is pretty close to impending. The
[4:05:42] existing sanitary sewer line that needs
[4:05:44] to be modified runs immediately adjacent
[4:05:46] to the tower crane foundations which are
[4:05:48] going in now. The tower crane
[4:05:50] mobilization is scheduled for this
[4:05:52] coming weekend.
[4:05:53] » Okay. Uh Mr. Merritt, tell us where we
[4:05:58] are with the city of Fort Worth and any
[4:06:00] discussions. Tell us what where we
[4:06:03] stand.
[4:06:03] » Sure. So, uh, the facility staff has
[4:06:06] been trying to work with Fort Worth on
[4:06:08] seeing what we could do with regards to
[4:06:10] any reduction or waiver of fees from the
[4:06:13] city. Um, most of what my feedback has
[4:06:16] been, most of those folks at that level
[4:06:17] aren't really authorized to make that
[4:06:19] level of a decision with regards to
[4:06:20] reducing those fees. Uh I've reached out
[4:06:23] directly to the city manager for Fort
[4:06:25] Worth uh to see if uh he at his level uh
[4:06:29] or the council's level would be willing
[4:06:30] to reduce or wave the fees on our
[4:06:33] behalf. And I'm currently waiting to
[4:06:35] hear back from him on on that. So when
[4:06:38] we
[4:06:40] when three of us here took office in
[4:06:42] January of 23,
[4:06:46] we had multiple meetings with Fort Worth
[4:06:49] asking them to
[4:06:52] allow us to do video magistration
[4:06:55] to alleviate jail population problems.
[4:06:59] Uh, in one particular meeting I was in
[4:07:02] with the sheriff, the chief of police. I
[4:07:06] say that I think the chief was there. If
[4:07:08] not, there there were multiple assistant
[4:07:09] chiefs whether Chief Nos was there or
[4:07:11] not. Uh, the mayor, the then city
[4:07:14] manager, and probably five, six other
[4:07:17] people. And they were all, "Yes, we want
[4:07:19] to help." We're on board. That was
[4:07:22] approximately February of 23.
[4:07:25] I don't believe we actually got approval
[4:07:29] to do the video magistration
[4:07:32] at Fort Worth holding facility or what
[4:07:34] at their police station until August
[4:07:38] of 24.
[4:07:40] Um is any part of that I said not
[4:07:43] accurate?
[4:07:44] » I can't speak specifically to the
[4:07:46] timeline, but um but that sounds about
[4:07:49] correct.
[4:07:50] » Okay. And so where I'm going with this
[4:07:52] is um
[4:07:55] Fort Worth
[4:07:57] wants
[4:07:59] a good partner in Tarant County and I
[4:08:02] think it's beneficial for the residents
[4:08:04] of Fort Worth and the residents of
[4:08:07] Tarant County to have a good partnership
[4:08:09] with Fort Worth. Um,
[4:08:13] but the idea that we're going to pay
[4:08:16] $76,000 to improve our parking garage
[4:08:20] and traffic and street parking, which
[4:08:23] will allow, I believe, more revenue for
[4:08:26] the city of Fort Worth with all the
[4:08:28] parking meters that I think goes to them
[4:08:29] anyway. And then we can't even get them
[4:08:32] to return a call and get with us on how
[4:08:34] we can deal with this. Uh, I I it
[4:08:38] doesn't sit well with me. I it shouldn't
[4:08:40] sit well with with any of us. I would
[4:08:42] hope. But may maybe this is one where we
[4:08:44] can have some bipartisanship. I don't
[4:08:46] know. But here here's what I would my
[4:08:50] opinion. We need to pass it to avoid
[4:08:52] penalties.
[4:08:53] Um, what I would d ask the staff to do
[4:08:59] is to
[4:09:01] uh, and by the way, I have set up a
[4:09:03] meeting with the mayor tomorrow on this
[4:09:05] very topic. And uh I would ask our staff
[4:09:11] to go research, assuming today passes,
[4:09:14] which I don't know that it will, but
[4:09:15] assuming it does, um to go research what
[4:09:20] we could do to revoke
[4:09:25] andor reconsider the tiffs we passed at
[4:09:28] the end of last year to recoup this kind
[4:09:31] of money.
[4:09:33] Um, I would like the staff to go do
[4:09:36] research on how we could use that tiff
[4:09:38] money for any remaining costs on the
[4:09:41] parking garage, including the inspection
[4:09:44] cost that they are charging. Um, I would
[4:09:49] also include in that JPS.
[4:09:52] I know there are fees that they want to
[4:09:55] charge JPS
[4:09:57] for how they build the tower.
[4:10:01] Um, and so I think in a nutshell, it's
[4:10:05] please present us options on what
[4:10:07] amendments,
[4:10:10] revocations, and approvals
[4:10:12] we have with the downtown TIFF to ensure
[4:10:16] a fair and balanced partnership with the
[4:10:18] city. And by that what I mean there is
[4:10:24] if you can't
[4:10:27] amend it
[4:10:29] then one option is you could revoke it
[4:10:34] and pass it again
[4:10:37] and take dollar for dollar that charge
[4:10:39] out of by percentage what we allow them
[4:10:42] to have. So I believe it's 35% over 20
[4:10:45] years is what you told me last time.
[4:10:48] Whatever it may be, calculate the number
[4:10:50] 32%,
[4:10:52] 30%, whatever it is, I'm asking you to
[4:10:55] bring back those options. This is not
[4:10:57] part of a motion or a vote. I want to
[4:10:59] explore those options in the whole court
[4:11:00] to be able to look at it.
[4:11:04] » Okay.
[4:11:04] » So,
[4:11:05] » Questions, comments?
[4:11:07] » Yes.
[4:11:09] So
[4:11:11] having uh city of Fort Worth not eagerly
[4:11:17] embrace video magistration was was
[4:11:20] problematic.
[4:11:21] Um I'm not sure I I got tired of asking.
[4:11:25] I'm not sure how many people they're
[4:11:26] even
[4:11:28] um magistrating now.
[4:11:32] Um but another
[4:11:35] um
[4:11:37] uh source
[4:11:39] of revenue or partnership we should be
[4:11:42] getting from city of Fort Worth. I've
[4:11:44] said this before
[4:11:47] several times is to stop taking their
[4:11:51] inmates
[4:11:53] um without them paying for them. City of
[4:11:58] Austin and Travis County have an
[4:12:00] agreement.
[4:12:01] City of Austin pays Travis County to
[4:12:05] take their inmates
[4:12:07] till a case is filed. City of Dallas,
[4:12:11] Dallas County, same contract. We just
[4:12:14] take the city uh Fort Worth PD's
[4:12:17] inmates.
[4:12:19] um if you want to look at recouping cost
[4:12:24] um
[4:12:25] and this
[4:12:28] revoking of TIFFs is not the answer. I
[4:12:34] mean this is an attack on economic
[4:12:36] development. Pulling out of the TUR or
[4:12:39] TIFF will throw the developers funding
[4:12:41] plans out of whack for just $75,000.
[4:12:46] uh potentially delaying development and
[4:12:49] possibly
[4:12:51] cancellation due to funding gaps. So
[4:12:53] that that's not the answer. Um you know,
[4:12:57] it's it's as as much as we give and do
[4:13:01] uh for Fort Worth at a detriment to to
[4:13:06] the county. Um I'm not jumping up about
[4:13:09] down about paying this 7576,000,
[4:13:12] whatever it is. Um but we've got we've
[4:13:15] got to do it. But there are other ways
[4:13:18] um
[4:13:20] you know to charge
[4:13:24] uh city of Fort Worth.
[4:13:27] » Move for approval of item J1.
[4:13:30] » We have a motion to approve item J1.
[4:13:34] » Second.
[4:13:34] » Second.
[4:13:35] » We have a second.
[4:13:37] Uh further discussion before vote.
[4:13:42] So, um I have one point I would like to
[4:13:44] make and that is there is no money from
[4:13:49] Tarant County in this tiff
[4:13:52] guaranteed to go towards anything.
[4:13:56] There is no development project that
[4:13:59] will be interrupted or stopped because
[4:14:02] Tarant County when we pass the TIF
[4:14:07] maintain the right to approve any and
[4:14:09] all projects
[4:14:11] that Tarant County tax money in the TIF
[4:14:14] would go towards. So if a developer,
[4:14:18] which I highly doubt, is currently
[4:14:20] banking on our portion to go towards any
[4:14:25] project, we haven't taken a single vote
[4:14:28] for it.
[4:14:29] And uh I doubt very seriously there is
[4:14:32] some project moving forward at the
[4:14:35] moment that is counting on our specific
[4:14:39] percentage
[4:14:41] but also revising the tiff or re
[4:14:45] renegotiating voting it down adding a
[4:14:48] new one. Um
[4:14:50] we are part of downtown. We have lots of
[4:14:53] costs that we have to incur
[4:14:56] and
[4:14:58] bringing them to the table can benefit
[4:15:01] everyone in Tarant County. Uh and that's
[4:15:05] what a healthy partnership is. My
[4:15:07] intention here is not to create a war
[4:15:09] with the city of Fort Worth. In fact,
[4:15:10] it's the opposite. It's to ensure basic
[4:15:13] fairness between the two entities. And
[4:15:15] right now, it certainly doesn't seem
[4:15:17] like it's a two-way street. It seems
[4:15:21] like it's a one-way street. I'd like to
[4:15:23] make sure it's a two-way street. So, any
[4:15:26] other comments
[4:15:28] or questions before we vote.
[4:15:32] All right, seeing none, we have a motion
[4:15:34] and a second to approve this item. All
[4:15:36] in favor, raise your hand.
[4:15:39] All right, passes five to zero.
[4:15:45] Uh, next we go, if I have my thing down
[4:15:49] correctly, to 01, public health
[4:15:52] consideration of changes to the Tarant
[4:15:54] County public health fee schedule.
[4:15:59] Dr. Bird.
[4:16:01] Thank you, Judge and Commissioner Brian
[4:16:03] Bird, public health. I have with me
[4:16:05] Sabrina Vidari, who is our associate
[4:16:08] director over environmental health. she
[4:16:10] handles uh restaurant inspections and
[4:16:13] that's what we're talking about today.
