After pushback and legal concerns, Tarrant County forms working group to address court changes

A group of 11 people from Tarrant County’s judicial system will study plans to reorganize the county courts. Tarrant County commissioners voted 4-0 on Tuesday to form the group after considering a proposal that would have eliminated the criminal court administrator position and replace it with a director who would report to county administrator Chandler Merritt. The decision came after commissioners met with their attorneys. That followed a two-hour public comment session in which judges and lawyers complained that they did not get a chance to weigh in on the proposal before it was placed on the agenda. County Judge Tim O’Hare said during Tuesday’s meeting that reorganization was an “option” in response to financial mismanagement.

“We don’t want to see people get paid for 40 hours of work when they’re really working 10 hours,” O’Hare said. “We don’t want to see mismanagement of dollars where somebody is being paid more than their salary is supposed to be.” The county predicted that the proposal to eliminate the position of criminal courts administrator would save $174,000. The county intends to cut the position by Oct. 1. Criminal court administrator Gregory Shugart has held the position for 12 years and reports to the judges. The public comments featured over 25 speakers, 11 of whom were judges, opposing the reorganization. Democratic commissioner Alisa Simmons said the goal of the group would be to eliminate “fraud, waste and abuse in the justice system” as well as lowering the jail population. “We need them to hear more cases, hear the right kinds of cases that will get that jail population lowered,” Simmons said in an interview with the Star-Telegram after the meeting. “That’s my primary concern.”