Commissioner Cagle has twice met Democratic opponent Lesley Briones in candidate forums debating public safety, county spending, and flood control.
In retaliation, Commissioner Garcia flagged projects to be held in GOP precincts including road repairs, intersection improvements, and a flood and drainage master plan.
As family members shared stories of murdered loved ones, many expressed anger towards elected officials over rising crime in the community.
Republicans boycotted a tax increase vote, and in retaliation, Commissioner Adrian Garcia halted proposed projects in their precincts.
Although the parties have agreed the county may adopt a budget, the war of words between the comptroller and commissioners has continued.
Alexandra del Moral Mealer called for a plan to increase county law enforcement staffing by 1,000 officers to combat a dramatic rise in crime since 2019.
The city’s police chief reported that overall crime is down from last year while still well above 2019 levels.
Commissioners voted 3 to 1 to hire two outside legal firms to fight state-imposed repercussions for defunding police.
Despite $197 million in unspent funds from the 2015 bond package, the commissioners court voted to proceed with a new bond election in November.
Commissioners voted along party lines to move forward with legal action to block a state audit of county elections from 2020 through 2022.
Commissioner Adrian Garcia implied Republican commissioners who vote against the measure would not receive an equal share of funding.
Incumbent Lina Hidalgo leads by 1 percent, while del Moral Mealer has a slight advantage with Latino voters and a net favorability rating of +17 percent to Hidalgo’s +7 percent.
