In the June 14th budget workshop Liberty County Judge Craig McNair(R) eliminated any doubts about how serious he is about using a new and conservative approach in leading this county out of the financial hole Democrats have dug over the years. McNair wants to flex his Republican muscles and began the process of using the mandate voters gave him last November to search out and eliminate wasteful unnecessary spending and put an end to the kind of spending that leads to raising taxes.
Over the years County Audit Harold Seay has diligently warned past commissioners courts about unrealistic spending and issuing bonds and allowing the effective tax rate to rise, etc. But all of them refused to scrutinize and examine county spending and instead gave themselves raises and borrowed money for their own pet projects almost every chance they got. Harold Seay's wisdom has fallen on the deaf ears of Liberty County Commissioners, Liberty County is now paying a severe price.
Republican officeholders may not say it, but it’s right there in black and white. The waste of bloated budgets from past years is undeniable. The kingdoms being built by Democrat officeholders are now threatening to choke an already heavily burdened taxpayer in tough economic times. Huge increases in some department budgets like the District Attorney’s have been leading us to disaster. The D.A.’s budget is an extreme example because it has more than doubled and at the same time produced fewer results. Now even that department, with their ability to indict a ham sandwich, is under the microscope of the first Republicans on this commissioners’ court in over a century.
Other areas are being given equal time under the microscope. County Judge Craig McNair observed, “We have four precincts and six JP’s and constable areas. We are funding these constables and JP’s and all that we are required to have is four. That’s something that I’ve never understood.” A classic example of Democrat run overspending.
The one Republican Justice of the Peace we have had for years (Bobby Rader) actually brings more money in than he spends, but reducing the number of justices of the peace or constable’s offices to the state required four, instead of the current number which is six, in order to reduce spending is a big step towards creating a balanced Liberty County budget. The County Judge continued, “We have constables that have deputy constables while they work another job. We’re paying for cars and all that. I understand by statue that the only job they have to do is serve papers. We have constables that are trying to thumb their budgets and become their own little police department, effectively a sheriff’s department law enforcement agency, when they are really way exceeding what they need to be doing and mandated by law to do.”
Liberty County officials are considering reducing the number of constables and justice of the peace offices from six to four in order to drastically reduce spending for next year’s budget. A truly Conservative and Republican move needed for financial relief.
We live in a time when we must have a leader we whose priority is to do what is best for WE THE PEOPLE. We need commissioners’ court to forget about doing what is popular, forget about trying to save the Cadillac version of a county-wide employee health insurance plan, forget about trying to stay on the D.A.’s good side, and forget about using taxpayer money to get votes. We need, as Judge McNair said, “a 25% reduction”.
Some decisions should be easy. One should be to dock Pct. 4 Commissioner Norman Brown money out of his budget for getting his usual “election time emergency road repair money” before last November’s election. This is no time for exceptions or partisanship. That is what got us where we are. Brown switched party affiliation in that election but he has continued to behave in the way that caused our current struggles. The hole we are trying to dig out of was created by this kind dipping into the county’s fund balance for “special expenses” instead of only using the revenue that is collected each year. Now we have commissioner Todd Fontenot(D) who in the middle of all the Liberty County financial shortfalls, is trying to spend our money on several unneeded buildings and other pork barrel spending.
In that recent mentioned county workshop there was no bad news, just recognition of what some have been complaining about for years. There was good news though… Craig McNair ran as a conservative Republican and WE THE PEOPLE elected him and it appears as though we got the real thing.
“We’re going to set a trend and we’re going to get there,” said McNair. “It may not be this year, but we are going to get there. At the next meeting we’ll be setting salaries and expenses of elected officials.”
The fruits of Liberty Dispatch’s election support for Craig McNair may turn out to pay dividends for Liberty County voters and for Craig McNair(R) to be one of the best County Judges in Liberty County history.
The job ahead will not be easy for Craig McNair, he deserves our support and prayers in order to help him achieve these historic goals.
By, LD Contributors
37 comments:
Lee Groce knows where the bodies are buried in Liberty County. He needs to cooperate with the US Attorney.
Mike Little is the big fish and prize.
