Commissioners' Court votes to abolish Justice of the Peace Precinct 7, Place 2 position

The Cameron County Commissioners’ Court on Tuesday voted to eliminate the Justice of the Peace Precinct 7, Place 2 position, but the vote was not unanimous.

The decision was reached after about two hours of discussion between the Commissioners’ Court and Justice of the Peace Dan Sanchez during a special meeting.

Sanchez voiced several reasons why the position should not be eliminated.

He indicated the move to abolish it was part of the county judge’s agenda and was an "11th hour" action by some members of the Commissioners’ Court. He said shutting down the office would be unfair to residents living in the precinct, which is in western Cameron County.

County Judge Carlos H. Cascos and Commissioners David Garza and Edna Tamayo voted in favor of eliminating the position, while Commissioners John Wood and Sofia C. Benavides voted against.

Wood said eliminating the position would be a disservice to the constituents in the area while Benavides said the county should have held public hearings in the precinct to receive feedback from residents.

"You (Cascos) waited until the last minute and I see it as your timeline," said a frustrated Wood, referring to the upcoming candidate filing deadline for the justice of the peace precinct that is based in La Feria.

Cascos disputed the claim and reiterated his statements that eliminating the position was not an attack on Sanchez, who is a practicing attorney.

The county judge said eliminating a justice of the peace position is something he has talked about for years.

"This is nothing new," Cascos said.

The decision needed to be reached on Tuesday because the filing date for candidates interested in running for Sanchez’s position in 2011 is about two days away.

Cascos, who believes the county has too many justices of the peace compared to other counties, placed the item to eliminate the position on the meeting agenda. He cited neighboring Hidalgo County, which has 45 percent more people than Cameron County, but has only nine justices of the peace compared to Cameron County’s 11.

He also said Cameron County has the second highest number of justices of the peace in the state. Harris County has the highest number at 16, according to figures provided by the county’ judge’s office.

Cascos said the number of cases filed in the justices of the peace offices in La Feria didn’t warrant a need for two sitting judges. He said eliminating the position was based on the caseloads handled by the office. Also based in La Feria, is Justice of the Peace Adam Gonzales.

A review of all justices of the peace office revealed that Sanchez’s office is producing the least number of cases, he said.

According to figures provided by the County Auditor’s Office, Sanchez’s office had 1,813 cases in fiscal year 2009. Justice of the Peace Rolando Muniz, Precinct 4, Place 1 had the next lowest number of cases filed at 2,137. Muniz is the only justice of the peace assigned to Precinct 4.

Garza said the duties of county officials are to serve and help the people of the county.

"We are not here to provide a check for a job. We are here to provide a service," Garza said, adding, "The easiest thing to do is to be politically correct and to do nothing."

The county justices, except for one, earn a salary of $44,848 a year. They also receive a yearly $5,400 auto allowance and a $960 stipend for a cell phone.

Although Sanchez admitted to not being in his office at all times, he said he spent his afternoons in the office and was accessible to constituents.

Sanchez’s position will be eliminated at the end of his term, Dec. 31, 2010.

The decision of the Commissioners’ Court still needs to be approved by the U.S. Department of Justice, which should take about 60 days, said county attorney Bruce Hodge.

Between now and then, anyone who disagrees with the Commissioners’ Court decision can file a complaint with the DOJ for review, Hodge said.

Minutes after the decision was reached, Sanchez said he was shocked by Tamayo’s vote to eliminate his job since she represents his precinct.

"I might have expected it from the county judge because things have been backwards in the county since he took office, but I didn’t expect it from Commissioner Tamayo. ... It didn’t make sense," Sanchez said.

Cascos said it was unfortunate that Sanchez assumed the decision was a political one and that he (Cascos) is only one vote on Commissioners’ Court.

"I’m only one member. It’s unfortunate for him to take the position he did. It’s not about him. It’s about the efficiency of the county government. There’s proof in the numbers."

Sanchez claimed that the decision appeared to have been a done deal prior to the meeting and suggested the meeting was just a formality. However, Sanchez did not say exactly what was political about Casco’s desire to eliminate the position.

"If they will do this to an elected official what are they doing to the voters of the county?" he asked.

Sanchez said although he will think about sending a letter to the DOJ, he doesn’t believe taking legal action against Cameron County would be fair to taxpayers.

The justice of the peace added he will fulfill the rest of the term.