[4:16:15] Uh we are responding to Senate Bill
[4:16:18] 10008
[4:16:20] which requires as of September 1 uh that
[4:16:24] we comply with the Department of State
[4:16:26] Health Services fees uh for all of our
[4:16:29] inspections on fixed food service and
[4:16:31] mobile food service.
[4:16:33] Uh since I am not an expert on
[4:16:37] restaurant inspection and I like to hear
[4:16:39] from experts, uh I've asked Miss Bedari
[4:16:43] uh to present this uh this series of
[4:16:45] slides, this slide deck, and walk us
[4:16:47] through uh our approach to this as we
[4:16:50] attempted to uh to present a proposed
[4:16:54] fee schedule that balances uh we want to
[4:16:56] keep everybody healthy and we don't want
[4:16:58] to be ownorous on our local businesses
[4:17:00] and trying to walk that line. So without
[4:17:02] further ado, I'll turn it over to
[4:17:03] Sabrina. Sabrina,
[4:17:07] » Good afternoon.
[4:17:09] Can y'all hear me? Okay. Okay.
[4:17:10] » Yes, ma'am.
[4:17:11] » So before I start the presentation, I
[4:17:13] would like to let you know that the fee
[4:17:15] schedule methodology has changed based
[4:17:18] on the state law. Our current fee
[4:17:21] schedule methodology was on square
[4:17:22] footage and the state law puts us that
[4:17:26] we would need to use the Texas
[4:17:29] Department of State Health Services fee
[4:17:31] schedule and theirs is off of gross
[4:17:33] annual food sales volume sales. So um
[4:17:37] the first slide so we have separated it
[4:17:39] out amongst the different categories of
[4:17:41] inspections due to that to try to make
[4:17:43] it more clear for you. So fixed food are
[4:17:47] just like that. They're establishments
[4:17:48] that don't move. their brickandmortar
[4:17:50] type of establishments.
[4:17:53] They um you can see all of the fees. Our
[4:17:57] current fee schedule is on the left. The
[4:17:59] proposed fee schedule is on the right
[4:18:01] with the current Texas Department of
[4:18:03] State Health Services fee schedule in
[4:18:05] the middle.
[4:18:07] We have aligned our fee schedule um with
[4:18:10] the Texas Department of State Health
[4:18:12] Services with the exception of the
[4:18:14] highest fee schedule which is for
[4:18:16] $150,000 or more of gross annual food
[4:18:19] sales. That cap is $773
[4:18:23] and we have dropped it to 700.
[4:18:27] The reason why we have dropped it to 700
[4:18:29] is because we do believe that there may
[4:18:32] be a majority of establishments that
[4:18:34] fall into this category. So some of the
[4:18:37] establishments may see a fee increase
[4:18:40] and others may see a fee decrease. I do
[4:18:43] not have any information on our
[4:18:45] establishments as to where they would
[4:18:47] fall in this. It is not information that
[4:18:49] we had previously collected from any of
[4:18:51] our permit holders.
[4:18:57] Okay.
[4:18:58] Do you want me to move on or is there a
[4:19:00] question?
[4:19:00] » So, are we the the proposed free SK fee
[4:19:03] schedule on the right
[4:19:06] 150,000 or more is in sales, right?
[4:19:10] » It is gross annual volume of food sales.
[4:19:13] Yes. It is not revenue. It's gross
[4:19:16] annual volume of food sales.
[4:19:19] » I'm sorry. It sounded like you just said
[4:19:20] it is something and then repeated the
[4:19:22] exact same thing and said it isn't. It
[4:19:23] is not revenue. A lot of people, a lot
[4:19:25] of people get them confused. It's not
[4:19:26] based off of revenue of the
[4:19:28] establishment. It's based off of gross
[4:19:30] annual food sales, which is before
[4:19:32] taxes, before any deductions that would
[4:19:34] come out from revenue.
[4:19:35] » Is revenue different than that?
[4:19:37] » Revenue comes after tax deductions and
[4:19:40] exemptions.
[4:19:41] » Okay. So, on the 150,000 or more, pick
[4:19:45] one, doesn't matter. How how do we now
[4:19:47] plan to go determine that?
[4:19:49] So the that process
[4:19:51] » Fill out a form.
[4:19:53] » Well, they will have to submit. So it's
[4:19:54] proprietary information. So they'll have
[4:19:56] to give us this information which would
[4:19:58] the best way is to give us their last
[4:20:00] tax returns so they can prove if they do
[4:20:03] not meet this category. We have asked
[4:20:05] the state department of state health
[4:20:07] services. They use the comprollers's
[4:20:10] office and we have asked the
[4:20:11] comprollers's office, the state
[4:20:12] comproller if they would assist us with
[4:20:14] this and they told us no, that it was
[4:20:16] proprietary information.
[4:20:18] So, we had talked about it with other
[4:20:21] jurisdictions and that's what other
[4:20:22] jurisdictions are doing as well. They're
[4:20:24] setting it at the top and then we're
[4:20:26] messaging out to all of these
[4:20:28] establishments that if you feel you're
[4:20:29] in the wrong category, please get with
[4:20:31] us to provide the proper documentation
[4:20:33] so that way we can lower that category.
[4:20:36] » Do we have a different way of doing this
[4:20:39] besides so if you take 150,000 in gross
[4:20:42] sales?
[4:20:44] I mean, the possibility exists that the
[4:20:46] profit out of that is like 15 or 20
[4:20:49] grand. Like, that wouldn't be unusual in
[4:20:51] the food industry, whatever it may be.
[4:20:54] Let's call it call it 50,000. Call it
[4:20:57] 100,000. Do we have a way to determine
[4:20:59] if they're 150,000 or more other than
[4:21:02] asking for their tax returns?
[4:21:05] » No, it is.
[4:21:06] » I'm just not real comfortable with us
[4:21:08] requesting people's tax returns. So the
[4:21:09] the way this would come up is if
[4:21:12] somebody's claiming they have less than
[4:21:14] 50,000 in sales
[4:21:17] and what we don't believe them or we're
[4:21:19] just asking everyone to give us their
[4:21:21] tax returns.
[4:21:22] » I was just trying to use the same
[4:21:23] methodology that the state of Texas has
[4:21:25] set with all of the establishments. Um
[4:21:27] we can most certainly change that. This
[4:21:30] program does pay for all of the
[4:21:32] personnel and supplies. Um the county
[4:21:35] does not put in additional information
[4:21:37] with that funding for that. And we do
[4:21:39] have 30 ILAS with incorporated cities
[4:21:42] and DFW airport. So we have about what
[4:21:46] was it 3500
[4:21:48] 6,000 permits total
[4:21:51] » And we have about 1,500 to 2,000 that
[4:21:53] are pool permits. So the rest are some
[4:21:56] sort of food permit.
[4:21:57] » So if somebody says on their form, yeah,
[4:22:00] we have more than 150,000 in gross
[4:22:02] sales, we're not asking for their tax
[4:22:03] return.
[4:22:04] » Correct. We were going to set everybody
[4:22:05] at the high one and ask them to come and
[4:22:08] prove it to us if they need to lower it.
[4:22:10] » Okay.
[4:22:12] » If the if the state of Texas is already
[4:22:14] doing this, does that mean the comp
[4:22:16] controller has those numbers somewhere
[4:22:18] that we could pull from and not have the
[4:22:21] business owners send it to us as well or
[4:22:24] is there not enough communication
[4:22:26] between those two entities to get that
[4:22:27] info? So, in asking the controllers's
[4:22:30] office, they notified us that that was
[4:22:31] proprietary information and they would
[4:22:33] not give it to us.
[4:22:36] » Are any of the proposed fees an increase
[4:22:40] over the current fees?
[4:22:43] » So, for some of the establishments, it
[4:22:45] may be an increase. So, if I could just
[4:22:48] explain like the less than 500 square f
[4:22:50] feet of our current fee schedule, that
[4:22:52] is $400. That would generally be like a
[4:22:57] small subway or a drive-thru
[4:22:59] establishment just to give you an idea
[4:23:00] of what they would be. They may increase
[4:23:03] to that 700
[4:23:08] » And that is required by the state.
[4:23:12] » So the law states that we have to use
[4:23:14] the same methodology that this Texas
[4:23:17] Department of State Health Services is
[4:23:19] using.
[4:23:21] They do not use unfortunately square
[4:23:23] footage.
[4:23:25] » Okay. Is there anything else that's an
[4:23:27] increase in fees
[4:23:29] » On this slide? No sir. I would like to
[4:23:32] point out temporary foods. So the state
[4:23:34] has a temporary food permit for 1 to 14
[4:23:36] days and they charge everybody $52. Most
[4:23:39] of our temporary food permits come to 1
[4:23:42] to five days and our current schedule is
[4:23:44] 35 and we did not feel any need to
[4:23:46] increase that. Um it is decreasing for
[4:23:50] the 6 to 14 days down $10 because we are
[4:23:54] allowed to take 120% of the fee
[4:23:57] schedule. So from 70 it went down to 60.
[4:24:00] That is a very small amount over 90% of
[4:24:03] our temporary permits are 1 to 5 days.
[4:24:07] Those are date and location specific
[4:24:09] permits. They do not allow them to roam
[4:24:11] around. So they may be festivals or
[4:24:15] organizations doing um some kind of food
[4:24:18] sales for fundraising for them is
[4:24:19] usually who's pulling.
[4:24:20] » So like if somebody does a bake sale for
[4:24:23] their neighborhood PTA, are they
[4:24:24] supposed to come get a one-day permit?
[4:24:27] » Well, if they're selling hot dogs,
[4:24:29] cookies are not bake sales are exempt
[4:24:31] from that. But in that scenario, yes,
[4:24:33] they would have to get that permit.
[4:24:34] » Okay. So, so I think you said it
[4:24:36] earlier, but just to clarify, the the
[4:24:39] fee structure that we have and the fees
[4:24:40] that we impose are to subsidize the cost
[4:24:44] of our employees going out there and
[4:24:45] doing these inspections to make sure
[4:24:46] that there's healthy food being served
[4:24:48] by these establishments and temporary
[4:24:50] places. It's not a profit center for the
[4:24:54] county. Is that correct?