I am 100% behind our County judge on these issues. I have seen these Constables pulling people over for speeding,pulling over trucks that have no Liberty County trucking sticker and nosing into things that our other law enforcement is supposed to be doing. As you say they act like their own law enforcement group. I thought they were supposed to serve papers and warrants.
Good Job Judge McNair good job.
comics flash: duhhNesa, the duhhh-chess of Dumbass strikes again (her CPRD is having a flare up) see
"Indian Jones" and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (not once but twice, no less)!
http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/cleveland/news/article_ea3397c2-0e14-5daa-a0c0-efc0ad4575fa.html
makes me want to buy property, so my kids can go to Hardin schools. NOT! lmao
duhhNesa again... anybody like subject-verb agreement? Try this headline:
http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/cleveland/news/article_5aa97768-9b72-5873-82d1-6e5673dd6876.html
A 25% reduction in spending is a lofty and very doable goal.
I have often wondered why the county has given an over abundance of power and money to the Constable Offices.
I agree that the County needs to bring these Mini-Kingdoms back to reality. We need to defund them and push the available funding to the Sheriffs Department.
Each Constable Office Holder has his own Secretary and Building and Expenses.
One must ponder the thought of having the Constables serve their papers and then have ample time to process the paperwork themselves.
If we consolidate resources to the Sheriff's Office, would it not make sense that our Law Enforcement Operations would run in a more economical and coordinated manner...ie...cutting layers of cost associated with multiple employees who's work could be done in a central location by existing employees.
The Constable Offices are purely political and we need to use our monetary resources in a more efficient way.
I support what the Judge has stated in this article.
Danny draws a paycheck out here in Hardin from taxpayers for being a constable. but he works another full time job. That ain't right.
Danny has just done it for a few years. Over here in Liberty Allison has made a lifelong career out of working full time and drawing a county paycheck.
I agree with the full time stuff. It is a ripoff except for one JP. Bobby Rader works harder and keeps his docket up better than all of the other JP's. He is at the jail at 5 AM every morning and his office is a cash cow for the county.
This is a big problem out around Hardin. The constable out there hides in turnouts and pulls people over for trivial violations. He needs to be stripped of his authority to perform any duties other than papers serving. Harris and other counties have given Constables way too much authority to perform duties that they are neither trained or qualified to do. It appears that this has spilled over into Liberty county.
Royce Wheeler needs to be de-funded and de-commissioned!
Great job, LD! Three duhhNesa, duhhh-Chess of Dumbass posts, and duhhNesa fixes all three in just half of a day. Next time, wait until Tuesday or Wednesday, so that the paper is already in print! rofl
I did not check a box on the ballot for county judge. I had serious questions who Craig McNair was and the other man was unacceptable. Now I see he is one of us and I will stand with him next election.
Too bad none of these suggestions will ever happen.
LD: you need to start charging duhhNesa for contractor services, if you are going to do all of her proof reading for her. Of course, she's supposed to have those abilities, as a prerequisite to the job. Ditto for doing her confirmations, prior to going national with bogus stories. lmao
LD, you suggested McNair was the best candidate in our primary and I went along with what you said. Now I see you were right. Keep up the good work. I don't know all of the people running and I want to vote straight conservative.
Be careful voting straight republican in Liberty County- could be harmful to the community, we have some RINOS mixed into the upcoming election. Stay tuned, we will advise you to the RINOS and the corrupt candidates.
I will be listening for the RINO updates on who they sre.
I agree with Craig McNair and the person that stated it is really bad out here in Hardin. The Constable out here has an assistant Constable and Cody Parrish has two women working in his office as of last year. What is the deal with this?
Parrish works hard at his job also. I believe he spends approximately two hours in the mornings and then goes to his regular job, at the meat market. I forgot he also holds court two days a week!
The McNairs have been a respected family in local politics, always willing to be a part of the Republican needs of the county and willing to give of themselves to community service. The elder Mrs. NcNair has been an asset to our local party, we hope she is doing well.
Another great and wise decision by our County Judge, Ban fireworks in Liberty County due to the drought. I commend you on this decision.
