Public commenter urges Montgomery County to table Valhalla Trust shooting-range contract over conflict concerns

Abby Yarbrough, a member of the public, asked the Montgomery County Commissioners Court to table a proposed use contract between the county and Valhalla Trust for the Jackson Road Shooting Range and to provide more public justification before spending taxpayer dollars.

"Equally concerning is the appearance of a conflict of interest," Yarbrough told the court, outlining a timeline she said included a delinquent-tax suit filed by Montgomery County, the Valhalla Trust’s formation and acquisition of the Jackson Road property, and the county’s subsequent dismissal of its tax suit. She said Brett Ligon — identified in material presented to the court as a trustee of the trust and a recent former district attorney — creates a perception of a direct financial relationship between the county and a recent county official pursuing higher office.

Yarbrough asked whether commissioners were made aware of the full scope of facts before the item reached the agenda and requested the item be tabled "in the interest of transparency, accountability, and fiscal responsibility." The court deferred item J2 (the gun-range contract) during the consent-agenda review earlier in the meeting.

The court did not debate Yarbrough’s timeline during public comment; Judge Keogh thanked her and the item remained deferred as the court proceeded through the agenda. The court may revisit the matter when staff and commissioners provide additional documentation or return the item to a future meeting for fuller consideration.