Lubbock County Commissioners on Monday approved 3-1 with one abstention a resolution supporting a third-party investigation into an unprecedented payroll issue involving an appointed commissioner.
The resolution, which is not legally binding, supports a request from the Lubbock County District Attorney's Office for an investigation by the Texas Rangers to investigate the continued payments to Mark Meurer after Senior District Judge Patrick Pirtle granted a temporary injunction in December reinstating Precinct 2 Commissioner Jason Corley.
Meurer was appointed by Lubbock County Judge Curtis Parrish after he said Corley triggered a statutory automatic resignation provision after sending messages that indicated he was running for U.S. Congress.
Corley
filed a lawsuit challenging his removal and Pirtle granted a temporary injunction reinstating him as commissioner while the case was pending in the 237th District Court.
During the December hearing, it was commented that there was no case law upon which the court could rely to determine if Parrish correctly interpreted the law.
Meanwhile, Meurer appealed Pirtle's decision to the Seventh Court of Appeals of Texas and a hearing on oral arguments was set for Oct. 13.
In a statement issued Friday, Meurer said he reached out to Parrish with concerns that he was still receiving a salary from the county as a commissioner.
He said Parrish reportedly told him to keep the money, which Meurer said he set aside and plans to return it to the county.
Meurer also said he plans to withdraw his appeal, which returns the case to the trial court.
It was not immediately clear if Potter County Attorney Scott Brumley, who is representing the state as plaintiff in the case, will dismiss the case once it returns to the trial court level.
Corley's term ends Dec. 31 and Kevin Pounds, who is running uncontested in the November general election, will likely begin serving as Precinct 2 commissioner in January.
Stanek stood before the commissioners and told them the non-binding resolution was unnecessary and unpersuasive.
She said her office has already been looking into the matter and couldn't comment on the pending investigation.
Stanek told the court that but for Precinct 1 Commissioner Mike Dalby, none of the them reached out to her office to ask where her office was in its probe of the issue.
Neal Burt, civil division chief for the Lubbock County District Attorneys Office, said the issue has consumed the bulk of his time the past two weeks.
He said Stanek has taken the necessary steps to reach out to the officials who will decide whether the investigation goes to the Rangers or another agency.
Meanwhile, Parrish abstained from voting, saying he believed the resolution disparages the district attorney's office and that it amounted to the court telling Stanek how to do her job.
"I will not have any part of this," he said.
However, commissioners said the resolution was more of a public statement than a demand for an investigation.
"I have no doubt in Ms. Stanek's abilities to go ahead and do what needs to be done here," said Corley, who proposed the resolution. "But it sure is nice and speaking from personal experience, when you're the only one that stands up to have some people step up behind you and encourage you to continue to do the right thing. It's never easy to do the right thing. It never comes at a convenient time and I just want Ms. Stanek to know that we fully support her in calling for an investigation, getting this out to an outside investigator to look into the matter."
A handful of public comments before Monday's meeting supported the resolution.
Dalby, the lone no vote, said the revelation of the payroll issue was a breach of trust between the commissioners' court and its constituents.
He said that while he supports the resolution, he voted against it after speaking with local attorneys and judges, who advised him that the resolution wouldn't affect the ongoing investigation.
"I publicly supported everything that was written on the resolution," he said. "Every word on there I support. Every word on there I agree with. And I encourage them to do that … It was an awkward vote to agree with the resolution but to vote against it. I know that it doesn't make a lot of sense but from where I sit that was the most prudent way to go."
Gabriel Monte is the criminal justice reporter for the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal in Texas. Have a news tip for him? Email him at gmonte@lubbockonline.com.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Lubbock County leaders OK resolution supporting payroll investigation
