Highlights From San Antonio

The office of the Texas county judge is described, deciphered and detailed in a variety of legal documents and training materials. But sometimes the unwritten rules are among the most valuable.
Austin County Judge Carolyn Bilski shared a few of these worthwhile tenets during the 74th Annual South Texas County Judges and Commissioners Association Conference June 23-26, when some 380 officials convened in San Antonio to learn the latest issues affecting grassroots government. Bilski was tasked with the topic “County Judge,” representing one of eight hours of Commissioners Court Advanced Curriculum offered at the educational meeting.
When it comes to being the county judge, “you have to have really good sense to be successful,” Bilski told her audience. “When you don’t know, you call a recess and check it out.”
Bilski encouraged county judges to acquire detailed knowledge of those job functions in which the county judge signs the time sheet. If the employee is not available, then “I have to know enough about that job to serve a citizen, especially if that citizen took time off from work to get to the courthouse.”
Bilski’s other personal recommendations included:
Do not burn a bridge or carry a grudge. “There no place in public service for grudges,” she maintained.
Develop a soft heart but a strong back.
Commit yourself to community involvement.
Learn to be courteous.
Master your math. “You have to take a budget or financial statement, tear it apart, and explain what is going on,” Bilski said.
Keep physically fit in case you have to stay up all night helping evacuees find emergency shelters.
Learn to develop a long-term vision.
“It’s so much more than a position or a title,” Bilski said. “Being a county judge is a commitment.”
Several other speakers throughout the conference referenced commitment, including Jim Allison, general counsel for the County Judges and Commissioners Association of Texas.
“What we have is a team approach to the legislative program,” Allison told county judges and commissioners, alluding to a county family comprised of officials and professional organizations which unites every other year to protect and promote county interests during sessions of the Texas Legislature.
Allison encouraged commissioners court members to commit to meeting with their senators and representatives. In fact, Sen. Letiticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio, labeled her county commissioner “as one of my dearest friends and mentors.”
Van de Putte was one of several members of the Legislature who participated in a conference panel discussion on interim studies. Allison, who mediated the panel, reminded officials that members of the Legislature are faced with a host of issues and, generally speaking, are not able to serve as experts in each area.
“It’s up to us to educate them on our issues,” Allison said. “Try to give them a working knowledge of what these issues are and the solutions you might need.”
Many of these issues and proposed solutions are detailed in the 26 resolutions passed by the South Texas Region during their Annual Business Meeting.
Additional Association business was conducted at Host Court Night, where officials welcomed their new slate of officers: President Debbie Gonzales Ingalsbe, Hays County commissioner; First Vice President Roger Galvan, Calhoun County commissioner; and Second Vice President J.D. Salinas, Hidalgo County judge. The Association also thanked Lee County Judge Evan Gonzales, outgoing president, for his years of service to the South Texas County Judges and Commissioners Association.
Julie Anderson