[4:24:55] » Correct. And by state law, it cannot be
[4:24:57] profitable and it does have to go into
[4:24:58] its own fund. And that's why it's more
[4:25:00] special fund F223.
[4:25:03] » Thanks. Would
[4:25:07] you like me to move on to the next
[4:25:08] slide? Okay, sure.
[4:25:09] » So the next one is mobile food units. So
[4:25:10] this one gets a little bit more
[4:25:12] complicated. So in 2023, the
[4:25:14] jurisdiction for all mobile food units
[4:25:16] did move to Tarant County. So we were
[4:25:19] permitting all of them. This past year
[4:25:22] in the 2025 legislative session, the
[4:25:25] state has moved the mobile food
[4:25:27] jurisdiction to the state of Texas.
[4:25:29] However, that is not coming into effect
[4:25:33] until June of 2026 because they do not
[4:25:36] they need to set up their program for
[4:25:38] that first. So, we need to lower our
[4:25:41] fees in order to come in line with
[4:25:43] Senate Bill 10008.
[4:25:45] But we will not be taking any of these
[4:25:47] fees beyond June of 2026. People will
[4:25:51] have to get their mobile vending permit
[4:25:53] from the state of Texas. Currently, the
[4:25:55] state of Texas is indicating that they
[4:25:57] will give reciprocity to anybody who has
[4:26:00] a current permit from a local
[4:26:02] jurisdiction when that occurs.
[4:26:08] » I bet you're happy.
[4:26:10] » Will this will this necessitate a
[4:26:11] reduction in workforce? Do we have
[4:26:13] people that specifically do mobile or do
[4:26:14] we or they they do all of it?
[4:26:17] » So, in consumer health, they do all of
[4:26:19] it. We do have a few that are dedicated.
[4:26:21] I happen to have four positions that
[4:26:23] recently became vacated that we are
[4:26:26] going to hold to see what the revenue
[4:26:28] comes in to see if we can fill those
[4:26:30] positions or not.
[4:26:30] » Got it. Thanks.
[4:26:38] » ISDS is another change. So, independent
[4:26:41] school districts,
[4:26:44] currently the state of Texas does
[4:26:45] require them to apply by September of
[4:26:50] every year in order to receive their
[4:26:52] inspections. So, ISDs are a nonprofit
[4:26:55] and they're their own governmental
[4:26:57] agency. They're not required to get a
[4:26:58] permit. However, they do have to have
[4:27:01] one inspection in the spring and one
[4:27:03] inspection in the fall for their USDA
[4:27:05] funding, which covers free and reduced
[4:27:07] lunch.
[4:27:09] So, the methodology that we chose to go
[4:27:12] is that and they charge I know I wrote
[4:27:14] it a little weird on their fee schedule.
[4:27:16] It looks like it's $150, but they
[4:27:18] actually charge $150 each inspection for
[4:27:21] the spring and for the fall. And I am
[4:27:23] proposing that we give both of those
[4:27:25] inspections for $150 and not for 300.
[4:27:28] There are some ISDs who have a
[4:27:30] third-party contractor that runs their
[4:27:33] kitchens for them. that must be approved
[4:27:36] by the Texas Department of Agriculture.
[4:27:38] We do have a public information request
[4:27:40] in in order to get the proper amount in
[4:27:43] Tarant County ISDs of who would fall
[4:27:45] under this. And then we will have to
[4:27:47] notify the ISDs of who may not have a
[4:27:50] permit currently and who does. We also
[4:27:52] have an interlocal agreement with Fort
[4:27:54] Worth ISD which would need to be updated
[4:27:57] in order to comply with this fee
[4:27:59] schedule
[4:28:01] » On the ISD required cafeteria
[4:28:04] inspection. Then the ISD school
[4:28:05] cafeteria operated by profit profit
[4:28:08] private contractor.
[4:28:10] » Yes sir.
[4:28:10] » Uh for-profit private contractor. Why
[4:28:13] the difference between the fees?
[4:28:15] » Because that is the way the state of
[4:28:16] Texas does it. The for-profit contractor
[4:28:18] is not a nonprofit and so they're
[4:28:21] required to have a permit. State law
[4:28:23] exempts any nonprofit from permitting.
[4:28:25] » Okay. This we're not just following here
[4:28:27] what the state does. We're following
[4:28:29] state law.
[4:28:30] » Correct.
[4:28:30] » Okay.
[4:28:35] » And now on to nonprofits. So currently
[4:28:38] nonprofits, you know, they're not
[4:28:39] required to have any permits and they
[4:28:41] don't require to have any fees. Texas
[4:28:43] Department of State Health Services will
[4:28:45] not inspect a nonprofit unless they
[4:28:47] apply for an inspection. Here in Tarant
[4:28:50] County, we have some nonprofits. We have
[4:28:53] roughly 600 of them that do have permits
[4:28:56] and we conduct inspections with them.
[4:28:59] Um, most of them happen to be ISV
[4:29:01] concession type stands. Some of them are
[4:29:05] like lounges uh not loun not bars like
[4:29:11] veterans lounges you know that are
[4:29:13] nonprofits and meals on wheels is one of
[4:29:16] them. So what are we suggesting because
[4:29:18] we do have those four vacant positions
[4:29:20] is that we continue to give one free
[4:29:22] inspection a year and if they feel they
[4:29:24] need another inspection then they can
[4:29:26] pay for that inspection but we did lower
[4:29:30] it to 100 from 150
[4:29:38] child care centers. So, as the note
[4:29:41] says, back in 2010, the actual
[4:29:44] regulation of child care centers moved
[4:29:46] to a different agency within Texas HHSC.
[4:29:51] And when that happened, the Department
[4:29:54] of State Health Services Food Inspectors
[4:29:56] did not permit or inspect child care
[4:29:59] centers.
[4:30:02] We So, with that, this bill says that we
[4:30:04] cannot charge anybody a permit that is
[4:30:07] higher than what the state is. So they
[4:30:09] have taken child care centers out of our
[4:30:11] jurisdiction.
[4:30:13] So since they are a highly susceptible
[4:30:15] population, we still want to work with
[4:30:17] the child care centers and allow them to
[4:30:21] request an inspection of their child
[4:30:23] care center and to charge them the same
[4:30:25] that we would charge a nonprofit that
[4:30:27] $100.
[4:30:35] So this is the full fee schedule. As I
[4:30:38] noted before, pools are also conducted
[4:30:40] by this group. Pool inspections. Um
[4:30:44] these fees are not changing. What is new
[4:30:46] here is a late fee. In the past year,
[4:30:49] we've had 30% of our pools be delinquent
[4:30:52] by more than 90 days in paying for their
[4:30:55] pool permits. And we are hoping that by
[4:30:58] instituting the late fee that they will
[4:31:00] come into compliance and to keep that
[4:31:03] permit maintained. By law, if you have
[4:31:06] water in that pool, you're required to
[4:31:08] keep it maintained, which requires a
[4:31:10] permit. And it does take a lot of leg
[4:31:12] work from our inspectors to go out and
[4:31:14] constantly remind them that they are
[4:31:15] delinquent on their permit and they need
[4:31:17] to pay. Previously, we did not have any
[4:31:19] late fees for pools.
[4:31:21] » A permit is annual.
[4:31:23] » Yes, sir.
[4:31:24] » So, if they are 30 64 days late,
[4:31:29] they're they get a $100 fee. If they're
[4:31:32] three days late, they get a $100 fee or
[4:31:34] fine.
[4:31:34] » Yes. Yes, sir. It's $100 the day. So,
[4:31:37] all of our permits expire on the 10th of
[4:31:39] a month. So, by the 11th of a month,
[4:31:41] those late fees would come into play.
[4:31:44] » And these pools, tell me what just give
[4:31:47] me.
[4:31:48] » So, they're all public and semi-public
[4:31:50] pools. So, they could be operated by
[4:31:52] municipalities,
[4:31:54] homeowners associations,
[4:31:57] um, other public pools like the YMCA or
[4:32:00] apartments
[4:32:03] » When when they're late.
[4:32:06] I mean, obviously, we're trying to keep
[4:32:08] the public safe,
[4:32:10] » Correct?
[4:32:10] » You're testing.
[4:32:12] When they request the permit, what do we
[4:32:15] do?
[4:32:16] So, whenever you're a new establishment,
[4:32:18] you request a permit for pools
[4:32:20] specifically, they're before they put it
[4:32:21] into the ground, we have them go through
[4:32:22] a plan review process. We used to have
[4:32:25] plan review fees, but the state of Texas
[4:32:26] does not. So, we have taken all of those
[4:32:28] away. And um pools are pretty
[4:32:31] complicated. There's usually four or
[4:32:33] five inspections before they are
[4:32:35] finished making that pool because if
[4:32:37] they put the gunnite down, which is what
[4:32:39] you would walk on in a pool and the
[4:32:40] plumbing is incorrect, it is
[4:32:42] astronomical for them to tear that up in
[4:32:45] order to fix it. So, we go do a lot of
[4:32:47] inspections that way. Once it's
[4:32:49] permitted, you get inspected one to two
[4:32:52] times a year. We try to do one at least
[4:32:54] in the summer months when it's being
[4:32:56] used and one outside because there are a
[4:32:58] lot of violations, say for fencing or
[4:33:00] for things coming into the poolard that
[4:33:02] shouldn't be there that allows things to
[4:33:04] climb over that needs to be addressed.
[4:33:08] If they're in not in compliance, then
[4:33:10] they will be closed. If they're in with
[4:33:12] a municipality with an ILA, we'll notify
[4:33:15] them. We're very good at getting people
[4:33:17] to come into compliance and the
[4:33:18] municipalities don't really need to
[4:33:21] assist us with people coming into
[4:33:22] compliance, but sometimes they do. Um,
[4:33:25] and we don't charge any kind of
[4:33:27] reinspection fee for that at all. We
[4:33:30] just work with them to come into
[4:33:31] compliance and then reopen those
[4:33:33] » When they're late on their permit.
