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Aransas County Texas
Commissioners Court

301 N. Live Oak St.
Rockport, TX 78382
Phone: 361-790-0100
Fax: 361-727-2043

Click Here to View the Agenda for a Regular Meeting of the
Commissioners' Court on June 30, 2008 (9:00a.m.)

Judge C.H. "Burt" Mills, Jr. & County Commissioners


From Left to Right: Oscar Pina, Commissioner, Pct. 1-1A; Leslie “Bubba” Casterline, Commissioner, Pct. 2; C.H. “Burt” Mills, Jr., County Judge; Charles Smith, Commissioner, Pct. 3; and Howard Murph, Commissioner, Pct. 4-4A

County Judge
The Texas Constitution vests broad judicial and administrative power in the position of County Judge, who presides over a five-member Commissioners Court which has budgetary and administrative authority over the county government operations.

The County Judge is effectively the chief administrator of the county, generally managing the day to day operations of county government. The County Judge also is head of civil defense and disaster relief, county welfare, and prepares and administers the county budget which must be approved by the County Commissioners Court. He is also responsible for calling elections, posting election notices, and for receiving and canvassing the election returns. The County Judge may also perform marriages.

In some Counties without a County Court at Law Judge, the County Judge also handles widely varying matters such as beer and wine license applications and hearings on admittance to hospitals for the mentally ill and mentally retarded. The Judge also may have judicial responsibility for certain criminal, civil, and probate matters. He may also have appellate jurisdiction over matters arising from the justice of the peace courts. In the case of Aransas County, these responsibilities have been delegated to the Law Judge.
 

VOTING INFORMATION

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Precinct 1-1A Commissioner
Oscar Pina

Precinct 2 Commissioner
Leslie "Bubba" Casterline

Precinct 3 Commissioner
Charles Smith

Precinct 4 Commissioner
Howard Murph

County Commissioner
The job of the county commissioner calls for hands-on service delivery as well as policy-making budget decisions.

Four commissioners, each elected from a quarter of the county's population, serve along with the county judge on the commissioners court. In addition to assuring that county roads are maintained, commissioners vote with the county judge to set the budget for all county departments and adopt a tax rate.

Among other responsibilities, the commissioners court:

• Sets the yearly property tax rate and approves the budget and employment level for the county;

• Sets commissioners and justice of the peace precinct boundaries;

• Calls, conducts and certifies elections, including bond elections;

• Sets employment and benefit policy;

• Establishes long-range thoroughfare, open space, land use, financial and law enforcement/jail needs plans;

• Acquires property for rights-of-way or other uses determined to be in the public's best interest;

• Reviews and approve subdivision platting and wastewater treatment for rural areas;

• Provides rural ambulance services and subsidizes rural fire protection;

• Oversees the construction, maintenance and improvement of county roads and bridges;

• Appoints non-elected department heads and standing committees;

• Supervises and controls the county courthouse, county buildings and facilities;

• Adopts a county budget;

• Determines county tax rates;

• Fills vacancies in elective and appointive positions; and

• Has exclusive authority to authorize contracts in the name of the county.