Written by Amanda Coers – The Brown County Commissioners Court was held at 9 a.m. at the Brown County Courthouse on January 2, 2018 to discuss agenda items which included a proposal to continue a contract with Bob Turner Rural Consulting.
Bob Turner served as a Democratic representative for Texas House District 73 from 1991 to 2003. As part of his consulting services, Bob Turner has been representing Brownwood and Brown County for the past six years. Through his involvement with the Texas House, Senate and State Agencies, Turner was tasked with representing the Brown County area in Austin and keeping the community informed of legislation that would impact the area, both negatively and positively.
The total cost of the two-year contract is just over $40,000. Previously the fee was divided six ways between the City of Brownwood, the Brownwood Area Chamber of Commerce, the Brownwood Municipal Development District, Brown County, and the Brown County Water Improvement District, along with the City of Early. With the different entities sharing the cost, each could receive the consultant services for around $3,600 per year.
On Tuesday, December 13, 2017, the Brownwood City Council approved the continuation of the contract for services, however the Early City Council declined to move forward during their meeting that same day.
During that same month, the Brownwood Chamber of Commerce, the Brownwood Municipal Development District, and the Brown County Water Improvement District voted to approve the agreement.
The issue was brought before the commissioners court on Monday, December 18, 2017. With the absence of two of the four county commissioners, the court tabled action on the agenda item until Tuesday, January 2, 2018.
Present to address the commissioners regarding this matter were Vann Stewart, Margaret Coleman, Daniel Graham, Julia Taylor, Ronnie Taylor, and Ray Tipton.
Former Brownwood Mayor Bert V. Massey II was present but did not publicly address the court.
First to speak was Vann Stewart who explained Turner’s services were necessary for the county.
“I know each one of y’all, and I know what y’all do,” Stewart began in her statements to the commissioners. “I know that there are other things that you do to make a living. I do not expect y’all to be looking through thousands of bills that are filed, and hope you find one that covers Brown County. And if you are lucky enough to find one, that you have the contacts to go and get the issue solved. That’s what these guys do for a living.”
Margaret Coleman also addressed the commissioners in support of continuing the agreement to pay a portion of the fee for Bob Turner’s services.
Next to speak was Daniel Graham who had previously shared his thoughts with the commissioners regarding the agenda item.
“I’m against this proposal, at the last meeting the terms I referred to, the issues that I see in this topic are efficiency and redundancy. It’s my understanding that the Texas Association of Counties has a lobbyist down at the legislature and it’s my understanding that you all have the ability to contact that lobbyist on the county’s behalf and get the information we need in that way,” Graham stated.
“For all our government officials, and I would say government at large, we’re all looking for transparency and accountability. That’s why we’re here this morning. That’s what we want to see in all of the relations with the state and federal government,” he continued. “From the media coverage what has really stood out to me is that this process has seemed very one-sided.”
Daniel Graham was interrupted by County Judge Ray West who interjected, “Don’t ever rely on the media coverage.”
“Exclusively, no,” Graham continued. “I have done some independent research on my own. But what I have observed both from the media and from my own research is that it seemed very one-sided. It seems to me that if this is really necessary and really a benefit, then you all would be making the case. You would be telling us about how great this is.”
Judge West spoke to Daniel Graham after he had concluded his comments.
“Before you leave I want to point out a few things. You said that Texas Association has a lobbyist. Let’s make it clear that the Texas Association of Counties’ lobbyist is only on issues that affect all counties,” Judge West said. “They represent and have, whether they’re insurance contracts or just representation contracts, with metropolitan counties and counties our size and smaller. They represent rural Texas and metropolitan Texas. If there is a conflict between the two, which there very often is, they will not lobby for or against a bill. So it’s not like we have a lobbyist. We do. You and I discussed this in private one day, and you heard my opinion.”
Julia Taylor came forward to address the commissioners, sharing her concerns regarding the continuation of using tax dollars to fund lobbyists.
“There are numerous tax-payer funded lobbyists paid for throughout associations for entities as you had just explained, for cities, chambers of commerce, water districts, EDCs, and our own groups the TAC and CJCAT. I can only hope that through these associations, policies that represent the tax payer are being considered,” Taylor said. “I only have 13 or so of the newsletters from the lobbyist for this last year. They are filled with general comments of the goings on at the capitol. There is nothing mentioned on policy or upcoming legislation.”
She continued, “One of the legislative update letters that particularly infuriated me was the one dated February 22, 2017, where the lobbyist accounted the fundraiser he helped host for US Democratic Senator Debbie Stabenow, from Michigan. I would never want my tax money funding such an event, but it did. Was this event something that directly benefited Brown County?”
After asking the commissioners about what contact they’ve had from Bob Turner, Julia Taylor urged the court to not continue the agreement to pay for his services.
She finished her comments with a quote from Thomas Jefferson which states, “To compel a man to furnish funds for the propagation of ideas he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical.”
“Who said that?” Judge West asked, to which Taylor again explained, “Thomas Jefferson.”
Ronnie Taylor also addressed the commissioners, stating he felt lobbyism distorts the process of government and leads to corruption.
Brownwood Chamber of Commerce Director Ray Tipton was present before the commissioners to answer any questions they might have. He also provided a brief history of how the agreement to contract for Bob Turner’s services originally transpired.
“The whole idea of hiring Bob Turner in the first place started back in 2010 with the chamber’s legislative affairs committee, which you’re a part of judge, and all the entities who’ve been a part of this,” Tipton said. “Really it was a collective idea to say we need an extra set of eyes and ears in Austin, looking out for Brown County. From my perspective and from the chamber’s prospective it’s all about jobs. Protecting our local jobs, especially from the state agencies because there’s a lot of state agencies here that employ a lot of our friends and neighbors. And those initial discussions were about protecting those jobs.”
With no questions from the commissioners for Tipton, each was given an opportunity to share their feelings on the agenda item.
“I’ve been a commissioner for 11 years now and I have yet to receive a report from Turner,” Precinct 2 Commissioner Joel Kelton said. “I talked to Mike Lang and he concurs he has not really seen or heard from them.”
Kelton also said, “I’ve questioned this before, and I question it again,” regarding continuing to pay for Turner’s services.
Precinct 3 Commissioner Wayne Shaw spoke next, saying the county had recently made cuts to local programs like the Good Samaritan Ministry which feeds over 1,000 families each month from their food bank, and decisions were made not to give raises to county employees as the budget was adjusted.
“I’m not for sending money somewhere that I don’t feel does us all that much good,” Shaw said.
Precinct 4 Commissioner Larry Traweek shared he had received a lot of calls from residents in his precinct, and told the court, “I will vote for what the majority of Precinct 4 has told me they want.”
Precinct 1 Commissioner Gary Worley explained, “I am on the legislative committee for the Texas Association of Counties. I’ve been called upon by TAC to come to Austin and testify for numerous bills or sit in on some committee hearings. I get newsletters from TAC almost weekly. I don’t get Bob Turner’s newsletters except when the chamber forwards them to me. But I’ve made numerous trips to Austin this legislative session, and testified on numerous bills.”
Judge West asked for the court to entertain a motion, to which Commissioner Traweek moved to approve the proposal to renew Legislative Consulting Agreement with Bob Turner. Judge West then asked for a second for the motion. There was none offered.
“The motion fails for lack of a second,” Judge West declared. “There will be no contract renewal for former representative Bob Turner.”
An audio of the Commissioners’ Court in full can be heard here:
