1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 KERR COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COURT 9 Special Session 10 Thursday, January 1, 2015 11 10:00 a.m. 12 District Courtroom #1 13 Kerr County Courthouse 14 Kerrville, Texas 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 PRESENT: TOM POLLARD, Kerr County Judge H. A. "BUSTER" BALDWIN, Commissioner Pct. 1 24 TOM MOSER, Commissioner Pct. 2 JONATHAN LETZ, Commissioner Pct. 3 25 BOB REEVES, Commissioner Pct. 4 2 1 I N D E X January 1, 2015 2 PAGE 3 --- Commissioners' comments 4 4 1.1 Approval of bonds of all elected officials and/or appointed officials whose bonds have not 5 previously been approved by Commissioners Court 5 6 1.2 Acknowledge existence and continuation of all other bonds 5 7 1.3 Administer oaths to County Commissioners with 8 terms of office beginning January 1, 2015 6 Tom Moser, Commissioner Pct. 2 6 9 Bob Reeves, Commissioner Pct. 4 8 10 1.4 Administer oaths to all other elected officials and/or appointed officials whose terms of office 11 continue or commence on January 1, 2015 11 Rebecca Bolin, County Clerk 12 12 Robbin Burlew, District Clerk 15 Heather Stebbins, County Attorney 17 13 Tracy Soldan, County Treasurer 18 Tom Pollard, County Judge 20 14 Rex Emerson, 198th District Judge 22 Susan Harris, County Court at Law Judge 24 15 Mitzi French, Justice of the Peace, Pct. 1 26 J.R. Hoyne, Justice of the Peace, Pct. 2 27 16 Kathy Mitchell, Justice of the Peace, Pct. 3 29 Bill Ragsdale, Justice of the Peace, Pct. 4 31 17 Lee C. Voelkel, County Surveyor 32 18 1.5 Approve applications to appoint deputies or assistants of all other elected officials whose 19 terms of office continue or commence on January 1, 2015 34 20 1.6 Swear in directors of the Headwaters Groundwater 21 Conservation District 35 Harley Belew, HGCD Director, Precinct 1 36 22 --- Adjourned 37 23 24 25 3 1 On Thursday, January 1, 2015, at 10:00 a.m., a special 2 meeting of the Kerr County Commissioners Court was held in 3 the Commissioners' Courtroom, Kerr County Courthouse, 4 Kerrville, Texas, and the following proceedings were had in 5 open court: 6 P R O C E E D I N G S 7 JUDGE POLLARD: It's January 1st, 2015, at 10 a.m., 8 and the Kerr County Commissioners Court is in session. We'll 9 begin with a prayer, and if you'd all bow your heads in 10 prayer. 11 (Prayer.) 12 JUDGE POLLARD: Happy New Year. 13 AUDIENCE: Happy New Year. 14 JUDGE POLLARD: Can everybody hear me without this? 15 In the back? Can you hear me without it? 16 AUDIENCE: Not over here. 17 JUDGE POLLARD: All right, I'm going to do without 18 that. 19 AUDIENCE: They can't hear, so -- 20 AUDIENCE: They can't hear you. 21 MS. LAVENDER: They said no. (Laughter.) 22 COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: He can't hear them, either. 23 COMMISSIONER MOSER: Can't hear this way. 24 JUDGE POLLARD: All right, is this better? 25 AUDIENCE: Yeah. 1-1-15 4 1 JUDGE POLLARD: All right. The first item on the 2 agenda this morning is what we call the visitors' input. If 3 there's anybody in the audience that would like to address 4 the Commissioners Court and make any comments at this time, 5 we invite you to stand and do that. Is there anyone? There 6 being no one, the next item on the agenda is, at this time, 7 either the County Judge or the Commissioners may use this 8 time to recognize achievements of persons in their precinct 9 or to make comments on matters not listed on the regular 10 agenda. Is there -- are there -- we'll start with Precinct 11 Number 1. 12 COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: No, sir. The only thing I'd 13 like to say is that we're number one for a reason. 14 (Laughter.) (Applause.) 15 JUDGE POLLARD: I suspect Numbers 2, 3, and 4 16 would -- would have something to say about that. 17 COMMISSIONER MOSER: As I recall, Number 2 tries 18 harder. (Laughter.) 19 JUDGE POLLARD: Commissioner 3? 20 COMMISSIONER LETZ: All I have to say is welcome 21 everybody, and Happy New Year. 22 JUDGE POLLARD: And Commissioner 4? 23 COMMISSIONER REEVES: I'll echo the comments, 24 because I'm always on the end, so everybody said what they 25 needed to say. 1-1-15 5 1 JUDGE POLLARD: Okay. All right. Little bit out 2 of order, I forgot the pledge of allegiance, and let's all 3 stand at this time for the pledge of allegiance to the flag. 4 (Pledge of allegiance.) 5 JUDGE POLLARD: Thank you. The next item on the 6 agenda is Item 1.1, approval of bonds of all elected 7 officials and/or appointed officials whose bonds have not 8 previously been approved by the Commissioners Court. And I'm 9 informed immediately before we started this morning that all 10 of the bonds have been previously approved. Is that correct? 