Quorum court approves reappropriation of $38,000 for outside counsel to defend community‑rebuilding initiative

Justices voted to recommend that the full Quorum Court appropriate funds to cover outside legal costs related to litigation challenging the county’s Community Rebuilding Initiative.

JP Ricker moved, and JP Dean seconded, a motion that the committee forward the ordinance to the full quorum court with a "do pass" recommendation. The motion carried.

Committee members and staff described the requested amount as the difference between prior appropriations and current need. The county judge and staff explained that the county had an appropriation of $100,000 in the prior fiscal year for legal defense that was not fully used; the unspent portion rolled back into unappropriated reserves and must be reappropriated in the new fiscal year to fund ongoing outside counsel. The ordinance on the table sought roughly $38,000 to place in the county attorney’s special legal line to pay outside counsel.

The county attorney explained the office has two attorneys and limited in‑house litigation capacity, and the county will need outside counsel and the appropriation to defend the lawsuit. Staff emphasized that appropriating the funds does not guarantee the total amount; the court may need to appropriate additional funds later depending on litigation activity.

Ending: The committee voted to forward the ordinance to the full Quorum Court with a do‑pass recommendation; the appropriation process will continue at the full‑court level.