TARRANT COUNTY, Texas — Tarrant County commissioners will form a new committee charged with finding methods to reduce the county jail population and prevent financial mismanagement at the courthouse.
The move should, for now, appease criminal judges, who were sometimes at odds with county administrators during Tuesday’s testy commissioners’ meeting. The judges’ testimony centered on a reorganization plan, detailed in a public memo, that would’ve affected 63 behind-the-scenes employees who help the courthouse operate. In a key change, those workers would have reported ultimately to the county administrator instead of criminal judges.
Judges and some attorneys argued such a move might allow the county government’s executive branch to influence judicial business.
“Not only is this a violation of separation of powers guaranteed by the constitution, it will lead to needless litigation,” Judge David Hagerman told commissioners, before calling the proposal “ill-conceived” and “unlawful.”
At least nine criminal judges spoke during the public meeting Tuesday. Most expressed frustration they were not consulted about potential changes before county staff drafted any plan for court reorganization.
“I should be in trial right now, but I’m not because this is so important to all of us,” Judge Wayne Salvant said.
Tarrant County’s top elected official, Tim O’Hare, stressed that no commissioner wants to violate separation of powers. He said the proposal outlined on Tuesday’s agenda was merely one of many potential options to address what he called financial “mismanagement” at the courthouse.
O’Hare did not offer details but alluded in his remarks to issues with payroll.
“We don’t want to see people get paid for 40 hours of work if they’re working 10 hours,” O’Hare said.
The new committee will include two commissioners' court members, three judges, two representatives from the district attorney’s office, and one representative each from the Bar association, the sheriff’s office, county administration and the county budget office.
There will likely be some reorganization before the matter is settled. Commissioners signaled their intent to eliminate the position of county criminal courts administrator by October.
Commissioners asked the panel to decide how the other support staff should be organized and make recommendations for courthouse administration by July.