11 MS. BOLIN: Yes. 12 JUDGE POLLARD: Okay. Item 1.2, acknowledge the 13 existence and continuation of all other bonds. Do we need to 14 take any action on that, Becky? 15 MS. BOLIN: I don't believe so. All of the ones 16 are going into effect today, and last for the full term. 17 JUDGE POLLARD: And they're all in order? 18 MS. BOLIN: Yes, sir. 19 JUDGE POLLARD: All right. We'll go to Item 1.3; 20 approve applications to appoint deputies or assistants of all 21 other elected officials whose terms of office continue or 22 commence or January 1, 2015. 23 MS. BOLIN: We need to administer the oaths first. 24 JUDGE POLLARD: That was 1.3? Yeah. 25 MS. BOLIN: 1.3 is administering the oaths. 1-1-15 6 1 COMMISSIONER REEVES: Look at this one, Judge. 2 (Laughter.) 3 JUDGE POLLARD: Little mess-up somewhere; they gave 4 me the wrong agenda. All right, 1.3; administer oaths to 5 County Commissioners with terms of office beginning 6 January 1, 2015. And I have those oaths right here, I 7 think -- yeah. 8 COMMISSIONER LETZ: Tom? 9 JUDGE POLLARD: Mr. Moser, would you please step 10 forward? And I'm -- I'm told by the photographer that we're 11 supposed to stand center in the middle of the flags here. 12 COMMISSIONER MOSER: Okay. 13 JUDGE POLLARD: All right. Raise your right hand, 14 please. "I," say your name. 15 COMMISSIONER MOSER: Tom Moser. 16 JUDGE POLLARD: "Do solemnly swear." 17 COMMISSIONER MOSER: Do solemnly swear. 18 JUDGE POLLARD: "That I will faithfully execute the 19 duties." 20 COMMISSIONER MOSER: That I will faithfully execute 21 the duties. 22 JUDGE POLLARD: "Of the office." 23 COMMISSIONER MOSER: Of the office. 24 JUDGE POLLARD: "Of Kerr County Commissioner, 25 Precinct 2." 1-1-15 7 1 COMMISSIONER MOSER: Of Kerr County Commissioner, 2 Precinct 2. 3 JUDGE POLLARD: "Of the State of Texas." 4 COMMISSIONER MOSER: Of the State of Texas. 5 JUDGE POLLARD: "And will, to the best of my 6 ability." 7 COMMISSIONER MOSER: And will, to the best of my 8 ability. 9 JUDGE POLLARD: "Preserve, protect, and defend." 10 COMMISSIONER MOSER: Preserve, protect, and defend. 11 JUDGE POLLARD: "The Constitution and laws." 12 COMMISSIONER MOSER: The Constitution and laws. 13 JUDGE POLLARD: "Of the United States." 14 COMMISSIONER MOSER: Of the United States. 15 JUDGE POLLARD: "And of this state." 16 COMMISSIONER MOSER: And of this state. 17 JUDGE POLLARD: "So help you God." 18 COMMISSIONER MOSER: So help me God. 19 JUDGE POLLARD: Thank you. Congratulations, sir. 20 (Applause.) 21 JUDGE POLLARD: Do a little signing here. You go 22 ahead, sir. Big flourish on his signature. 23 COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: That was quick. 24 JUDGE POLLARD: Okay, who's next? 25 COMMISSIONER REEVES: Me. 1-1-15 8 1 JUDGE POLLARD: Would you please step forward? 2 COMMISSIONER REEVES: Your Honor, Judge Ragsdale 3 has indicated that he would be honored, and it's my honor to 4 have him administer the oath -- 5 JUDGE POLLARD: That's great. 6 COMMISSIONER REEVES: -- this morning to me. And I 7 also have my family here, if could I ask them to come 8 forward. 9 JUDGE POLLARD: Would they please step forward? 10 Good. 11 COMMISSIONER REEVES: Good morning, Judge. 12 JUDGE POLLARD: Judge, how are you doing? Good to 13 see you. Happy New Year. Here's the oath. 14 JUDGE RAGSDALE: Do you solemnly swear that you 15 will faithfully execute the duties of the office of Kerr 16 County Commissioner, Precinct 4, the State of Texas, and 17 will, to the best of your ability, preserve, protect, and 18 defend the Constitution and laws of the United States and of 19 this state, so help you God? 20 COMMISSIONER REEVES: I do. 21 JUDGE RAGSDALE: And you have another oath that you 22 -- we all have to take as officials. Do you solemnly swear 23 or affirm that you've not directly or indirectly paid, 24 offered, promised to pay, contributed, or promised to 25 contribute any money or thing of value, or promised any 1-1-15 9 1 public office or employment for the -- for the giving or 2 withholding of a vote at the election in which you were 3 elected, or as a reward to secure my appointments or 4 confirmation, whichever the case may be, so help you God? 5 COMMISSIONER REEVES: I do. 6 JUDGE RAGSDALE: Congratulations. 7 COMMISSIONER REEVES: Thank you, Judge. 8 (Applause.) 9 JUDGE POLLARD: Tom, was there a second page on 10 yours? 11 COMMISSIONER LETZ: Yes. 12 JUDGE POLLARD: Okay, let me -- let me get that 13 one. 14 (Discussion off the record.) 15 JUDGE POLLARD: Okay. Well, let's just do it. 16 COMMISSIONER MOSER: Okay. 17 JUDGE POLLARD: "I," your name. 18 COMMISSIONER MOSER: I, Tom Moser. 19 JUDGE POLLARD: "Do solemnly swear." 20 COMMISSIONER MOSER: Do solemnly swear. 21 JUDGE POLLARD: "That I have not directly or 22 indirectly." 