[4:33:38] » They should technically
[4:33:39] » How often have you closed them down?
[4:33:41] » They do. That is a procedure in order to
[4:33:43] go and close the pool. uh
[4:33:45] » Whether they close it or not. Sometimes,
[4:33:47] you know, when you're talking about
[4:33:48] HOAs, it's hard to get people on site.
[4:33:51] And so, a lot of times this notification
[4:33:53] is going outside of that. We don't chain
[4:33:55] any pools, you know, or anything like
[4:33:57] that. It's up to the pool establishment
[4:33:59] to ensure that no one is using that pool
[4:34:01] until they come back into
[4:34:02] » Last year. How many pools did we close
[4:34:04] now?
[4:34:05] » I do not have that number for you, sir,
[4:34:06] but I can get that for you.
[4:34:08] » Do you know if it was 10, five, hundred
[4:34:11] of them? Any idea?
[4:34:12] » It's less than a hundred. No.
[4:34:13] » Okay. I just I'm not sure. I mean, I I
[4:34:16] understand the need to test it and make
[4:34:18] sure it's safe for the public. I'm not
[4:34:21] sure a $100 fine to the HOA is going to
[4:34:26] make them jump up and go get their thing
[4:34:28] filed, but I'd be willing to bet a close
[4:34:30] down would do that. Not that I'm
[4:34:31] advocating for hurry up, close them
[4:34:32] down.
[4:34:33] » We do close down now. Um it just takes,
[4:34:35] we go back numerous times, like I said,
[4:34:37] it's over 90 days that 30% that were
[4:34:40] delinquent in their permits. Usually a
[4:34:43] lot of people think that the pool is not
[4:34:45] being used in the winter months, so they
[4:34:46] don't need to keep up with it even
[4:34:47] though their permit may expire in the
[4:34:49] winter months.
[4:34:50] » This is going to be an incredibly
[4:34:51] ignorant question.
[4:34:53] Um the
[4:34:57] the brain eating amieba as it's
[4:34:59] described.
[4:35:00] » Yes, sir.
[4:35:01] » How often does that come from a public
[4:35:05] pool or or home pool? I
[4:35:07] » So that is normally I can even
[4:35:09] » Haven't we had like some splash pads
[4:35:11] where we think some splash pads that can
[4:35:13] happen with. So what happens is that
[4:35:15] type of
[4:35:16] » Parasite it can form a bofilm and so it
[4:35:19] kind of protects itself and in splash
[4:35:21] pads they don't have continuously
[4:35:23] running water so it can allow them to do
[4:35:25] that. A pool is supposed to be operating
[4:35:28] and have a higher amount of chlorine in
[4:35:30] it on a regular basis. Typically you
[4:35:32] will see in splash pads or in natural
[4:35:34] bodies of water that concern. Not that
[4:35:37] it can't happen at a pool if they don't
[4:35:39] keep their chemicals straight and it
[4:35:40] maintained properly, but we have not
[4:35:42] seen that here in Tarant County since
[4:35:44] I've been here, but we have seen it at a
[4:35:46] splash pad in the last few years.
[4:35:49] » In Taran County?
[4:35:50] » Yes, sir.
[4:35:50] » Yeah. Is there anything we can do
[4:35:53] different to stop that from happening
[4:35:55] than what we're doing now?
[4:35:57] » No. Um, the last one was a maintenance
[4:36:00] issue. They didn't maintain properly
[4:36:02] what they were doing. So I can't tell
[4:36:04] you if that bofilm would have been
[4:36:06] allowed to occur if that maintenance was
[4:36:09] proper.
[4:36:10] » How does a pool prohibit this from
[4:36:13] developing?
[4:36:13] » So
[4:36:14] » But is it simply just running water or
[4:36:16] is it chlorine?
[4:36:17] » It's sanitizer that is approved
[4:36:18] sanitizers in the pools. Splash pads
[4:36:20] actually have two methods in which they
[4:36:23] need to have sanitizers. Um, it's either
[4:36:25] two sanitizers or one sanitizer and you
[4:36:27] can use UV light, some other type of way
[4:36:30] in order to try to filter that out
[4:36:31] because the water's not constantly
[4:36:33] moving through.
[4:36:35] They're usually push button and
[4:36:36] activated that way when somebody is
[4:36:38] wanting to utilize it.
[4:36:39] » I bet a $250,000 fine for any pool that
[4:36:43] uh has a child catch that. I bet I bet
[4:36:45] that would deter them more than $100.
[4:36:49] Okay.
[4:36:50] I would just encourage you to look at
[4:36:52] that. I know it's not a big big
[4:36:55] it's not a
[4:36:57] epidemic here, but is there something we
[4:37:00] can do to protect the kids? That one for
[4:37:02] whatever reason probably because I have
[4:37:03] kids just makes me really nervous.
[4:37:04] » Yeah. Yes, sir. I agree.
[4:37:06] » Yeah. Okay. What else? Anything else?
[4:37:09] » That is it.
[4:37:13] » Anything, Dr. Bird?
[4:37:16] I I I just want to point out that I
[4:37:18] learned a little bit this morning.
[4:37:19] Thanks for asking the good questions and
[4:37:21] uh but that is all we have sir.
[4:37:24] » Okay.
[4:37:24] » All right. Do we have a motion on this?
[4:37:26] » Move approval.
[4:37:28] » Second.
[4:37:28] » All right. We have a motion, a second to
[4:37:30] approve the changes to the Tarant County
[4:37:32] public health fee schedule. Any further
[4:37:34] discussion?
[4:37:36] All right. Seeing none, raise your hand
[4:37:38] if you're in favor.
[4:37:41] All right. Passes five to zero.
[4:37:44] brings us to
[4:37:47] purchasing
[4:37:49] item P1.
[4:37:51] Not even looked at this amount of
[4:37:53] numbers
[4:37:56] this morning.
[4:37:59] All right. P35 has been
[4:38:03] removed from consent, so it'll be added
[4:38:05] at the end.
[4:38:07] Uh I would make a motion to approve
[4:38:11] P1 through 13. Second.
[4:38:15] All right, we have a motion, a second to
[4:38:17] approve P1 through 13. Any discussion,
[4:38:22] comments, or questions?
[4:38:27] Uh, all right. Seeing none, all in favor
[4:38:30] of approval of purchasing items P1
[4:38:32] through 13, raise your hand.
[4:38:35] All right, passes five to zero.
[4:38:41] Brings us to then the next number which
[4:38:43] is at 14
[4:38:45] P14 permission take bids and RFPs.
[4:38:49] Move approval. Second. All right. We
[4:38:51] have a motion to second to approve that
[4:38:53] item. Any discussion there.
[4:38:57] All right. Seeing none. All in favor of
[4:39:00] uh granting permission to take bids on
[4:39:02] RFP RFPs, please raise your hand.
[4:39:06] All right. Passes five to zero. Next we
[4:39:09] do P35
[4:39:11] which was removed from consent.
[4:39:17] P35 is consideration of ID application
[4:39:20] and subscriber agreement annual contract
[4:39:22] for skip tracing software and
[4:39:24] maintenance and elections
[4:39:25] administration.
[4:39:27] » Move for approval.
[4:39:28] » Second. All right. We have a motion and
[4:39:30] second to approve that item. Any
[4:39:32] discussion?
[4:39:35] Is there a speaker? No. Anyone
[4:39:40] have any questions on this?
[4:39:42] All right. Uh, all in favor of approval
[4:39:45] of P35, please raise your hand.
[4:39:50] All opposed. All right. So, it passes 4
[4:39:52] to one.
[4:39:55] Um, T2A was removed from consent, but
[4:39:58] now it has been removed in its entirety.
[4:40:01] So, we will not address T2A,
[4:40:03] which brings us to T3G.
[4:40:08] from consent.
[4:40:10] » All right. Motion to approve. I'll
[4:40:12] second it. Uh, any discussion on this
[4:40:15] item?
[4:40:19] » I don't know.
[4:40:21] Any discussion on T3G?
[4:40:24] All right. Seeing none, all in favor,
[4:40:26] please raise your hand.
[4:40:28] All right. Passes five to zero. T3H was
[4:40:32] also removed from consent.
[4:40:34] » Move for approval.
[4:40:35] » Second. We have a motion to second to
[4:40:36] approve that item. Any discussion there?
[4:40:40] All right, seeing none, all in favor,
[4:40:42] raise your hand.
[4:40:44] » All opposed, raise your hand.
[4:40:47] All right, passes four to one.
[4:40:49] » I'm actually opposed to G as well. Oops.
[4:40:54] » Can you go back and revote or change
[4:40:56] your vote? How do you do that?
[4:40:58] » Um,
[4:41:00] I would suggest
[4:41:01] » Can you correct the record or do we have
[4:41:03] to undo it? We we can simply make a
[4:41:06] amendment to the minutes when they are
[4:41:08] adopted at the next meeting to reflect
[4:41:09] that that was your intent, commissioner.
[4:41:11] » All right.
[4:41:11] » All right. Um next we have appointments
[4:41:14] to various boards and commissions. Do we
[4:41:16] have any board appointments? Commission
[4:41:18] appointments.
[4:41:19] » I have two. Okay.
[4:41:21] » Um so for the
[4:41:25] I don't know what it's called, Megan. Is
[4:41:27] it called the Green Brick Freshwater
[4:41:29] Supply District?
[4:41:33] Okay. I thought that was today. Never
[4:41:35] mind.
[4:41:35] » I have none. All right. Anybody else?
[4:41:37] » But I'll take his
[4:41:40] um uh I need to make uh Katherine Roder
[4:41:43] who's done some great work for precinct
[4:41:44] 3 for a very long time. She submitted
[4:41:46] her resignation um for the Keller Tur
[4:41:49] board number two um effective yesterday.
[4:41:52] And I'd like to appoint Mike Garcia to
[4:41:54] fill her unexpired term.
[4:41:55] » Second.
[4:41:56] » All right. A motion and a second to
[4:41:58] appoint Mike Garcia to that TUR board.
[4:42:01] Any discussion? All right, seeing none,
[4:42:04] all in favor raise your hand.
