By Dustin Fawcett
As Ector County Judge and as a member of the Ector County Commissioners Court, I believe it is our role to ensure that Ector County as a government improves its internal operations to be efficient and effective as an organization in addition to providing high quality and responsive constituent services. We have made this a priority, and I am proud to report a few ways in which we have enhanced both of these objectives.
Internal Operations
A question every constituent has regarding its representative government is whether or not they are operating as efficiently as possible. “Government inefficiency” is something that we as a court have targeted and enacted multiple changes in how we operate.
- The first is our migration to a new software system that will provide better tools to our County Auditor’s Office, Purchasing Department, Human Resources, and County Treasurer. This migration will enhance financial operations, providing analysis and tools to better manage taxpayer funds, something that is always at the forefront of our minds.
- Another project that we are currently in the middle of is an allocation to digitize all of our archives within the District Clerk, County Clerk, and Sheriff’s Department. In doing so, it will provide more operational space for these offices as well as fluidity of workflow in making documents easier to retrieve. Had we not gone with an outside vendor on this project and used county staff to digitize these documents, we would not have accomplished this project for multiple decades. Again, we found a way to save taxpayer dollars and time through this project.
- Since taking office, we have had a practice of inspecting each contract we have with a third party as to whether county staff could better serve the purpose at a lower cost or more efficient rate. We found that there were things like HVAC technicians and road inspectors that we were paying tremendous rates for that we have since decided to take on in-house. By creating positions to fill these roles, we reduced the hourly rates we were paying by upwards of 50%.
Continually improving the operations of an organization with over 40 departments and 700 employees is an ongoing process that the Ector County Commissioners Court is proud to be making progress on behalf of the taxpayers.
External Services
As a government by, of, and for the people, we believe it is in our mission to provide responsive services to constituents whom we represent. Our Court has been intentional about ensuring that constituent concerns are addressed in a timely manner and to the highest standards.
- Ector County Director of Public Works Jeff Avery has been leading a charge to enhance these constituent services to respond to citizen requests in a manner that hasn’t been seen in Ector County in recent years. The best example of this was in the days following the tragic fatal accident in Gardendale where our team was installing rumble strips within 48 hours. Additionally, we worked with TxDOT on more rumble strips, additional signage, and proposed engineering changes to the intersection. We will be installing new light-up signs when travelers exceed the speed limit and have plans to work with Law Enforcement to better police the area. While this is a severe example of our team responding to needs of a community, there are stories throughout the county where citizens call about a lack of visibility at an intersection or some other safety concern, and our team quickly acts to go above and beyond to ensure our citizens’ safety.
- Another frequently heard line about government is “red tape.” We, as a court, have been fortunate that our Director of Development Services, Eddie Landrum, has taken on this task to make a number of planning and development items easier on developers and citizens when it comes to permits and land processes. This can be seen through the merging of our Septic Inspections into this office, something we did due to constituents reaching out saying that bouncing between multiple offices was inefficient and cumbersome. We heard these issues and took action in this year’s budget to make the process easier to navigate.
- Also, this department has been involved in working with the city on annexation of properties in the Sales Assistance District. This has been a huge point of contention that the Commissioners Court voted to solve through agreeing to split future sales tax between the city and county. This process was put into action with the recent proposed annexation of Leeco Property off of Grandview near Yukon. Had we not devised a solution for the city and county to work together, this property would continue to be undeveloped and additional housing and commercial development would by stymied.
Bottom Line
A lot of the work we do in county government is not the most entertaining, especially in the buildup of a highly contentious political process in our nation. However, what we do matters to the growth, development, and overall success of our community. I know this and our four Commissioners know this. We have big projects on the horizon regarding the Courthouse and the Juvenile Detention Facility.
I want the constituents to know that our mission will always be to do what is necessary for the long-term success of Ector County, whether it is simple software migrations or capital project build outs of county facilities. We take every decision seriously and methodically.
It is a privilege to serve as your County Judge and I am proud to work with Commissioners who believe in a vision for Ector County Government as a government that reflects the citizens it serves: hardworking, fiscally responsible, forward-thinking, and focused on doing the right thing.
God Bless Ector County!
Dustin Fawcett is the Ector County Judge.
