As a resident of Waller County, you may have heard the term “County Commissioner” being thrown around, but do you really know what they do? County Commissioners play a crucial role in local governance, serving as elected representatives who make decisions that impact the lives of their constituents. Texas has 254 counties. Some, like Harris County, feature millions of residents and huge infrastructure and public challenges. Other are far smaller, including Loving County in far west Texas which has the smallest population of any county in America.

Here in Waller County we have over 60,000 residents, nearly double where we were in 2000. Like most counties in the state, we are governed by a “county commissioner’s court” of four commissioners who cover “precincts” and led by a County Judge, not a judicial officer like you would see on Law & Order, but rather a type of county executive who leads the court. In my case, I am running for Waller County Commissioner for Precinct 3 which runs across eastern Waller County from Prairie View in the north to Katy in the south.

County Commissioners are typically responsible for making policies, passing ordinances, managing budgets, and overseeing various departments and services provided by the county government such as public works or 911 dispatching. County Commissioners work closely with other elected officials, such as the County Judge, and other departments within the county to ensure that the needs of the community are met. There are five key categories that county commissioners perform. Here is one of them.

Policy Making: County Commissioners are responsible for establishing policies and making decisions on a wide range of issues that affect the county and its residents. This includes areas such as budgetary decisions, tax and revenue decisions, and all personnel decisions except for certain positions which are either elected or appointed by the judiciary or other committees. The Court also appoints and monitors the actions of all county department heads other than those offices headed by elected officials.

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