[4:42:07] Passes unanimously. Any other board or
[4:42:09] commission appointments? All right, next
[4:42:12] up, briefing item, operational impact of
[4:42:14] Tarant County redistricting.
[4:42:21] [Music]
[4:42:27] Good afternoon, court members. Just a
[4:42:29] couple of updates uh since our last
[4:42:31] briefing on this. Uh we're really down
[4:42:34] to kind of two items. Uh budget and
[4:42:37] elections. So during our uh budget
[4:42:41] workshop, we had some discussion with
[4:42:43] regards to uh road and bridge uh assets,
[4:42:46] personnel, and things like that. We did
[4:42:48] not make any final determinations at
[4:42:50] those meetings. Uh but certainly those
[4:42:52] items are still in conversation uh with
[4:42:54] the budget office to make those final
[4:42:56] recommendations uh as part of the the
[4:42:58] final approval of the budget coming
[4:43:00] soon. Uh as far as election goes, uh
[4:43:02] certainly we had a couple of action
[4:43:04] items today with regards to uh voting
[4:43:07] precincts and and the such. And that's
[4:43:10] that's really the update I have for this
[4:43:12] meeting with regards to redistricting.
[4:43:15] » All right. Any questions or comments on
[4:43:17] this item before we bring up a speaker?
[4:43:20] So on the voter registration system, has
[4:43:23] the updated voter registration system
[4:43:26] now been fully implemented, Clint?
[4:43:29] » And have there been any errors or
[4:43:31] issues?
[4:43:43] » Good afternoon, Commissioner. the the
[4:43:46] maps and the precincts themselves, the
[4:43:47] updates are made, but because these
[4:43:48] don't go into effect until January 1,
[4:43:50] they haven't been moved into the voter
[4:43:53] registration system to reflect. So,
[4:43:55] anybody that were to go to our website
[4:43:59] and and put in their information, it's
[4:44:01] still going to um show that they would
[4:44:04] be voting in the other commissioner's
[4:44:06] precinct because those or their not the
[4:44:08] other commissioners precinct, but the
[4:44:10] voting precinct because those voting
[4:44:12] precinct numbers haven't changed and
[4:44:14] won't change until January 1. So, we're
[4:44:17] those changes will be made effective.
[4:44:20] What we are doing is creating a separate
[4:44:23] database to then
[4:44:26] transition it to the post January 1
[4:44:30] precincts prior to that so we can do the
[4:44:32] mass mailouts to ensure that when we
[4:44:35] mail everybody their voter registration
[4:44:37] card they get the information that will
[4:44:39] be effective January 1 even though we
[4:44:42] have to have those mailed out prior to
[4:44:43] the end of December.
[4:44:46] » So it's not effective now. the voting
[4:44:50] precincts. No.
[4:44:53] » Why not again?
[4:44:55] » So, the the voting precincts by law
[4:44:58] don't go into effect till January 1.
[4:45:00] » Okay.
[4:45:04] » All right. Any other questions or
[4:45:05] comments?
[4:45:06] » Just stay stay up there. Um,
[4:45:11] so have the new voter precinct maps been
[4:45:14] published to the public yet? the new
[4:45:17] voter precincts. They haven't yet
[4:45:18] because we just um approved those today.
[4:45:21] » Okay. And what's the what's the ETA?
[4:45:24] » We're working on them right now,
[4:45:25] Commissioner.
[4:45:27] » Okay. So, a week, a five day, what?
[4:45:32] Two weeks, a month.
[4:45:33] » It won't It should be by the end of the
[4:45:34] week.
[4:45:35] » Okay.
[4:45:36] Um,
[4:45:39] so have
[4:45:42] so you have or have not sent official
[4:45:45] notices out for voting changes?
[4:45:50] » We have sent official notices as were
[4:45:53] required by the statutes to get to this
[4:45:56] point and then we will have to do post
[4:45:58] the notice of the approval today.
[4:46:04] » Okay.
[4:46:05] And have voters received any direct
[4:46:09] notification about potential changes to
[4:46:12] their precinct polling place that won't
[4:46:13] happen till January?
[4:46:19] » I'm trying to understand you quite so
[4:46:21] voters
[4:46:22] » Have we communicated to the voters in
[4:46:25] any way about
[4:46:27] you've been moved into this precinct.
[4:46:29] This is your new commissioner.
[4:46:32] Um this is
[4:46:35] No, we have not. We We didn't have
[4:46:37] anything approved. What we're working
[4:46:39] with um it right now is creating a site
[4:46:42] where a voter will be able to go in and
[4:46:44] put in their address and it will tell
[4:46:47] them um the the new precinct that
[4:46:49] they're in. Um but we're working with it
[4:46:51] to get that finish out that development.
[4:46:53] » Okay. So, that kind of goes to my next
[4:46:55] question uh about the communication
[4:46:58] plan. Um,
[4:47:03] so we're just going to say you can go to
[4:47:06] our website and check this out. I saw
[4:47:09] the little video last time.
[4:47:12] Um,
[4:47:14] but is that going to be it? I mean, this
[4:47:16] is a a big change.
[4:47:20] » So, communications department is
[4:47:22] certainly aware. Uh, as I stated last
[4:47:24] time, the video just gives you a taste
[4:47:25] of what we've been working on in order
[4:47:26] to push out the information with regards
[4:47:28] to this. However, until the site was up
[4:47:30] and we had confirmation that the site
[4:47:32] was up in Oregon correctly, we didn't
[4:47:33] want to push anything out yet because we
[4:47:34] will be directing people to the site if
[4:47:36] they want to look up uh where their new
[4:47:38] voting precinct is.
[4:47:39] » So, it's just going to be our website.
[4:47:41] It's just going to be our
[4:47:42] » Our website, social media channels, all
[4:47:44] of our our normal uh channels that we
[4:47:45] have available to us to push out
[4:47:47] information,
[4:47:47] » Right? But have we thought about doing
[4:47:50] paid communications or
[4:47:53] » Additionally, Commissioner, when we do
[4:47:55] the mass mail out, every registered
[4:47:56] voter that we have in the voter
[4:47:58] registration system will get a new voter
[4:48:00] registration certificate and that will
[4:48:02] reflect that new precinct number. So
[4:48:04] they will
[4:48:05] » Okay.
[4:48:09] Have any of our cities or school
[4:48:11] districts or community partners
[4:48:13] responded to notifications sent through
[4:48:17] the mayor's council or delegation
[4:48:19] briefings?
[4:48:20] » I have not heard any response, ma'am.
[4:48:22] » Okay. So, we don't have any feedback or
[4:48:25] concerns or
[4:48:26] » No, ma'am. I haven't heard of any
[4:48:27] feedback from uh the federal, state
[4:48:29] delegations, uh cities or ISDs.
[4:48:34] » Okay.
[4:48:36] Were those uh FY26 budget
[4:48:38] recommendations to each precinct uh
[4:48:41] finalized before the August 19th budget
[4:48:43] hearings?
[4:48:45] » I'm sorry, which FY26 budget
[4:48:47] recommendations?
[4:48:48] » Bud uh let's see to each precinct.
[4:48:52] I think it was from your last
[4:48:54] presentation.
[4:48:57] » So I referenced the finalized
[4:48:59] recommendations to each commissioner
[4:49:00] precinct related to the FY26 budget
[4:49:02] submission. And uh what we again at the
[4:49:05] budget retreat we did have some
[4:49:07] conversation with regards to those uh
[4:49:09] but we were based on the fact that we
[4:49:11] did not have an entire court here we
[4:49:13] decided to kind of table some of those
[4:49:14] conversations work with the budget
[4:49:15] officer with regards to that to bring
[4:49:17] back final recommendations.
[4:49:19] » Okay. Thank you sir
[4:49:21] » Sers.
[4:49:23] » All right. Anybody have anything else on
[4:49:25] this item?
[4:49:27] All right. We have one speaker. Dr.
[4:49:29] Valencia Edner.
[4:49:34] [Music]
[4:49:36] What an embarrassing day this has been.
[4:49:40] Such a good old boy backs slapping got
[4:49:42] him nights. The lights went out in
[4:49:43] Georgia process.
[4:49:45] That's the prevailing mindset in this
[4:49:47] court. But let me get to my point.
[4:49:50] Critical thinking requires more than
[4:49:52] chasing an agenda. It means asking what
[4:49:56] are the ripple effects.
[4:49:59] Doing your homework before pushing it
[4:50:01] would have avoided this Keystone Cop
[4:50:04] atmosphere we keep enduring.
[4:50:06] Yet your collective piler choices prove
[4:50:09] that you either cannot or will not see
[4:50:13] them
[4:50:14] by re redrawing precinct lines, slashing
[4:50:18] polling places. You have forced citizens
[4:50:20] already packed and cracked by you to
[4:50:24] struggle for what should be their
[4:50:26] birthright. Free, fair, and equitable
[4:50:29] elections.
[4:50:31] But your politics won't let you care.
[4:50:34] This is not leadership. It's ambition
[4:50:36] gone mad. An ambition so blindly that
[4:50:39] you trample the very people you were
[4:50:41] elected to serve. But your politics
[4:50:44] won't let you care. And tell me, how do
[4:50:47] you rest? How do you look in the mirror
[4:50:49] and not see the darkness of what you've
[4:50:52] become?
[4:50:53] You can close a polling place, but you
[4:50:55] cannot close people's will. You can
[4:50:57] withdraw a line, but you cannot withdraw
[4:51:01] redraw our determination. You may try to
[4:51:04] dim democracy, but we the people are the
[4:51:07] light. And the light always finds a way
[4:51:10] to shine on, shine in, and shine
[4:51:14] through. And no one is blinded by good
[4:51:18] light cuz truth will march on.
[4:51:25] All right. Next item is
[4:51:28] Tarant County Sheriff's Office update
[4:51:30] regarding incidents in the county jail.