23 COMMISSIONER MOSER: That I have not directly or 24 indirectly. 25 JUDGE POLLARD: "Paid." 1-1-15 10 1 COMMISSIONER MOSER: Paid. 2 JUDGE POLLARD: "Offered." 3 COMMISSIONER MOSER: Offered. 4 JUDGE POLLARD: "Promised to pay." 5 COMMISSIONER MOSER: Promised to pay. 6 JUDGE POLLARD: "Contributed." 7 COMMISSIONER MOSER: Contributed. 8 JUDGE POLLARD: "Or promised to contribute." 9 COMMISSIONER MOSER: Or promised to contribute. 10 JUDGE POLLARD: "Any money or thing." 11 COMMISSIONER MOSER: Any money or thing. 12 JUDGE POLLARD: "Of value." 13 COMMISSIONER MOSER: Of value. 14 JUDGE POLLARD: "Or promised any public office." 15 COMMISSIONER MOSER: Or promised any public office. 16 JUDGE POLLARD: "Or employment." 17 COMMISSIONER MOSER: Or employment. 18 JUDGE POLLARD: "For the giving or withholding of a 19 vote." 20 COMMISSIONER MOSER: For the giving or withholding 21 of a vote. 22 JUDGE POLLARD: "At the election in which I was 23 elected." 24 COMMISSIONER MOSER: At the election in which I was 25 elected. 1-1-15 11 1 JUDGE POLLARD: "Or as a reward." 2 COMMISSIONER MOSER: Or as a reward. 3 JUDGE POLLARD: "To secure your appointment." 4 COMMISSIONER MOSER: To secure my appointment. 5 JUDGE POLLARD: "Or confirmation." 6 COMMISSIONER MOSER: Or confirmation. 7 JUDGE POLLARD: "Whichever the case may be." 8 COMMISSIONER MOSER: Whichever the case may be. 9 JUDGE POLLARD: And then it says, "Under penalties 10 of perjury, I declare that I have read the foregoing 11 statement, and that the facts stated therein are true." And 12 it requires your signature on it. 13 COMMISSIONER MOSER: And I do. 14 JUDGE POLLARD: All right, thank you. 15 (Applause.) 16 JUDGE POLLARD: Are there any other commissioners? 17 COMMISSIONER LETZ: No other commissioners. Do 18 1.4. 19 JUDGE POLLARD: All right. Next item on the agenda 20 is 1.4; administer oaths to all other elected officials 21 and/or appointed officials whose terms of office continue or 22 commence on January 1, 2015. 23 COMMISSIONER REEVES: County Clerk. 24 JUDGE POLLARD: County Clerk. Becky, would you 25 please step forward? It's my pleasure to administer the oath 1-1-15 12 1 to you, Becky. All right. Repeat after me, if you would, 2 please -- and she told me to say it just a couple of words at 3 a time, 'cause she's kind of nervous. (Laughter.) Is this 4 thing still on? 5 AUDIENCE: Yes. 6 JUDGE POLLARD: All right. "I," and your name. 7 MS. BOLIN: I, Rebecca Bolin. 8 JUDGE POLLARD: "Do solemnly swear." 9 MS. BOLIN: Do solemnly swear. 10 JUDGE POLLARD: "That I will faithfully." 11 MS. BOLIN: That I will faithfully. 12 JUDGE POLLARD: "Execute the duties." 13 MS. BOLIN: Execute the duties. 14 JUDGE POLLARD: "Of the office of County Clerk." 15 MS. BOLIN: Of the office of County Clerk. 16 JUDGE POLLARD: "Of Kerr County." 17 MS. BOLIN: Of Kerr County. 18 JUDGE POLLARD: "State of Texas." 19 MS. BOLIN: State of Texas. 20 JUDGE POLLARD: "And will." 21 MS. BOLIN: And will. 22 JUDGE POLLARD: "To the best of my ability." 23 MS. BOLIN: To the best of my ability. 24 JUDGE POLLARD: Preserve. 25 MS. BOLIN: Preserve. 1-1-15 13 1 JUDGE POLLARD: "Protect." 2 MS. BOLIN: Protect. 3 JUDGE POLLARD: "And defend the Constitution." 4 MS. BOLIN: And defend the Constitution. 5 JUDGE POLLARD: "And laws of the United States." 6 MS. BOLIN: And laws of the United States. 7 JUDGE POLLARD: "And of this state." 8 MS. BOLIN: And of this state. 9 JUDGE POLLARD: "So help you God." 10 MS. BOLIN: So help me God. 11 JUDGE POLLARD: Okay. Congratulations. 12 (Applause.) 13 JUDGE POLLARD: All right. "I," and your name. 14 MS. BOLIN: I, Rebecca Bolin. 15 JUDGE POLLARD: "Do solemnly swear or affirm." 16 MS. BOLIN: Do solemnly swear or affirm. 17 JUDGE POLLARD: "That I have not, directly or 18 indirectly." 19 MS. BOLIN: That I have not, directly or 20 indirectly. 21 JUDGE POLLARD: "Paid." 22 MS. BOLIN: Paid. 23 JUDGE POLLARD: "Offered." 24 MS. BOLIN: Offered. 25 JUDGE POLLARD: "Promised to pay." 1-1-15 14 1 MS. BOLIN: Promised to pay. 2 JUDGE POLLARD: "Contributed." 3 MS. BOLIN: Contributed. 4 JUDGE POLLARD: "Or promised to contribute." 5 MS. BOLIN: Or promised to contribute. 6 JUDGE POLLARD: "Any money or thing." 7 MS. BOLIN: Any money or thing. 8 JUDGE POLLARD: "Of value." 9 MS. BOLIN: Of value. 10 JUDGE POLLARD: "Or promised any public office." 11 MS. BOLIN: Or promised any public office. 12 JUDGE POLLARD: "Or employment." 13 MS. BOLIN: Or employment. 14 JUDGE POLLARD: "For the giving." 15 MS. BOLIN: For the giving. 16 JUDGE POLLARD: "Or withholding of a vote." 17 MS. BOLIN: Or withholding of a vote. 18 JUDGE POLLARD: "At the election." 19 MS. BOLIN: At the election. 20 JUDGE POLLARD: "At which I was elected." 21 MS. BOLIN: At which I was elected. 22 JUDGE POLLARD: "Or as a reward." 23 MS. BOLIN: Or as a reward. 