Court approves $35,000 reimbursement for attorney fees for official later found innocent

Following an executive session held under citation 551.071 for consultation with the county attorney, the Liberty County Commissioner's Court approved reimbursing $35,000 in attorney fees paid on behalf of Bruce Korbowski for criminal charges that a jury later found did not result in conviction.

The court first moved into executive session under “551.071 (consultation with attorney).” Poston stated on the record that he needed to abstain from item 2 prior to the executive session. After the court returned to open session, Gerald moved to reimburse Korbowski $35,000 for attorney fees, saying the expenditure is “primarily for a county purpose and not merely for the commissioner's personal interest” and that the prosecution involved actions taken “within the scope of his official duties.” Greg seconded the motion. The court approved the reimbursement by voice vote; a numerical roll-call tally was not read on the record.

The court did not provide additional formal findings on the record about authority for reimbursement beyond the attorney consultation or identify a specific fund line-item to cover the payment during the public session. The court recorded the motion and a carried vote; Poston’s abstention from the item was noted on the record before the executive session.