[4:51:33] U
[4:51:35] we had reached out to the sheriff to
[4:51:37] request uh either the off his office be
[4:51:40] available for briefing today. Uh we
[4:51:42] heard back that the sheriff's office was
[4:51:44] unavailable to to brief today. Uh
[4:51:47] yesterday I received four specific names
[4:51:50] as far as information uh that had been
[4:51:53] requested to be briefed on today. I have
[4:51:55] the four press releases that were sent
[4:51:57] out by the sheriff's office related to
[4:51:58] those four names. If it pleases the
[4:52:00] court, I'd be happy to read those into
[4:52:02] the record or I'd also be happy to just
[4:52:04] file them with the clerk as a matter of
[4:52:05] record. you can read them into the
[4:52:07] record and u we'll just schedule them
[4:52:09] for a briefing at the September 3rd
[4:52:12] meeting.
[4:52:13] » Okay.
[4:52:14] » All right. So, the first one was on a
[4:52:15] gentleman named Charles Johnson,
[4:52:17] February 8th, 2025. On Saturday,
[4:52:20] February 2025, a 36-year-old inmate in
[4:52:23] the Tarant County Jail passed away at
[4:52:24] John Peter Smith Hospital following
[4:52:26] complications from an attempted suicide.
[4:52:29] The inmate was booked into the Tarant
[4:52:31] County Jail on February 4th, 2025 on a
[4:52:33] parole violation out of Palipinto County
[4:52:36] of multiple sexual assault convictions
[4:52:38] as well as failing to register as a
[4:52:40] violent sex offender. During the booking
[4:52:42] intake process, the inmate was
[4:52:44] administered a screening form for
[4:52:46] suicide and medical, mental,
[4:52:48] developmental impairments as required by
[4:52:50] the Texas Commission on Jail Standards
[4:52:51] and the Sandra Bland Act. TCSO detention
[4:52:54] officers identified behavioral concerns
[4:52:56] and the inmate was referred to Tarant
[4:52:58] County MHMR for further assessment. The
[4:53:01] inmate was screened and cleared by MHMR
[4:53:03] and assigned housing per minimum jail
[4:53:05] standards for protocol. On February 6th,
[4:53:08] 2025, the inmate was once again screened
[4:53:10] by a mental health provider. It was
[4:53:12] noted that the inmate did not display
[4:53:14] any suicidal ideiations and was cleared
[4:53:16] to remain in general population housing.
[4:53:19] Subsequently, on February 6th, 2025,
[4:53:22] after being cleared by MHMR, the inmate
[4:53:24] was found unresponsive in his cell by
[4:53:26] his cellmate. Within seconds, detention
[4:53:28] officers and JPS medical staff
[4:53:30] immediately began administering
[4:53:32] life-saving treatment. The inmate was
[4:53:34] taken to JPS hospital where despite
[4:53:37] their efforts, the inmate passed away a
[4:53:39] couple of days later. The Tarant County
[4:53:41] Medical Examiner will release the
[4:53:42] inmate's name and cause of death. In
[4:53:45] 2024, TCSO detention officers intervened
[4:53:47] and prevented 390 suicide attempts. So
[4:53:50] far in 2025, TCSO detention officers
[4:53:53] have intervened in 24 suicide attempts
[4:53:55] in the Tarant County Jail. All in
[4:53:58] custody deaths are reviewed and
[4:53:59] investigated by Tarant County Sheriff's
[4:54:01] Office Jail Staff, the TCSO Criminal
[4:54:03] Investigations Division, an outside law
[4:54:05] enforcement agency. In this case, the
[4:54:07] Texas Rangers, JPS medical staff, the
[4:54:10] Texas Commission on Jail Standards, the
[4:54:11] Tarant County Medical Examiner's Office,
[4:54:13] and the Texas Attorney General's Office.
[4:54:15] All media request on this case should be
[4:54:17] directed to the Texas Rangers as they
[4:54:18] are the lead investigating agency.
[4:54:22] » That was Mr. Charles Steven Johnson.
[4:54:25] » Yes, ma'am. Charles Johnson.
[4:54:26] » Okay. Do we have Do you know if the
[4:54:29] autopsy um report is back? Do you do not
[4:54:33] know that latest? Okay.
[4:54:34] » All right. We'll just
[4:54:36] » Have him come back.
[4:54:37] » Yes, ma'am.
[4:54:38] » Next.
[4:54:44] » Next up is Kimberly Phillips.
[4:54:48] February 20th, 2025.
[4:54:51] On Tuesday, February 28th, 2025, a
[4:54:53] 56-year-old inmate passed away while
[4:54:55] under medical care at John Peter Smith
[4:54:57] Hospital. The inmate was arrested by
[4:54:59] Grand Prairie PD on January 24th, 2025
[4:55:03] for outstanding felony warrants for
[4:55:04] injury to child, elderly, disabled,
[4:55:07] bodily injury and obstruction
[4:55:09] retaliation. They were transported to
[4:55:11] the Tarant County Jail the following
[4:55:13] day. The inmate was placed in medical
[4:55:15] housing under medical observation where
[4:55:17] there is access to 247 medical care. On
[4:55:20] February 15, 2025, the inmate was
[4:55:22] transported to JPS and passed away on
[4:55:24] February 18th under the direct care of
[4:55:27] medical staff. The Tarant County Medical
[4:55:29] Examiner will release the inmate's name
[4:55:31] and cause of death. All in custody
[4:55:33] deaths are reviewed and investigated by
[4:55:35] Tarant County Sheriff's Office, Jail
[4:55:36] Staff, the TCSO Criminal Investigation
[4:55:38] Division and Outside Law Enforcement
[4:55:40] Agency, JPS Medical Staff, the Texas
[4:55:43] Commission on Jail Standards, the Tarant
[4:55:44] County Medical Examiner's Office, and
[4:55:46] the Texas Attorney's General's Office.
[4:55:51] The third individual is Liza Gadlin.
[4:55:56] This release is dated April 21st, 2025.
[4:56:00] On Saturday, April 19th, 2025, a
[4:56:02] 57year-old female inmate passed away at
[4:56:05] John Peter Smith Hospital. As per jail
[4:56:07] protocol, she was evaluated by MHMR and
[4:56:10] medical staff when she was booked last
[4:56:12] week. The inmate's history indicates a
[4:56:14] longtime drug use and chronic health
[4:56:16] conditions. She was receiving care from
[4:56:18] John Peter Smith Hospital medical staff
[4:56:20] during the time she was in custody. She
[4:56:23] was arrested by the DFW airport police
[4:56:25] department on April 15th, 2025 for theft
[4:56:28] of property between $100 and $750.
[4:56:32] The Tarant County Medical Examiner's
[4:56:33] Office will determine her cause of death
[4:56:35] and release her identity. All in custody
[4:56:38] deaths are investigated and reviewed by
[4:56:39] Tarant County Sheriff's Office Jail
[4:56:41] Staff, the TCSO Criminal Investigations
[4:56:43] Division, the Tarant County Medical
[4:56:44] Examiner's Office, and Outside Law
[4:56:46] Enforcement Agency, JPS Medical Staff,
[4:56:49] the Texas Attorney General's Office, and
[4:56:50] the Texas Commission on Jail Standards.
[4:56:55] » We don't have her cause of death.
[4:56:57] » No, ma'am, I don't.
[4:57:04] But on all these, I'll if they've been
[4:57:06] publicly released, I'll make sure that
[4:57:08] we have the medical examiner's office
[4:57:10] send that information to the court.
[4:57:12] » Okay.
[4:57:12] » Uh and inclusive of this last one. The
[4:57:15] last individual is Richard Gowski.
[4:57:19] This release is dated August 6th, 2025.
[4:57:22] On Wednesday, August 6, 2025, jail
[4:57:25] medical personnel from John Peter Smith
[4:57:27] Hospital responded to medical emergency
[4:57:29] inside the Tarant County Jail involving
[4:57:31] a 61-year-old inmate. The inmate was
[4:57:33] transported to JPS hospital where he
[4:57:35] passed away. He was arrested by the
[4:57:37] White Settlement Police Department for
[4:57:39] criminal trespass. He arrived at the
[4:57:40] Tarant County Jail on July 29th, 2025.
[4:57:44] The Tarant County Medical Examiner's
[4:57:45] Office will determine his cause of death
[4:57:47] and release his identity. All in custody
[4:57:49] deaths are investigated and reviewed by
[4:57:51] the Tarant County Sheriff's Office, Jail
[4:57:53] Staff, the TCSO Criminal Investigations
[4:57:55] Division, the Tarant County Medical
[4:57:57] Examiner's Office, and Outside Law
[4:57:59] Enforcement Agency, JPS Medical Staff,
[4:58:01] the Texas Attorney General's Office, and
[4:58:03] the Texas Commission on Jail Standards.
[4:58:06] » Thank you.
[4:58:07] » Yes, ma'am.
[4:58:08] » As scheduled, the sheriff to be here
[4:58:11] next time to give an update on all these
[4:58:14] cases.
[4:58:15] » I'll make the request, ma'am. Anybody
[4:58:19] else have anything before we bring up
[4:58:20] our speakers?
[4:58:22] Uh, Nan Terry
[4:58:28] and Joe Palmer.
[4:58:36] Good afternoon.
[4:58:39] Chandler mentioned it, but I'm going to
[4:58:41] say my piece, too. Since the
[4:58:43] commissioner's court last met, uh, Mr.
[4:58:46] Richard Gowski uh died in the Tarant
[4:58:49] County Jail. The Texas Attorney
[4:58:50] General's death in custody reports his
[4:58:53] death is August 6, 2025 at 1047.
[4:58:57] He had been in jail about a week. He was
[4:58:59] charged with a class B misdemeanor
[4:59:01] offense with a a criminal trespassing
[4:59:04] and had a bond of $500. He was 61.
