As county officials across Texas continue the daily work of serving our communities, the actions taken in Austin during each legislative session have a direct impact on our ability to do that job effectively. Counties are on the front lines of delivering essential services. Because of this, the decisions made by the Texas Legislature can either strengthen or strain our ability … [Read more...] about What Counties Need From the Legislature
CJCAT
Resolution Spotlight: Juvenile Funding
County governments provided approximately 73 percent of the total funding for juvenile probation departments in FY 2024, according to the 2025 Texas Juvenile Justice Department (TJJD) Rider Report to the Governor and Legislative Budget Board. This percentage has historically been as high as 75 percent, confirmed Windy Johnson, program manager for the Conference of Urban … [Read more...] about Resolution Spotlight: Juvenile Funding
Groundwater Issues for Counties
As those who lived through the drought of record in the 1950s can attest, there are three certainties in Texas: Death, Taxes, and Drought. When rain is scarce, reservoirs evaporate and available groundwater becomes an imperative. It is also clear that the present rate of growth in urban areas cannot be sustained with surface water. With unlimited finances, the cities can afford … [Read more...] about Groundwater Issues for Counties
The Future of Rural Texas
With the advent of motor vehicles and mechanized agriculture, the future of rural Texas changed drastically in the last century. Previously, the agrarian economy encouraged rural population growth with small regional towns. Labor-intensive farming and ranching required a large, physically fit labor force. The lack of development of large-scale manufacturing and transportation … [Read more...] about The Future of Rural Texas
Resolution Spotlight: Support for County Road Grant Funds
Over a five-year period, TxDOT data shows a consistent and alarming trend: Nearly 7 percent of all traffic fatalities in Texas occur on county roads each year. “That’s a significant share of the state’s roadway deaths occurring on roads that counties struggle to maintain with limited and outdated resources,” observed Cass County Judge Travis Ransom. One of those outdated … [Read more...] about Resolution Spotlight: Support for County Road Grant Funds