24 JUDGE POLLARD: "To secure your appointment." 25 MS. BOLIN: To secure my appointment. 1-1-15 15 1 JUDGE POLLARD: "Or confirmation." 2 MS. BOLIN: Or confirmation. 3 JUDGE POLLARD: "Whichever the case may be." 4 MS. BOLIN: Whichever the case may be. 5 JUDGE POLLARD: "So help you God." 6 MS. BOLIN: So help me God. 7 JUDGE POLLARD: And it says under penalty of 8 perjury, you declare that you've read the foregoing 9 statements, and the facts stated therein are true, and it 10 requires your signature. Once again, congratulations. 11 (Applause.) 12 JUDGE POLLARD: Who'll be next? 13 COMMISSIONER REEVES: District Clerk. 14 JUDGE POLLARD: District Clerk. Do you have 15 anybody else that you wish to administer the oath to you, 16 Robbin? 17 MS. BURLEW: Judge Williams. 18 JUDGE POLLARD: Judge Williams? Okay. 19 (Discussion off the record.) 20 JUDGE WILLIAMS: All right. Robbin, welcome aboard 21 again. 22 MS. BURLEW: Thank you, sir. 23 JUDGE WILLIAMS: Robbin's done a great job; we look 24 forward to continuing to work with her and the District 25 Clerk's office. So, we're going to administer her oath. 1-1-15 16 1 Hold that, please. Raise your right hand. "I, Robbin 2 Burlew." 3 MS. BURLEW: I, Robbin Burlew. 4 JUDGE WILLIAMS: "Do solemnly swear." 5 MS. BURLEW: Do solemnly swear. 6 JUDGE WILLIAMS: "That I will faithfully execute." 7 MS. BURLEW: That I will faithfully execute. 8 JUDGE WILLIAMS: "The duties of the office." 9 MS. BURLEW: The duties of the office. 10 JUDGE WILLIAMS: "Of Kerr County District Clerk." 11 MS. BURLEW: Of Kerr County District Clerk. 12 JUDGE WILLIAMS: "Of the State of Texas." 13 MS. BURLEW: Of the State of Texas. 14 JUDGE WILLIAMS: "And will, to the best of my 15 ability." 16 MS. BURLEW: And will, to the best of my ability. 17 JUDGE WILLIAMS: "Preserve, protect, and defend." 18 MS. BURLEW: Preserve, protect, and defend. 19 JUDGE WILLIAMS: "The Constitution and laws." 20 MS. BURLEW: The Constitution and laws. 21 JUDGE WILLIAMS: "Of the United States." 22 MS. BURLEW: Of the United States. 23 JUDGE WILLIAMS: "And of this state." 24 MS. BURLEW: And of this state. 25 JUDGE WILLIAMS: "So help me God." 1-1-15 17 1 MS. BURLEW: So help me God. 2 JUDGE WILLIAMS: Congratulations. 3 (Applause.) 4 (Discussion off the record.) 5 COMMISSIONER MOSER: She looks good. 6 COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: You've changed. 7 MS. STEBBINS: Thanks. 8 (Discussion off the record.) 9 JUDGE EMERSON: Please raise your right hand. "I, 10 Heather Stebbins." 11 MS. STEBBINS: I, Heather Stebbins. 12 JUDGE EMERSON: "Do swear or affirm." 13 MS. STEBBINS: Do swear or affirm. 14 JUDGE EMERSON: "That I will faithfully execute." 15 MS. STEBBINS: That I will faithfully execute. 16 JUDGE EMERSON: "The duties of the office of County 17 Attorney of the State of Texas." 18 MS. STEBBINS: The duties of the office of County 19 Attorney of the State of Texas. 20 JUDGE EMERSON: "And will, to the best of my 21 ability." 22 MS. STEBBINS: And will, to the best of my ability. 23 JUDGE EMERSON: "Preserve." 24 MS. STEBBINS: Preserve. 25 JUDGE EMERSON: "Protect." 1-1-15 18 1 MS. STEBBINS: Protect. 2 JUDGE EMERSON: "And defend." 3 MS. STEBBINS: And defend. 4 JUDGE EMERSON: "The Constitution." 5 MS. STEBBINS: The Constitution. 6 JUDGE EMERSON: "And laws of the United States and 7 of this state." 8 MS. STEBBINS: And laws of the United States and of 9 this state. 10 JUDGE EMERSON: "So help me God." 11 MS. STEBBINS: So help me God. 12 JUDGE EMERSON: Congratulations. 13 MS. STEBBINS: Thank you. 14 (Applause.) 15 JUDGE POLLARD: Congratulations. 16 MS. STEBBINS: Thank you so much. 17 JUDGE EMERSON: You're welcome. 18 JUDGE POLLARD: Thank you, Judge. Kerr County 19 Treasurer, Tracy Soldan. 20 (Discussion off the record.) 21 JUDGE POLLARD: Raise your right hand and repeat 22 after me. "I," and your name. 23 MS. SOLDAN: I, Tracy Soldan. 24 JUDGE POLLARD: "Do solemnly swear." 25 MS. SOLDAN: Do solemnly swear. 1-1-15 19 1 JUDGE POLLARD: "That I will faithfully execute." 2 MS. SOLDAN: That I will faithfully execute. 3 JUDGE POLLARD: "The duties of the office." 4 MS. SOLDAN: The duties of the office. 5 JUDGE POLLARD: "Of Kerr County Treasurer." 6 MS. SOLDAN: Of Kerr County Treasurer. 7 JUDGE POLLARD: "Of the State of Texas." 8 MS. SOLDAN: Of the State of Texas. 9 JUDGE POLLARD: "And will, to the best." 10 MS. SOLDAN: And will, to the best. 11 JUDGE POLLARD: "Of my ability." 12 MS. SOLDAN: Of my ability. 13 JUDGE POLLARD: "Preserve." 14 MS. SOLDAN: Preserve. 15 JUDGE POLLARD: "Protect." 16 MS. SOLDAN: Protect. 17 JUDGE POLLARD: "And defend the Constitution." 18 MS. SOLDAN: And defend the Constitution. 19 JUDGE POLLARD: "And the laws." 20 MS. SOLDAN: And the laws. 21 JUDGE POLLARD: "Of the United States." 22 MS. SOLDAN: Of the United States. 23 JUDGE POLLARD: "And of this state." 24 MS. SOLDAN: And of this state. 25 JUDGE POLLARD: "So help you God." 1-1-15 20 1 MS. SOLDAN: So help me God. 2 JUDGE POLLARD: Congratulations. 3 (Applause.) 4 (Discussion off the record.) 5 JUDGE POLLARD: All right. Judge Williams, I'm up 6 next. Would you please swear me in? 7 JUDGE WILLIAMS: If you make me. (Laughter.) All 8 right, just a couple comments first. As most of you know, 9 Judge Pollard came in at a rather difficult time in our 10 county, after the loss of the -- of the County Judge, Pat 11 Tinley, and one of the -- one of the Commissioners, Bruce 12 Oehler. And it was a difficult time, and he stepped in and 13 has done a remarkable job. He just didn't miss a beat, and 14 has worked really, really hard. So, it's an honor for Judge 15 Emerson and I, Judge Brown, and of course Judge Harris, when 16 she's sworn in, to be working with Judge Pollard and the 17 Commissioners Court, and it's nice to have somebody with his 18 -- with his qualifications and his work ethic to be there. 19 So, we appreciate it. 20 JUDGE POLLARD: Thank you. (Applause.) 21 JUDGE WILLIAMS: Repeat after me -- do you need to 22 do it in one-word segments? 23 JUDGE POLLARD: Two words. (Laughter.) 24 JUDGE WILLIAMS: "I, Tom Pollard." 25 JUDGE POLLARD: I, Tom Pollard. 1-1-15 21 1 JUDGE WILLIAMS: "Do solemnly swear." 2 JUDGE POLLARD: Do solemnly swear. 3 JUDGE WILLIAMS: "That I will faithfully execute." 4 JUDGE POLLARD: That I will faithfully execute. 5 JUDGE WILLIAMS: "The duties of the office of Kerr 6 County Judge." 7 JUDGE POLLARD: The duties of the office of Kerr 8 County Judge. 9 JUDGE WILLIAMS: "Of the State of Texas." 10 JUDGE POLLARD: Of the State of Texas. 11 JUDGE WILLIAMS: "And will, to the best of my 12 ability." 13 JUDGE POLLARD: And will, to the best of my 14 ability. 15 JUDGE WILLIAMS: "Preserve, protect, and defend." 16 JUDGE POLLARD: Preserve, protect, and defend. 17 JUDGE WILLIAMS: "The Constitution and laws." 18 JUDGE POLLARD: The Constitution and laws. 19 JUDGE WILLIAMS: "Of the United States." 20 JUDGE POLLARD: Of the United States. 21 JUDGE WILLIAMS: "And of this state." 22 JUDGE POLLARD: And of this state. 23 JUDGE WILLIAMS: "So help me God." 24 JUDGE POLLARD: So help me God. 25 JUDGE WILLIAMS: You're on board. 1-1-15 22 1 (Applause.) 2 (Discussion off the record.) 3 JUDGE POLLARD: Who's next? 4 JUDGE WILLIAMS: Judge Emerson. Hi, Kelly. Happy 5 New Year. I can't go without stating a little bit about 6 Judge Emerson. This will be short, one- or two-word phrases. 7 But I have known many judges in district courts across the 8 state who don't have the kind of work companion that I do, 9 that have conflicts or egos clash or whatever the case may 10 be. And Judge Emerson not only has a very significant work 11 ethic, he's honorable and everybody respects his words and 12 the work that he does, but he knows what he's doing, and it's 13 -- we work together. We -- as y'all know, we co-judge in 14 Kerr County. He also has Bandera County, and then I have 15 Kendall County and Gillespie County, and we overlap in Kerr 16 County, and help each other all we can. So, it's really a 17 pleasure working with Judge Emerson, and y'all should all be 18 proud he's serving as your District Judge. 19 (Applause.) 20 JUDGE WILLIAMS: Repeat after me please. "I Rex 21 Emerson." 22 JUDGE EMERSON: I, Rex Emerson. 23 JUDGE WILLIAMS: "Do solemnly swear." 24 JUDGE EMERSON: Do solemnly swear. 25 JUDGE WILLIAMS: "That I will faithfully execute." 1-1-15 23 1 JUDGE EMERSON: That I will faithfully execute. 2 JUDGE WILLIAMS: "The duties of the office of Kerr 3 County" -- excuse me one second. 4 (Discussion off the record.) 5 JUDGE WILLIAMS: Okay. "That I will faithfully 6 execute." 7 JUDGE EMERSON: That I will faithfully execute. 8 JUDGE WILLIAMS: "The duties of the office of." 9 JUDGE EMERSON: The duties of the office of. 10 JUDGE WILLIAMS: "The 198th Judicial District 11 Court." 12 JUDGE EMERSON: The 198th Judicial District Court. 13 JUDGE WILLIAMS: "Of the State of Texas." 14 JUDGE EMERSON: Of the State of Texas. 15 JUDGE WILLIAMS: "And will, to the best of my 16 ability." 17 JUDGE EMERSON: And will, to the best of my 18 ability. 19 JUDGE WILLIAMS: "Preserve, protect, and defend." 20 JUDGE EMERSON: Preserve, protect, and defend. 21 JUDGE WILLIAMS: "The Constitution and laws." 22 JUDGE EMERSON: The Constitution and laws. 23 JUDGE WILLIAMS: "Of the United States." 24 JUDGE EMERSON: Of the United States. 25 JUDGE WILLIAMS: "And of this state." 1-1-15 24 1 JUDGE EMERSON: And of this state. 2 JUDGE WILLIAMS: "So help me God." 3 JUDGE EMERSON: So help me God. 4 JUDGE WILLIAMS: Congratulations. 5 JUDGE EMERSON: Thank you. 6 (Applause.) 7 (Discussion off the record.) 