[4:59:08] As you know, the National Institute of
[4:59:09] Corrections critical site visit report
[4:59:11] made recommendations to the Tarant
[4:59:13] County Jail to improve the jail. One
[4:59:16] recommendation is on page 11 of the
[4:59:18] mortality review process. What currently
[4:59:21] happens is MHMR and JPS have a critical
[4:59:26] incident review committee and they meet
[4:59:28] weekly to discuss this. The Texas
[4:59:30] Commission on Jail Standards requires
[4:59:33] the custody staff to review what
[4:59:35] happened with the death in custody,
[4:59:38] but near the two should meet. And the
[4:59:41] recommendation from the NIC is that the
[4:59:43] custodial death the custodial staff be
[4:59:46] allowed to attend the MHMR JPS uh their
[4:59:51] critical incident review meeting and so
[4:59:53] that information can be shared against
[4:59:55] both all three groups. and you guys are
[5:00:00] the leaders of Taran County and
[5:00:03] you fund or have some role and
[5:00:06] responsibilities and perhaps you could
[5:00:09] encourage JPS MHMR to implement that
[5:00:12] mortality review process on page 11 of
[5:00:15] the NIC report. I can't imagine it would
[5:00:17] cost any have any significant budget
[5:00:20] impact. Uh the other point uh Kimberly
[5:00:23] Phillips her death in custody report was
[5:00:27] uh malnutrition and dehydration
[5:00:30] uh starvation and dehydration. And
[5:00:34] another of the recommendations from the
[5:00:37] NIC report was for a huddle to be done
[5:00:39] weekly from JPS MHMR to discuss
[5:00:45] incidents of concern for individuals
[5:00:48] including reduced food intake. And since
[5:00:51] Miss Phelps passed away due to reduced
[5:00:54] starvation and dehydration, perhaps you
[5:00:57] could encourage people to implement that
[5:00:59] recommendation also. Um, I can't imagine
[5:01:03] that would cost much. I think they do a
[5:01:05] weekly now. Huddle. Uh, not daily. Thank
[5:01:09] you.
[5:01:10] » Thank you. Uh, I did not see Mr. Palmer.
[5:01:12] Mr. Palmer's not present, is he?
[5:01:16] Uh, now we come to public comments.
[5:01:22] Okay, I don't have it. So, we have
[5:01:24] public comments now.
[5:01:27] First person to speak on public comments
[5:01:29] is Darlene Doss.
[5:01:33] Miss Doss present.
[5:01:36] Oh, we have Rose Abraham.
[5:01:45] » Are you Miss Abraham or Miss Doss?
[5:01:49] What's your name?
[5:01:50] » Rose Abraham.
[5:01:51] » Gotcha. Okay. No. Darling Doss. Okay. Go
[5:01:53] ahead, Miss Abraham.
[5:01:59] » Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. My name
[5:02:00] is Rose Abraham. I'm 73 years old and I
[5:02:04] am here to
[5:02:06] uh share with you guys something that is
[5:02:09] really important for me that you know
[5:02:12] and that it's going on and it involve um
[5:02:15] a tow truck company right here in
[5:02:18] forward located on 6754 Randle New Hope
[5:02:22] Road.
[5:02:24] Uh these people are seriously conducting
[5:02:28] uh illegal activity and I was a victim
[5:02:30] of them. I had a Nissan truck which it
[5:02:34] was parked properly. They stole it. I
[5:02:37] sued them. I won the case. They didn't
[5:02:40] release my my truck claiming that they
[5:02:42] were going to appeal it. They never did.
[5:02:44] I sue them again
[5:02:47] and they went on a rampage. Every time I
[5:02:50] had to go to court, I was mysteriously
[5:02:54] um hijacked and all my court paper were
[5:02:57] taken. So I had no evidence and I had to
[5:03:01] start all over again. That happened
[5:03:03] three times and also one of the time
[5:03:07] mysteriously
[5:03:09] uh and I say mysteriously because I
[5:03:11] cannot say specific that they did it but
[5:03:14] the connection is very strong. I was
[5:03:17] hijacked. I would spray with something.
[5:03:20] All of the sudden, I found myself dumped
[5:03:24] on the freeway.
[5:03:26] Uh, luckily a a good Samaritan was
[5:03:29] passing by and they noticed that there
[5:03:32] was a human being. It was not a a a toy
[5:03:35] or a a doll. An ambulance came. They
[5:03:39] picked me up. They took me to the
[5:03:40] emergency room. And little by little, I
[5:03:44] started remember things. Bottom line,
[5:03:48] they have seriously been terrorizing me.
[5:03:52] But I am not going to stop. I'm going to
[5:03:54] seek justice because I found out that my
[5:03:58] truck
[5:04:00] was sold to my next door neighbor, an
[5:04:03] illegal drug dealer that have also been
[5:04:06] terrorizing me.
[5:04:09] I cannot be quiet. I need to speak up
[5:04:12] and you all need to know what's going
[5:04:14] on. I need prayer and I need help and
[5:04:17] guidance. Anything that you can do to
[5:04:20] guide me and help me, it will be
[5:04:21] awesome. I can't find an attorney. I
[5:04:24] don't have money. I'm suing them again
[5:04:27] and we supposed to go to court. And I'm
[5:04:29] appealing the decision of the judge
[5:04:31] because they have uh an attorney that
[5:04:35] have never show up to any other meeting
[5:04:38] and they getting away with it.
[5:04:41] They don't they don't I'm prosay but
[5:04:44] they don't communicate with me and every
[5:04:46] time we have a a a a hearing they don't
[5:04:49] show up and it's okay. So I need an
[5:04:53] attorney and I need prayer.
[5:04:56] » That's all I can say. Thank you so much.
[5:04:58] » Thank you. Next we have Bob Willoughby.
[5:05:07] Let me start off with first here that uh
[5:05:09] the school board the public comment
[5:05:11] comes first. Canidel white settlement
[5:05:14] forest hill city council comment comes
[5:05:16] first. We're on the bottom here. It
[5:05:18] doesn't take a minute to move the people
[5:05:19] to the top. Republicans move people to
[5:05:22] the top. Remember Reagan? We the people
[5:05:25] first. Okay. Okay. Got that back.
[5:05:28] Secondly, I really don't have much
[5:05:30] respect for any across the board because
[5:05:32] you don't answer questions. City council
[5:05:34] don't, school board don't, and you don't
[5:05:36] until you start answering legitimate
[5:05:38] questions. I don't care about
[5:05:39] redistricing. I don't care about those
[5:05:40] machines or the voting locations.
[5:05:42] They're irrelevant until you start
[5:05:44] answering questions and you don't answer
[5:05:46] questions. None of you. Not one of you.
[5:05:49] Okay. Now, I got I our election in
[5:05:52] District 5 was rigged. Democrats rigged
[5:05:55] the election in Dem five 100%. Nothing
[5:05:58] short of Jesus Christ walking that door
[5:06:00] saying it's not rigged. It was rigged.
[5:06:02] Do you care? Not one of you reached out
[5:06:04] to ask about it. I went to court. It was
[5:06:06] dismissed on 91A, which said, "Okay, I'm
[5:06:09] going to file a however you do it, I'm
[5:06:12] going to try to uh appeal it to go up to
[5:06:14] a different court because the judge said
[5:06:16] there's nothing there." Well, I'll tell
[5:06:18] you what. When the votes go up four
[5:06:20] elections in a row and it drop by 50%,
[5:06:24] something's wrong. A doctor takes your
[5:06:27] temperature, it drops by 50%.
[5:06:29] Something's wrong. He can't tell you
[5:06:31] what, but he say something's wrong. My
[5:06:33] votes dropped by over 90%. 67 votes they
[5:06:37] gave me. That's the lowest out of five
[5:06:39] elections I ever got. I spent $20,000.
[5:06:42] More money I ever spent. 67 boats was a
[5:06:45] joke. This thing's rigged. And don't
[5:06:47] tell me you care. You speak up about it.
[5:06:50] You don't care. Or you speak up about
[5:06:52] it. Our elections are the fabric of this
[5:06:54] city. Our system. And if you don't care
[5:06:57] about being rigged, the redistritis,
[5:07:00] the locations don't mean crap. You got
[5:07:03] to fix the riggedness. It is rigged by
[5:07:05] Democrats. Cat in the voting deal should
[5:07:08] not be in there. She's got mental
[5:07:09] problems. She said it publicly. She said
[5:07:11] she's a radical left Democrat and she's
[5:07:14] in charge of the voting. Give me a
[5:07:16] break. God. Anyway, you people start
[5:07:18] answering questions, that's one. And I
[5:07:20] mean the school board, council, city
[5:07:23] council, across the board, when y'all
[5:07:25] start answering. This is a partnership I
[5:07:27] would never want to be in in the private
[5:07:29] market with any of y'all. Never would I
[5:07:31] enter into a partnership. But I am in a
[5:07:32] partnership whether I like it or not.
[5:07:34] And I don't like it. But I've got to
[5:07:36] start answering legitimate questions.
[5:07:38] One is Phil Sword. He's got documents on
[5:07:41] his desk right now showing corruption
[5:07:43] 100%. He says, "I'm not going to act on
[5:07:45] it. I'm not going to do anything. I'm
[5:07:47] not going to answer. What do y'all do?
[5:07:49] Same thing. You don't act on it. So,
[5:07:51] don't talk like you're really doing
[5:07:52] something for the people. Don't act like
[5:07:54] you're something. District two, you're
[5:07:56] not you don't answer either. You're no
[5:07:58] better than the rest.
[5:08:00] » So, as far as my concern about all of
[5:08:01] you, you're not worth a hill of beans
[5:08:04] until you start answering people and
[5:08:06] respecting the public and moving to
[5:08:08] number one. Thank you.
[5:08:09] » Uh, next is Paul David Williams.
[5:08:14] Mr. Williams here.
[5:08:18] Next is Amy Super.
[5:08:24] Miss Super, are you going?
[5:08:37] Most of my comments are going to be
[5:08:39] directed to my new commissioner. Um, I I
[5:08:43] I get it. you got a bunch of new
[5:08:45] constituents that you know, you know, we
[5:08:48] didn't even have the option to vote for
[5:08:49] you because you wouldn't have been on
[5:08:50] our ballot the last time you were
[5:08:52] running. And you know, you're going to
[5:08:54] have to work hard uh to try to maintain
[5:08:56] your seat. Um, however, you do still
[5:09:00] represent us and when I go on to your
[5:09:03] social media site and I am being
[5:09:05] directed on videos how and what to say
[5:09:09] when I call your office based on your
[5:09:13] opinion on an issue.
