A dispute over the assignment of a county maintenance facility in Burleson surfaced at the Tarrant County Commissioners Court budget workshop on Aug. 14 after redistricting placed the site inside Precinct 2. Commissioner Alisa Simmons asked the court to assign the facility at 800 East Rendon Crowley Road for exclusive use by Precinct 2's road and bridge crew; other commissioners and staff said the designation requires court action, and one commissioner said the term "exclusive" raises operational concerns.

The court discussed practical issues underlying the request: who controls equipment and personnel, how interlocal agreements (ILAs) with cities will be serviced, and whether assigning the facility to a precinct would require creation of additional positions. Commissioners and staff repeatedly said the court can assign facilities to elected officials but noted longstanding operational practices and the need for cooperation.

County legal counsel told the court that the court has the authority to assign office space and facilities to elected officials and that facilities can be assigned for an official's use regardless of precise location inside or outside precinct boundaries. The exchange clarified that while redistricting changed precinct boundaries, an explicit court assignment is the mechanism to designate facility responsibility.

Commissioner Simmons said assigning the Burleson facility to Precinct 2 would avoid duplicative staff requests. She told the court her precinct's road miles grew after redistricting and that staff and equipment from the Burleson facility would be needed to serve new unincorporated areas. "If there is more equipment needed for the county...having equipment where the bulk of the work is going to be done is important," one commissioner said during the discussion.

Commissioner Roderick Miles Jr. (Precinct 1) told staff he prefers to retain his existing facility assignment and equipment; county staff and a representative for Miles confirmed Miles has expressed intent to keep his assigned facility. Several commissioners urged collaboration and ILAs to share equipment and personnel where needed and requested that final allocation of staff, equipment and maintenance responsibilities be worked out before final adoption of the budget on Sept. 16.

Court staff said there are four maintenance centers, one assigned to each precinct. During the workshop commissioners and staff acknowledged the need to finalize equipment assignments and personnel responsibilities to avoid unnecessary new hires; one commissioner said if equipment and staff are reassigned as part of the redistricting work, additional positions may not be necessary.

No vote was held on assignment during the Aug. 14 workshop. Commissioners asked administration and precinct staff to meet and develop an implementation approach for allocation of equipment and personnel and to return with a recommendation prior to final budget adoption.

Sources: Tarrant County Commissioners Court budget workshop (Aug. 14); remarks from commissioners and county staff during the meeting.