Please note: All agenda items are considered PASSED unless indicated otherwise.

OPEN SESSION:

PRESENTATION

1. Receive presentation regarding Texas Local Government Code, Chapter 391 Regional Planning Commission from East Texas Council of Governments (ETCOG).

COURT ORDERS

COMMISSIONERS COURT

2. Consider and take necessary action to approve a resolution approving the formation of and participation in of the Smith County Van Zandt County Sub-Regional Planning Commission, pursuant to Texas Local Government Code, Chapter 391.

My Statement on Today’s Commissioners Court:

Today, Commissioner J. Scott Herod and I voted YES to form a narrowed Chapter 391 Sub-Regional Planning Commission with Van Zandt County focused on energy infrastructure and safety. 

Judge Franklin and Commissioner Caraway voted NO. 
The motion failed on a 2-2 tie.

I am disappointed.

For 18 months, Van Zandt County has been dealing with increasing pressure from multiple solar farm leases and battery storage proposals — including one operational solar facility that has already caused significant strain on their volunteer fire departments.

Instead of approving this focused, lawful tool to help address these local challenges, the Court chose to continue relying solely on ETCOG.

If ETCOG is truly the answer, then I have to ask:

• Where has the Council of Governments been while Texas farmers and ranchers have been facing these large-scale energy developments?

• Why has ETCOG not been visibly leading the fight in Van Zandt County or other rural counties facing these same pressures?

• Why hasn’t their “help” produced stronger, more visible protection for our land and water?

• And most importantly — if the Council of Governments was truly sufficient, why did the Texas Legislature create a separate path within Chapter 391 allowing Sub-Regional Planning Commissions in the first place?

The answer is simple: Because rural counties needed a more focused, local tool with real statutory authority to require state agencies like ERCOT and PUC to coordinate with us — not just polite “relationships.”

ETCOG is not elected by the people. They serve governments, not citizens. ETCOG does not offer the same focused power. According to their own mission statement, they are “a voluntary association of counties, cities, school districts and special districts” that exists to assist local governments and their elected officials. Their “Vision” is to help their “members” — who are elected officials — accomplish their goals.

In contrast, a Chapter 391 Commission is made up of local elected officials working directly on local issues in our own backyard, and it actively includes citizen advisors at the table. It is a true citizen empowerment tool that gives everyday residents a real voice alongside their elected representatives. 

Why did ETCOG work so hard to discourage Smith County from forming this local 391 Commission with Van Zandt County?  If they truly had our citizens’ best interests at heart, wouldn’t they welcome and encourage a more focused, citizen-empowered tool to protect our region?
 
I was elected by you. You are my boss. My first duty is to the citizens of Smith County — to protect your property rights, your farmland, your water resources, and your children’s future with every lawful tool we have. County Commissioners have a special responsibility to serve the rural backbone of Smith County — our farmers, ranchers, and rural families. It seems that some people have forgotten that. You deserve a strong voice that actually fights for you instead of deferring to unelected bureaucrats in Kilgore. That is why I fought for this 391 Commission. It keeps power where it belongs: with elected officials who are directly accountable to the people, not with unelected regional planners.

I will continue fighting for real local control and practical protection for our families, our farms, and our future.

Thank you to everyone who came to court today. Your voice mattered. We are not done.

I’m Honored to Serve as a State Delegate at the 2026 Texas Republican Party State Convention!

This journey began right after the Primary Election. Our party held Precinct Conventions, then County Conventions — and now we’re at the next level: the State Convention.

To me, being a Republican means more than just a label — it’s a commitment to conservative principles that protect our freedoms, our families, and our future. Over the next several days, I’ll be deeply involved in committee work on platform planks, legislative priorities, and party rules. Thousands of grassroots Texans are here as delegates, and we’ll hear powerful testimony on the issues that matter most to you: public education, skyrocketing property taxes, election integrity, border security, ending taxpayer-funded lobbying, protecting our communities from unchecked data centers, stopping Sharia law in Texas, and so much more.

There will be real opportunities for networking, collaboration, and connecting with fellow “happy warriors” who are stepping up to strengthen our party from the ground up.

Before anyone gets frustrated about what “The Party” has or hasn’t done, remember this:

WE are the Party. The real power lives with the grassroots volunteers — not in fancy offices, but in engaged citizens who show up, speak out, and stay involved. It’s our responsibility to hold our elected officials accountable to Republican principles, priorities, and platform planks. When they drift, it’s up to us to get active in the next election cycle.

You are the power of the Republican Party.

If you weren’t able to serve as a delegate this year, I’d love to help you get involved for 2028. Just reach out — I’m happy to walk you through the process and answer any questions.

Let’s keep fighting for a stronger, freer Texas. Together, we get the government we demand.

The following excerpts are from the 2024 TXGOP Platform

Preamble:

Affirming our belief in God, we still hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Throughout the world, people dare to dream of freedom and opportunity. The Republican Party of Texas unequivocally defends that dream. We strive to preserve the freedom given to us by God, implemented by our Founding Fathers, and embodied in the Constitution. We recognize that human nature is immutable. We further recognize that the traditional family is the strength of our nation. It is our solemn duty to protect innocent life and develop responsible citizens. We understand that our economic success depends upon free market principles. If we fail to maintain our sovereignty, we risk losing the freedom to live these ideals.

Principles:

We, the 2024 Republican Party of Texas, believe in this platform and expect our elected leaders to uphold these truths through acknowledgment and action. We believe in:

1. “The laws of nature and nature’s God,” and we support the strict adherence to the original language and intent of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitutions of the United States and of Texas.
2. The sanctity of innocent human life, created in the image of God, which should be equally protected from fertilization to natural death.
3. Preserving individual, Texan, and American sovereignty and freedom.
4. Limiting government power to those items enumerated in the United States and Texas Constitutions.
5. Personal accountability and responsibility.
6. Self-sufficient families, founded on the traditional marriage of a natural man and a natural woman.
7. Having an educated population, with parents having the freedom of choice for the education of their children.
8. The inalienable right of all people to defend themselves and their property.
9. A free enterprise society unencumbered by government interference or subsidies.
10. Honoring all of those that serve and protect our freedom