Commissioners Court makes important county decisions

With the Constitution of the Republic of Texas came the idea of government by the respective counties. Today we have 254 counties in the state, each is governed by the commissioners court. Initially counties were governed by the justices of the peace and the chief justice (county judge). In fact, my great-great-great-grandfather, William Henry Walker, was one the early chief justices of Milam County. The county commissioners court or county board, as established by the Texas Constitution of 1876, was composed of the county judge, as presiding officer, four commissioners elected from precincts and the county clerk who is the ex officio member of the court. The idea in 1836 was that local government would be more effective when comprised of local people. Your commissioners court makes the important decisions of the county, from the amount of taxes to be collected to the types and amounts of services that are provided. For example, our county law enforcement provides for the safety of the county; the District Attorney and County Attorney prosecute for the citizenry and on behalf of the county; and the County Clerk does the record keeping of the county. The court is responsible for the courthouse, appoints numerous officials such as the county health officer, fills vacancies in the county offices, lets contracts in the name of the county, builds and maintains roads and bridges, administers the county’s public welfare services and performs numerous duties in regard to elections, such as paying for the voting machines. The Milam County Commissioners Court meets on the second and fourth Mondays of the month at 10 a.m. at the Milam County Courthouse. The court is open to the public and all votes and decisions of the Court are made in public. Most decisions are made by a majority vote of the Court; however, some taxing decisions must be approved by four votes. The public is invited to attend and participate. Those wishing to speak need only to register with the court prior to speaking. Today your county judge and commissioners are all local. They pay the same taxes and drive on the same roads as everyone else in the county. They are keenly aware of what is going on in the county. They know and understand the amount of tax revenue coming in, what the county can afford to spend and the most important place(s) to spend the money. These and many other factors go into the decision making of your Milam County Board of Directors: The Commissioners Court. Come out to see those you elected at your Commissioners Court on Monday, Feb. 11, and see first-hand that local government still works today, just as the framers of the Texas Constitution planned over 180 years ago!