8 JUDGE POLLARD: All right. The next one is the 9 Kerr County Court at Law, Judge Brown and Judge-elect Susan 10 Harris. Please step forward. 11 (Discussion off the record.) 12 JUDGE BROWN: Let me just say that it's an honor 13 and a privilege to be able to swear Susan in. I think Kerr 14 County hit a home run when they elected her to County Court 15 at Law, and I think she's going to do a wonderful job. I'm 16 proud to be here. Okay, you will repeat after me. "I, Susan 17 Harris." 18 JUDGE HARRIS: I, Susan Harris. 19 JUDGE BROWN: "Do solemnly swear." 20 JUDGE HARRIS: Do solemnly swear. 21 JUDGE BROWN: "That I will execute -- that I will 22 faithfully." 23 JUDGE HARRIS: That I will faithfully. 24 JUDGE BROWN: "Execute the duties." 25 JUDGE HARRIS: Execute the duties. 1-1-15 25 1 JUDGE BROWN: "Of the office." 2 JUDGE HARRIS: Of the office. 3 JUDGE BROWN: "Of Kerr County Court at Law Judge." 4 JUDGE HARRIS: Of Kerr County Court at Law Judge. 5 JUDGE BROWN: "Of the State of Texas." 6 JUDGE HARRIS: Of the State of Texas. 7 JUDGE BROWN: "And will." 8 JUDGE HARRIS: And will. 9 JUDGE BROWN: "To the best of my ability." 10 JUDGE HARRIS: To the best of my ability. 11 JUDGE BROWN: "Preserve, protect, and defend." 12 JUDGE HARRIS: Preserve, protect, and defend. 13 JUDGE BROWN: "The Constitution." 14 JUDGE HARRIS: The Constitution. 15 JUDGE BROWN: "And the laws of the United States." 16 JUDGE HARRIS: And the laws of the United States. 17 JUDGE BROWN: "And of this state." 18 JUDGE HARRIS: And of this state. 19 JUDGE BROWN: "So help me God." 20 JUDGE HARRIS: So help me God. 21 JUDGE BROWN: Congratulations. 22 (Applause.) 23 (Discussion off the record.) 24 JUDGE POLLARD: Congratulations. 25 JUDGE BROWN: And I hereby relinquish my parking 1-1-15 26 1 space to Susan. (Laughter and applause.) 2 JUDGE POLLARD: Next is Justice of the Peace, 3 Precinct 1, Mitzi French. Is there someone you want to 4 administer the oath? 5 JUDGE FRENCH: You can do it. 6 JUDGE POLLARD: I'll be honored. Okay, raise your 7 right hand and repeat after me. "I, Mitzi French." 8 JUDGE FRENCH: I, Mitzi French. 9 JUDGE POLLARD: "Do solemnly swear." 10 JUDGE FRENCH: Do solemnly swear. 11 JUDGE POLLARD: "That I will faithfully." 12 JUDGE FRENCH: That I will faithfully. 13 JUDGE POLLARD: "Execute the duties of the office." 14 JUDGE FRENCH: Execute the duties of the office. 15 JUDGE POLLARD: "Of Justice of the Peace, 16 Precinct 1." 17 JUDGE FRENCH: Of Justice of the Peace, Precinct 1. 18 JUDGE POLLARD: "Of the State of Texas." 19 JUDGE FRENCH: Of the State of Texas. 20 JUDGE POLLARD: "And will." 21 JUDGE FRENCH: And will. 22 JUDGE POLLARD: "To the best of my ability." 23 JUDGE FRENCH: To the best of my ability. 24 JUDGE POLLARD: "Preserve." 25 JUDGE FRENCH: Preserve. 1-1-15 27 1 JUDGE POLLARD: "Protect." 2 JUDGE FRENCH: Protect. 3 JUDGE POLLARD: "And defend the Constitution." 4 JUDGE FRENCH: And defend the Constitution. 5 JUDGE POLLARD: "And laws of the United States." 6 JUDGE FRENCH: And laws of the United States. 7 JUDGE POLLARD: "And of this state." 8 JUDGE FRENCH: And of this state. 9 JUDGE POLLARD: "So help you God." 10 JUDGE FRENCH: So help me God. 11 JUDGE POLLARD: Congratulations. 12 (Applause.) 13 JUDGE POLLARD: Justice of the Peace, Precinct 2. 14 Morning, Judge Hoyne. 15 JUDGE HOYNE: Morning, Judge. 16 JUDGE POLLARD: Is there somebody you've chosen to 17 do the oath? 18 JUDGE HOYNE: If you would, sir. 19 JUDGE POLLARD: I would be honored to. Raise your 20 right hand and repeat after me. I, J.R. Hoyne." 21 JUDGE HOYNE: I, J.R. Hoyne. 22 JUDGE POLLARD: "Do solemnly swear." 23 JUDGE HOYNE: Do solemnly swear. 24 JUDGE POLLARD: "That I will faithfully execute." 25 JUDGE HOYNE: That I will faithfully execute. 1-1-15 28 1 JUDGE POLLARD: "The duties of the office." 2 JUDGE HOYNE: The duties of the office. 3 JUDGE POLLARD: "Of Justice of the Peace, 4 Precinct 2." 5 JUDGE HOYNE: Of Justice of the Peace, Precinct 2. 6 JUDGE POLLARD: "Of the State of Texas." 7 JUDGE HOYNE: Of the great State of Texas. 8 JUDGE POLLARD: "And will, to the best of my 9 ability." 10 JUDGE HOYNE: And will, to the best of my ability. 11 JUDGE POLLARD: "Preserve." 12 JUDGE HOYNE: Preserve. 13 JUDGE POLLARD: "Protect." 14 JUDGE HOYNE: Protect. 15 JUDGE POLLARD: "And defend." 16 JUDGE HOYNE: And defend. 17 JUDGE POLLARD: "The Constitution." 18 JUDGE HOYNE: The Constitution. 19 JUDGE POLLARD: "And the laws." 20 JUDGE HOYNE: And the laws. 21 JUDGE POLLARD: "Of the United States." 22 JUDGE HOYNE: Of the United States. 23 JUDGE POLLARD: "And of this state." 24 JUDGE HOYNE: And of this state. 25 JUDGE POLLARD: "So help you God. 1-1-15 29 1 JUDGE HOYNE: So help me God. 2 JUDGE POLLARD: Congratulations. 3 (Applause.) 4 JUDGE POLLARD: One more on the second page. 5 (Discussion off the record.) 