County-Government

Somewhere on a highway in Leon County right now, a camera is photographing every vehicle that passes, reading the plate, and writing down where it was and when. There are fourteen of them going up across our county — in Centerville, Buffalo, Jewett, Oakwood, Normangee, Marquez, and Leona. You didn’t vote for them. Most people don’t know they exist. And you’re paying for them. If you’re not sure what an automated license plate reader even is, start here: What Is Flock Safety and an ALPR? The short version is that these aren’t ordinary security cameras — they record everyone’s movements, not just suspects’, and they feed a nationwide network that other agencies can search. ...

Two Texas counties held their Commissioners Court meetings the same week this June. One of them trusted its residents with the details. The other handed out a list of riddles. Compare the Leon County agenda for June 8, 2026 with the Ector County agenda for June 9, 2026. Read them side by side and the difference is impossible to miss — and impossible to excuse. What Leon County tells you Here are real items, copied word-for-word from Leon County’s posted agenda: ...

Hill County has taken an important step. By passing a temporary moratorium on data center development, Hill County sent a clear message: counties do not have to sit quietly while massive industrial projects move faster than local governments can study them. Other Texas counties should follow that example now. Not someday. Not after the next legislative session. Not after every rural county has already been approached by developers, utility companies, battery storage projects, transmission planners, and tax abatement consultants. ...

One of the most common frustrations I hear from residents is this: “These projects just show up out of nowhere.” To be clear, the County Judge and Commissioners are following the law. Agendas are posted. Notices are made. Documents are public. The problem isn’t legality — it’s accessibility. Most residents don’t know where to look, when to look, or what matters when they do find it. That gap is what creates distrust, confusion, and anger — even when rules are technically followed. ...

A lot of people have asked a fair question: If the county can’t legally stop a data center from being built on private land, why focus so much on the tax abatement? The short answer is this: Because the tax abatement is the most meaningful leverage the county — and the public — actually has. The county can’t “ban” a data center — but it can refuse to subsidize one In Texas, counties generally have very limited zoning authority. That means: ...