I use to be very active in Liberty County Republican politics until I got sick. I never heard of the McNairs, but from your last article I am glad they are working with us. I would think he will add to the list of voters who elected him by bringing sober-minded spending policies to the courthouse.
Don't know if it true or not but I heard Allen Youngblood's little car wreck report had such a decrease in hits that he or a maybe buddy of his has started another website meant to counter LIberty Dispatch. Has anyone else heard this?
It is a yellow dog democrat "I am smart and everyone else is stupid" website. I would tell you the address, but I do not want to leave proof That I was bored enough to go there. I have showered five times a day since reading the sick bs.
The people of liberty county should vote on all elected officials raises and they all should be limited to two terms and have to get out they get in there and set up home like Groce did and become crooked . When one retires or decides to get out instead of them choosing a replacement the qualified persons wanting the position should have to apply for it in person at the commissioners meeting THANKS
I think that all elected officials should have two terms and that is it and the people should vote on all elected official raises and if one wants to retie before his-her term is up they could not appoint the person they want to finish the term out ,all qualified person apply in person at the commissioners meeting and let them deceide
You mean Parrish works in his office.And the fine Constables he has that have them new high perfomance race cars to chase speeders not real crooks.I called Parrishs' office left message ith his fine secretary for the Constable to call me on a drug business going on.I'm still waiting after six months.
The JP'S have big leather chairs nice big desk which see little use.But it's only our tax money so why should they care/
The precincts in Liberty County need to be left alone. I do see where there is the need for a tune up in some areas. The JP's and Constable's generate extra revenue for the county. They need to slim down on the budgets now. Hopefully things will get better soon.
Most JP's and Constables do not bring in enough money to cover their salaries, their vehicles, their health benefits, the rent on their buildings, etc. On top of that some of the money they do bring in is coming from pulling over taxpayers for goinga few miles over the speed limit.
AMEN to the comment on limited time in office and the raises for the office holders. I never had a job where I could give myself a raise when ever I wanted one. I agree, the people should vote on County Commissioners raises.
easy fix for those being pulled over for just a few miles over the speed limit .. quit doing it. The speed limit is a law not a suggestion. Thank you Mr. McNair for doing the right thing and even though it is a hard thing to do ,as many of us will find that sometimes the hardest thing to ever do is the right thing to do. Liberty County is very lucky to have someone lead them by example
The tax payers should obey the law and not speed.
Any truth to the rumor that Captain Primeaux (the same guy who got life flighted after being attacked by a cat) is being secretly investigated by the feds for having sex with cpd jail inmates while he was on duty? It would make sense. I always see him with a damn wet spot on the front of his pants at D&M diner.
Haha my friend cindy horn used to joke about getting out of trouble by taking care of james. Her warrants got squashed somehow. More power to her hehe
Constables becoming their own police department--very true in Montgomery County. Rowdy Hayden goes to a private residence on Fostoria Rd. looking for his son. A place that Rowdy has been to many times himself, playing cards, gambling, and drinking. His son wasnt there. A little while later, the place was raided by other police including Splendora PD who were out of their juristiction. No warrants, no justification, just some plain ole illegal police actions, taking vengence on someone else for his own inability to control his son.
JP Cody Parrish Precinct #3 facility should also be placed under the microscops as a classic example of overspending. This facility is leased from Phil Fitzgerald and is the only JP and constable facility that is individually owned/leased.
Why does this JP facility also have two secretaries working?
They have a constable and depty constable working out of this facility. Danny Frankum, the constable works a full time job, therefore, he is seldom working his constable position. This is throwing our tax dollars away.
Cody Parrish, as stated by another person, works maybe two hours a day at the facility and goes to work at his full time job with his Dad, at the meat market. We wish we had a job like that.
Judge McNair this falls into the cagtagory of a "MINI KINGDOM", as refered to by Andy McCreight and must be stopped. We hope you will rid us of these and use our monetary resources in a more efficient manner that will benifit the voters, not these "MINI KINGDOM'S".
We need to rid this county of all the corruption and waisteful spending by those "MIMI KINGDOMS". Make use of your voices and votes each and everytime you can. If you know something, it is time to bring it to light.
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