Another end-run around the Commissioners Court?
By LPR Staff
Editor/POST-REGISTER
According to a meeting notice posted just before 9 a.m. on Thursday morning, Caldwell County Judge Tom Bonn will meet with the District Judges at 8:30 a.m. to discuss establishing the position of Caldwell County Purchasing Agent and establishing a salary, code of ethics and job posting for the position.
The
meeting will be held under the premise of the Texas Local Government Code, Section 262.011, which allows the jurisdictional District Judges and the County Judge to establish a board to appoint a purchasing agent for a two-year term in counties with a population less than 150,000.
The Commissioners Court voted on March 25 to refrain from adopting the Caldwell County Purchasing Policies Manual and Code of Ethics, tabling the initiatives until they were able to review the policies further.
Commissioners Joe Roland, Neto Madrigal and Alfredo Munoz all voted at that time against adopting the job description of purchasing agent and appointing an existing employee into the position of Purchasing Manager.
Bonn and Commissioner Fred Buchholtz disagreed on both votes. However, a companion agenda item during that meeting, which would have approved the budget transfer to complete the department, was unanimously declined.
Despite the concerns of the three-member majority in taking steps to create a purchasing department, that is exactly what could happen on Tuesday morning, when Bonn meets with District Judges Todd Blomerth, Jack Robison and Bruce Boyer to discuss the creation of the position.
The meeting is scheduled in the 421st District Courtroom at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, June 18, 2013.
Watch next week’s Post-Register for results of the meeting.
It might be time to consider the possibility of a recall. 2014 is too far away to let this continue.