6 JUDGE POLLARD: Justice of the Peace, Precinct 7 Number 3. Is there somebody you'd like to administer the 8 oath? 9 (Low-voice remark off the record.) 10 JUDGE POLLARD: Okay, I'll be honored to do it. I 11 can't remember anything. All right. Raise your right hand 12 and repeat after me. "I, Kathy Mitchell." 13 JUDGE MITCHELL: I, Kathy Mitchell. 14 JUDGE POLLARD: "Do solemnly swear." 15 JUDGE MITCHELL: Do solemnly swear. 16 JUDGE POLLARD: "That I will faithfully." 17 JUDGE MITCHELL: That I will faithfully. 18 JUDGE POLLARD: "Execute the duties." 19 JUDGE MITCHELL: Execute the duties. 20 JUDGE POLLARD: "Of the office." 21 JUDGE MITCHELL: Of the office. 22 JUDGE POLLARD: Of Justice of the Peace, Precinct 23 Number 3." 24 JUDGE MITCHELL: Of Justice of the Peace, Precinct 25 Number 3. 1-1-15 30 1 JUDGE POLLARD: "Of the State of Texas." 2 JUDGE MITCHELL: Of the State of Texas. 3 JUDGE POLLARD: "And will." 4 JUDGE MITCHELL: And will. 5 JUDGE POLLARD: "To the best of my ability." 6 JUDGE MITCHELL: To the best of my ability. 7 JUDGE POLLARD: "Preserve." 8 JUDGE MITCHELL: Preserve. 9 JUDGE POLLARD: "Protect." 10 JUDGE MITCHELL: Protect. 11 JUDGE POLLARD: "And defend." 12 JUDGE MITCHELL: And defend. 13 JUDGE POLLARD: "The Constitution and laws." 14 JUDGE MITCHELL: The Constitution and laws. 15 JUDGE POLLARD: "Of the United States." 16 JUDGE MITCHELL: Of the United States. 17 JUDGE POLLARD: "And of this state." 18 JUDGE MITCHELL: And of this state. 19 JUDGE POLLARD: "So help you God." 20 JUDGE MITCHELL: So help me God. 21 JUDGE POLLARD: Congratulations. 22 (Applause.) 23 (Discussion off the record.) 24 JUDGE POLLARD: Okay, thank you. Precinct 1 25 Commissioner, she just told me Precinct 3 is a charm. 1-1-15 31 1 (Laughter.) 2 COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: She could be drinking this 3 early, too. (Laughter.) 4 COMMISSIONER MOSER: That was pretty quick. 5 JUDGE POLLARD: I wonder if anyone has ever seen a 6 time when he didn't have something to say. (Laughter.) 7 COMMISSIONER MOSER: Go ahead. 8 COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: That's why I'm number one. 9 (Laughter.) 10 JUDGE POLLARD: Did it always have something 11 important to include? Careful. 12 COMMISSIONER MOSER: Judge, you're not going to 13 win; just leave it alone. (Laughter.) 14 JUDGE POLLARD: All right. Justice of the Peace, 15 Precinct Number 4, Judge Ragsdale. 16 JUDGE EMERSON: Thank you. "I, William E. 17 Ragsdale." 18 JUDGE RAGSDALE: I, William E. Ragsdale. 19 JUDGE EMERSON: "Do solemnly swear or affirm." 20 JUDGE RAGSDALE: Do solemnly swear or affirm. 21 JUDGE EMERSON: "That I will faithfully execute." 22 JUDGE RAGSDALE: That I will faithfully execute. 23 JUDGE EMERSON: "The duties of the office." 24 JUDGE RAGSDALE: The duties of the office. 25 JUDGE EMERSON: "Of Justice of the Peace, 1-1-15 32 1 Precinct 4, of the State of Texas." 2 JUDGE RAGSDALE: Of Justice of the Peace, 3 Precinct 4, of the State of Texas. 4 JUDGE EMERSON: "And will, to the best of my 5 ability." 6 JUDGE RAGSDALE: And will, to the best of my 7 ability. 8 JUDGE EMERSON: "Preserve, protect, and defend." 9 JUDGE RAGSDALE: Preserve, protect, and defend. 10 JUDGE EMERSON: "The Constitution and the laws." 11 JUDGE RAGSDALE: The Constitution and the laws. 12 JUDGE EMERSON: "Of the United States and of this 13 state." 14 JUDGE RAGSDALE: Of the United States and of this 15 state. 16 JUDGE EMERSON: "So help me God." 17 JUDGE RAGSDALE: So help me God. 18 JUDGE EMERSON: Congratulations. 19 (Applause.) 20 (Discussion off the record.) 21 JUDGE POLLARD: Kerr County Surveyor. 22 JUDGE EMERSON: I should have worn my maroon tie. 23 "I, Lee C. Voelkel." 24 MR. VOELKEL: I, Lee C. Voelkel. 25 JUDGE EMERSON: "Do solemnly swear or affirm." 1-1-15 33 1 MR. VOELKEL: Do solemnly swear or affirm. 2 JUDGE EMERSON: "That I will faithfully execute." 3 MR. VOELKEL: That I will faithfully execute. 4 JUDGE EMERSON: "The duties of the office." 5 MR. VOELKEL: The duties of the office. 6 JUDGE EMERSON: "Of Kerr County Surveyor." 7 MR. VOELKEL: Of Kerr County Surveyor. 8 JUDGE EMERSON: "Of the State of Texas." 9 MR. VOELKEL: Of the State of Texas. 10 JUDGE EMERSON: "And will, to the best of my 11 ability." 12 MR. VOELKEL: And will, to the best of my ability. 13 JUDGE EMERSON: "Preserve, protect, and defend." 14 MR. VOELKEL: Preserve, protect, and defend. 15 JUDGE EMERSON: "The Constitution and laws." 16 MR. VOELKEL: The Constitution and laws. 17 JUDGE EMERSON: "Of the United States and of this 18 state." 19 MR. VOELKEL: Of the United States and of this 20 state. 21 JUDGE EMERSON: "So help me God." 22 MR. VOELKEL: So help me God. 23 JUDGE EMERSON: Congratulations. 24 (Applause.) 