The Colony Courier-Leader (The Colony, Tex.), Vol. 39, No. 13, Ed. 1 Sunday, May 5, 2019 Page: 4 of 12
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4A, starlocalmedia.com
The Colony Courier Leader
Sunday, May 5,2019
- ZCVAFLVTENNEIVA
TO SUBMIT YOUR
STORY IDEAS
OR PHOTOGRAPHS,
EMAIL CROARK@
STARLOCAL
MEDIA.COM
VOICES
What does a county
commissioner do?
Denton County Commis-
sioners Court oversees a
number of duties ranging
from financial management
to maintaining county roads
and bridges to overseeing the
courthouse and other facili-
ties.
to the state legislature to determine specifics.
The Constitution of 1876 set up the Commis-
sioners Court as we know it today. While it is
the administrative body of the county, there
are numerous independently elected county
officers. The delegation of specific duties to
RON
MARCHANT
Each of four commissioners Denton County
Commissioner,
represents one of four pre- Precinct 2
cincts in each county in the
state of Texas. As a member of
the elected offices prevented the centraliza-
tion of power within any body or group.
Counties are considered a subdivision of the
state. While they have been delegated certain
powers by the state, they remain under state
control. The state legislature can pass down
COURTESY OF DENTON COUNTY
Pictured are, from left, Hugh Coleman (Precinct 1), Dianne Edmondson (Precinct 4), Ron Marchant
(Precinct 2), Bobbie Mitchell (Precinct 3) and County Judge Andy Eads.
the court, commissioners exercise broad pol- mandates, some which may be funded and oth-
icy-making authority to conduct the general ers, not.
business of the county.
In a high growth region such as Denton
Several key components of a commission- County - among the top 10 fastest growing in
er’s job is to:
the U.S. - challenges arise when population
• Adopt the county’s budget and set the tax growth exerts pressure on services provided
rate
• Approve all budgeted purchases
at the county level. This can range from the
amount of traffic on county-maintained roads
• Set salaries and benefits and approve pay- requiring additional upkeep to ensuring there
Precinct lines
could be redrawn
roll
is enough jail space to handle an increasing
• Provide and maintain all county facilities number of prisoners.
CHRIS ROARK
croark@starlocalmedia.com
• Maintain county roads and bridges
Each Commissioner is responsible for de-
Cities area, and Precinct 3, cinct 1, Ron Marchant (Pre-
which includes Lewisville, cinct 2), Bobbie Mitchell
If you look at 163-page guide from the Texas termining the need in their precincts as well
Association of Counties on all that state law al- as the overall county and work together to ad-
lows for county commissioners to do to ensure dress these challenges.
the welfare of county residents, you would find This is not an easy task when considering
hundreds of listings. the amount of growth, rising costs and the de-
The Commissioners Court handles every- termination to provide services in a manner
thing from setting a burn ban when weather that is cost effective.
conditions warrant to providing for the burial However, the Denton County Commission-
of paupers. ers Court is committed to providing good ser-
But years ago, before the Texas Revolution vices to residents while ensuring the county is
of 1836, county government did not exist in the good stewards of their tax dollars.
territory now known as Texas.
The Republic of Texas created counties with Precinct 2 Commissioner Ron Marchant,
the Constitution of 1836. The Republic initially who has served as commissioner since 2007,
created 23 counties. As Texas settled, the num- is a lifelong resident of Carrollton where he
ber of counties continued to grow until the cur- served on the city council, worked as Precinct
rent number of 254.
6 Justice of the Peace and has been actively
Initially, the county judge and justices of involved in a number of other civic organiza-
the peace governed counties. Then Constitu- tions. He can be reached at 972-434- 7140 or at
tions written in 1845, 1861 and 1866 created Ronald.Marchant@dentoncounty.com.
a court comprised of the county judge and four
commissioner as noted by the Texas State His-
torical Association.
Those early documents did not address
county government structures. It would be left
The opinions that appear in the “Voices”
section are not necessarily those of Star
Local Media. Send your letter to the editor
to lmcgathey@starlocalmedia.com.
Highland Village and the east (Precinct 3) and Dianne Ed-
Some Denton County res- half of Flower Mound. mondson (Precinct 4).
idents could see a change “Precinct 1 has too many, Phillips said the lines were
in their representation next and Precinct 3 does not have last redrawn in 2011, and
year. enough," Phillips said. “To those went into effect in 2012.
The Denton County Com- balance them out, there will “The high growth in Den-
missioners Court is moving most likely be changes to all ton County, especially along
forward with plans to redraw four precincts.” the U.S. 380 corridor and Fris-
some of its precinct lines to Phillips said the current co area, is the main reason
address uneven population population of Precinct 1 is for the imbalance that now
across the county. 246,944. There are 170,699 in exists,” Phillips said.
Populations should be Precinct 3. Phillips said if the Com-
within 10 percent from the Precinct 2, which includes missioners Court approves
highest precinct to lowest Little Elm, The Colony and the new map, the changes
precinct, said Frank Phillips, the north half of Carrollton, would go into effect Jan. 1,
elections administrator for has 200,631 people, and Pre- 2020. He said new voter reg-
the county. "With our current cinct 4, which covers the west istration cards would go out
population, they should all be side of the county, including in December to reflect any
as close to roughly 208,000 Flower Mound, has 215,319. changes.
each, with a possible 10 per- Phillips said it’s possible “Also, both the Democratic
cent deviation. residents’ county commis- and Republican parties will
Phillips said the two pre- sioner could change with the be supplied with new maps
cincts that will be most im- newlines. so candidates who may run
pacted are Precinct 1, which The Commissioners Court in 2020 will be aware of any
covers the north part of the is made up of Judge Andy changes that were made,”
county, including the Lake Eads, Hugh Coleman in Pre- Phillips said.
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McGathey, Liz & Roark, Chris. The Colony Courier-Leader (The Colony, Tex.), Vol. 39, No. 13, Ed. 1 Sunday, May 5, 2019, newspaper, May 5, 2019; Plano, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1622510/m1/4/: accessed July 11, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting The Colony Public Library.