[5:09:16] I'm not comfortable with that. I think
[5:09:18] that's that's not representation. Now,
[5:09:21] to be fair, you've done a really good
[5:09:24] job of showing us who you are and who
[5:09:26] you believe you are best capable of
[5:09:27] representing and it's not me and it's
[5:09:29] not a whole lot of people who are now
[5:09:32] part of precinct 2. Um, that doesn't
[5:09:35] change the fact again that you're still
[5:09:36] a representative. I specifically
[5:09:39] suggested the last time I was here that
[5:09:41] you consider maybe toning down some of
[5:09:44] the hostile ways in which you addressed
[5:09:46] Tarant County employees. It's
[5:09:48] embarrassing. Those are the sorts of
[5:09:49] things you do in private. Um, I'm not
[5:09:53] asking you to give them free reign and
[5:09:55] not hold them accountable when you think
[5:09:56] that they're not doing something they
[5:09:58] should be doing or have done something
[5:10:00] incorrectly. Just not in front of this
[5:10:02] entire group of people. Had I known
[5:10:04] you'd come after our elections
[5:10:06] administrator the way you did today, I
[5:10:08] would never have brought up some of the
[5:10:10] subject matters that I did. I have a
[5:10:12] great working relation working
[5:10:14] relationship with him as a voter. very
[5:10:17] approachable
[5:10:19] uh very problem-solving oriented
[5:10:22] that I was ashamed and I apologize to
[5:10:25] him for having done so. I should have
[5:10:27] known that he wouldn't listen to my
[5:10:28] suggestion. Um
[5:10:31] I would like to also just quickly
[5:10:33] address this thing with Tarant County um
[5:10:36] college campus adding them. So they
[5:10:39] explained to you that they don't have a
[5:10:41] room where they can secure it, which is
[5:10:43] now going to be part of the law. And he
[5:10:46] also explained that that means that if
[5:10:48] they can't secure it, that site is going
[5:10:50] to have to break down, tear up, and set
[5:10:52] up every day, 12 days in a row, 14-hour
[5:10:55] days, these folks are working. They're
[5:10:57] getting paid less than people who are
[5:10:59] working at Taco Bell. You and I are very
[5:11:01] close to the same age. It is physically
[5:11:04] demanding to do that. Good luck at
[5:11:06] finding a crew who is willing to do
[5:11:08] that. EV sites do not have to set up
[5:11:11] their own pull sites. Those are done for
[5:11:13] them. They're take they're set up and
[5:11:15] taken down by the staff at Tarant County
[5:11:17] elections unlike election day sites
[5:11:19] where we set up and tear down all of our
[5:11:21] equipment. You're asking people to do
[5:11:23] that every day for 12 days in a row. So
[5:11:26] before you proceed with that, I would I
[5:11:28] would ask for consideration for that for
[5:11:30] the poor people who are going to be
[5:11:31] stled with doing that work. Thank you.
[5:11:34] » Thank you. Next is Carla Palaris.
[5:11:37] She present.
[5:11:40] Next is Jimmy Blackwell.
[5:11:53] [Music]
[5:11:55] Judge O'Hare,
[5:11:57] it's a shame that the sheriff's office
[5:11:59] is never available to face the people.
[5:12:06] George O'Hara, I know you uh are
[5:12:08] familiar with Joe Lewis, heavyweight
[5:12:12] boxing champion.
[5:12:14] He coined this phrase,
[5:12:17] you can run,
[5:12:20] but you cannot hide.
[5:12:23] He made that comment when he was getting
[5:12:25] ready to to challenge Billy Khan.
[5:12:29] Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. coined this
[5:12:32] quote,
[5:12:33] "No lie can live forever."
[5:12:38] So, Judge O'Hara, what are you mega
[5:12:42] people running from?
[5:12:46] You all are running from the truth and
[5:12:49] attempting to hide behind lie after lie
[5:12:54] after lie.
[5:12:57] How can the people of this county have
[5:13:00] any confidence
[5:13:02] in the decision brought before the
[5:13:04] people by this court when it's apparent
[5:13:08] that you, Judge O'Hara, makes the first
[5:13:10] and final decision
[5:13:13] based on your ideology.
[5:13:16] You refuse to include other
[5:13:18] commissioners in your dis, excuse me, in
[5:13:22] your discussions prior to your decision.
[5:13:26] Now, how can we be confident
[5:13:31] that the other commissioners will vote
[5:13:34] with you other than you have already
[5:13:38] threatened them or whatever the case may
[5:13:40] be if they go against you?
[5:13:44] I want to personally thank uh
[5:13:48] Commissioner Simmons and Commissioner
[5:13:51] Rodri Miles
[5:13:54] for their stance against some of the
[5:13:56] stuff that you bring to this court and
[5:13:59] before the people.
[5:14:02] You know, it's not based on your
[5:14:05] discussion with these individuals
[5:14:06] because you refuse to even include them
[5:14:10] in your discussions.
[5:14:13] How can that be sound leadership
[5:14:18] when you exclude
[5:14:20] two of your major opposition voices?
[5:14:25] That's what democracy is all about.
[5:14:28] Listening to other people, discussing
[5:14:31] issues with other people, and then
[5:14:33] making a decision based on that
[5:14:35] information that you get from those
[5:14:37] people. You just don't arbitrarily make
[5:14:40] a decision on your own and then shove it
[5:14:43] down the throat of the people. And
[5:14:45] that's what's going on with this
[5:14:46] commission. That's what's going on with
[5:14:49] you, Judge O'Hara. This has to stop. I
[5:14:53] smell a rat.
[5:14:55] » Thank you, sir.
[5:14:55] » Miss you three blind.
[5:14:57] » Thank you, sir. Next, we have Nan Terry.
[5:15:02] Is Nan Terry present? She leave. And
[5:15:05] then Joe Palmer.
[5:15:08] I do not see Mr. Palmer.
[5:15:13] » Okay. Well, I don't have your form.
[5:15:15] » Well, you skipped earlier from the uh
[5:15:19] section that was on uh
[5:15:22] agenda announcements. Why is it on the
[5:15:25] list of of agenda items that you can
[5:15:28] participate in? If
[5:15:29] » He on whatever he's describing,
[5:15:31] » We do have a form, sir, for
[5:15:34] » Go ahead. Thank you very kindly.
[5:15:38] Give me just a moment to queue it up.
[5:15:40] » What's your name?
[5:15:41] » Stanley Johnson for precinct 1165.
[5:15:45] So I direct your attention to the uh
[5:15:49] uh rules of decorum that the court has
[5:15:51] established.
[5:15:52] Uh I would request that you all uh
[5:15:55] periodically
[5:15:57] perhaps before each meeting refresh
[5:15:59] yourself on them just so that you're uh
[5:16:02] confident that they say what you think
[5:16:03] they say and that you're you know
[5:16:05] they're right in your head and in your
[5:16:06] heart. One of the things that it states
[5:16:08] in them is that you uh
[5:16:13] uh that your intent is to maximize
[5:16:18] uh citizen participation
[5:16:20] and uh I would suggest that perhaps
[5:16:23] reducing the number of uh polling places
[5:16:26] would be the opposite of maximizing
[5:16:28] participation. It would be reducing it.
[5:16:32] Um
[5:16:34] the uh I don't have a lot more today
[5:16:38] other than to say um
[5:16:42] the
[5:16:45] the the court seems somewhat fractured.
[5:16:50] um if not actually physically
[5:16:53] uh perhaps
[5:16:55] um uh symbolically
[5:16:58] uh in particular the two of you in the
[5:17:00] center and to your right I guess uh seem
[5:17:05] to be very much at odds and again if not
[5:17:08] physically if y'all could possibly
[5:17:10] symbolically
[5:17:12] shake hands uh tone down the rhetoric a
[5:17:16] little bit in the sense that um maybe
[5:17:19] have dinner on occasion. Uh humanize one
[5:17:23] another. Uh I think that would serve the
[5:17:26] entire court better. Um and I think
[5:17:28] that's all I have to say.
[5:17:29] » Okay. Thank you, sir.
[5:17:31] » All right. Do we have any announcements
[5:17:32] or comments from the court members?
[5:17:36] Uh, seeing none, the court will now
[5:17:38] recess the open session and proceed to
[5:17:40] close session to discuss items exempt
[5:17:42] under sections 551071,
[5:17:45] 072,
[5:17:47] 074, 076, 087, and 0725 of the Texas
[5:17:52] Government Code. Executive session will
[5:17:54] begin promptly at 3:30 p.m. We are now
[5:17:57] in recess.
[6:02:09] We are back. We are back from executive
[6:02:12] session. There are two items. One I
[6:02:16] think we will take action on. One we may
[6:02:18] or may not. The first item is H1. Do we
[6:02:22] have a motion there?
[6:02:23] » Motion to approve.
[6:02:25] » All right, we have a motion to approve
[6:02:26] H1. I'll second. Any discussion on that?
[6:02:31] All right, seeing none, all in favor,
[6:02:32] raise your hand.
[6:02:35] All opposed, raise your hand. That's the
[6:02:38] lawyer one. Opposed, raise your hand.
[6:02:41] All right, passes four to one. Then the
[6:02:44] next item that was tabled until after
[6:02:46] closed was item I believe it would be 10
[6:02:50] I5
[6:02:51] and we did receive a legal briefing
[6:02:56] legal advice on that issue. Does anyone
[6:02:58] wish to make a motion or do we deal with
[6:03:00] this in a couple of weeks?
[6:03:05] All right. So seeing nothing we will
[6:03:07] take no action on this item today. We
[6:03:10] will um likely take this up on
[6:03:14] » September 3rd.
[6:03:15] » September 3rd. And that is all the items
[6:03:20] we have to address. So we are now
[6:03:21] » May make one announcement. Judge just my
[6:03:23] neglected to say this at the beginning.
[6:03:25] Next commissioner's court meeting we are
[6:03:27] scheduled to be back in our normal
[6:03:28] courtroom on September 3rd. So AV
[6:03:30] installation is going very well. We
[6:03:31] don't anticipate any issue why we would
[6:03:33] not be in that uh courtroom September
[6:03:35] 3rd.
[6:03:36] » Okay. Thank you sir. We are now
[6:03:37] officially adjourned.