25 JUDGE BROWN: For those of you that don't know it, 1-1-15 34 1 that's the ninth time that he's been sworn in. 2 (Applause.) 3 COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: We're going to talk about 4 doubling his salary this time. (Laughter.) Lee, this is 5 nine times? 6 MR. VOELKEL: The beginning of the -- yes, this is 7 the ninth. 8 COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: Are you a slow learner or 9 what? (Laughter.) 10 MR. VOELKEL: Whenever you tell me it's time to go, 11 I'll go. (Laughter.) 12 JUDGE POLLARD: You might ask him that. 13 MR. VOELKEL: Right. 14 COMMISSIONER MOSER: Okay, there's your chance. 15 Are you going to leave that alone? 16 COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: I think we need to double 17 his salary, though. 18 MR. VOELKEL: I do too. Thank you. 19 JUDGE POLLARD: What are we down to, 1.6? 20 COMMISSIONER LETZ: 1.5. 21 JUDGE POLLARD: 1.5. I still have this bad one. 22 1.5; approve applications to appoint deputies or assistants 23 of all other elected officials whose terms of office continue 24 or commence on January 1, 2015. Are there any deputies? 25 (County Clerk handed a document to Judge Pollard.) 1-1-15 35 1 COMMISSIONER LETZ: Do we need a motion? I move 2 approval. 3 COMMISSIONER BALDWIN: Second. 4 JUDGE POLLARD: All right. So that the crowd will 5 know what it is, it's an application by Rebecca Bolin, as the 6 Kerr County Clerk, to appoint deputies in her office, and 7 it's dated January 1, 2015, and notarized by Dawn Lantz. 8 That's the motion. It's been moved and seconded. Those in 9 favor of the motion, signify by raising your right hand. 10 (The motion carried by unanimous vote, 4-0.) 11 JUDGE POLLARD: It's 4-0, unanimous. Good, we're 12 through with that. Thank you. Any others? All right. 1.6; 13 swear in Directors of Headwaters Groundwater Conservation 14 District. Are there any directors here for that? 15 MR. BELEW: Supposed to be another one. 16 JUDGE POLLARD: You have another one? 17 (Discussion off the record.) 18 MR. BELEW: This is my family, the ones that could 19 be here today. 20 JUDGE POLLARD: Okay. 21 MR. BELEW: Well, the ones that really care about 22 me. (Laughter.) 23 JUDGE POLLARD: There's some that don't really care 24 about you? Okay. All right. Let's see, this one right 25 here? 1-1-15 36 1 MR. BELEW: I guess so. I didn't proofread this 2 thing. 3 JUDGE POLLARD: Okay. All right. "I," and then 4 say your name. 5 MR. BELEW: I, Harley Belew. 6 JUDGE POLLARD: "Do solemnly swear." 7 MR. BELEW: Do solemnly swear. 8 JUDGE POLLARD: "That I will faithfully execute." 9 MR. BELEW: That I will faithfully execute. 10 JUDGE POLLARD: "The duties of the office." 11 MR. BELEW: The duties of the office. 12 JUDGE POLLARD: "Of" -- state your position. 13 MR. BELEW: Of Headwaters board, Precinct 1. 14 JUDGE POLLARD: All right. "Of the State of 15 Texas." 16 MR. BELEW: Of the State of Texas. 17 JUDGE POLLARD: "And will, to the best of my 18 ability." 19 MR. BELEW: And will, to the best of my ability. 20 JUDGE POLLARD: "Preserve, protect, and defend." 21 MR. BELEW: Preserve, protect, and defend. 22 JUDGE POLLARD: "The Constitution and laws." 23 MR. BELEW: The Constitution and laws. 24 JUDGE POLLARD: "Of the United States and of this 25 state." 1-1-15 37 1 MR. BELEW: Of the United States and of this state. 2 JUDGE POLLARD: "So help you God." 3 MR. BELEW: So help me God. 4 JUDGE POLLARD: Congratulations. 5 (Applause.) 6 JUDGE POLLARD: Guess it needs to be -- Dawn? Can 7 Dawn Lantz step forward, please? It says another officer; I 8 guess that's an officer -- I can do it? Okay. All right, 9 thank you. 10 (Discussion off the record.) 11 JUDGE POLLARD: Thanks again. Take it with you. 12 Is that it? All right, I think that concludes the -- I think 13 that concludes the agenda today. Is there a motion to 14 adjourn? 15 COMMISSIONER MOSER: So moved. 16 COMMISSIONER LETZ: Second. 17 COMMISSIONER REEVES: Second. 18 JUDGE POLLARD: It's been moved and seconded. 19 Those in favor, signify by raising your right hand. 20 (The motion carried by unanimous vote, 4-0.) 21 JUDGE POLLARD: It's 4-0, unanimous. We're 22 adjourned. Thank you. 23 (Commissioners Court adjourned at 10:47 a.m.) 24 - - - - - - - - - - 25 1-1-15 38 1 STATE OF TEXAS | 2 COUNTY OF KERR | 3 The above and foregoing is a true and complete 4 transcription of my stenotype notes taken in my capacity as 5 official reporter for the Commissioners Court of Kerr County, 6 Texas, at the time and place heretofore set forth. 7 DATED at Kerrville, Texas, this 2nd day of January, 8 2015. 9 10 REBECCA BOLIN, Kerr County Clerk 11 BY: _________________________________ Kathy Banik, Deputy County Clerk 12 Certified Shorthand Reporter 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 1-1-15