Published: February 27, 2007 09:17 am      

Local tax dollars to lobbyists?

County resident raises concerns with commissioners

Questions were raised by a local resident Monday about how the Texas Association of Counties may be spending tax dollars.

Speaking during the public comment section of the Navarro County Commissioners court meeting, Kerens resident Joe Hazewski, who is a regular contributing columnist to the Daily Sun, claimed that the organization is funding the activities of 22 lobbyists, at a cost estimated at $560,000 annually. Hazewski said doing so with public money is illegal. Hazewski said he obtained his figures from the Texas Ethics Commission.

“I want the county to take it up with TAC — they will not respond to private citizens,” Hazewski told commissioners.

“They do a good job in a lot of areas ... but (TAC) is violating the law,” by funding the lobbyists, Hazewski added.

Navarro County, a member of the Texas Association of Counties, utilizes the organization for assistance in a host of governmental matters and functions, legal assistance, insurance programs and information services.

“I do plan on talking with them (about the claims),” County Judge H.M. Davenport Jr. said following Monday’s meeting. “I need to talk with Joe to learn more about his concerns.”

Davenport said he didn’t know enough about Hazewski’s claim, but he would check and see if there were any other complaints about the organization.

“TAC is a big aid to all Texas counties,” Davenport added. “They are a very helpful part of the system ... whether they have overstepped their bounds, I don’t know.”

Hazewski said Williamson County District Judge Ken Anderson ruled against TAC’s lobbyist efforts in January, calling it illegal and instructing Williamson County not to pay any dues into TAC as long as they continued. Hazewski was unsure if the ruling was only effective in Williamson County, or was meant to apply statewide.

“They’re costing us a lot of money, and not always in our best interest,” Hazewski said.

Elna Christopher, a spokesperson for the Texas Association of Counties, told the Daily Sun the organization is not paying lobbyists “directly.”

Christopher said there are 13 individuals on staff at TAC that are actually registered as lobbyists as a practical part of their employment activities, and that a law firm the organization employs also has staff registered as lobbyists, but insisted that “money does not come from the counties to TAC to a lobbyist.”

Section 89.002 of the Local Government Code that says counties can spend money on organizations such as TAC, providing “neither the association nor an employee of the association directly or indirectly influences or attempts to influence the outcome of any legislation ... (but) does not prevent a person from providing information to a member of the legislature if requested.”

“If they are requested,” Hazewski pointed out of the statute. “(The lobbyists) ... are working the legislators and committees.” He also claims that legislators themselves are in violation for allowing the lobbying efforts to continue on behalf of TAC.

The same section also says if such activity does occur, “a taxpayer of the political subdivision (the county) is entitled to appropriate injunctive relief to prevent any further activity.”

Christopher claims that TAC provides information on a variety of topics to legislators, including insurance matters and unfunded mandates to county governments, but said they do not directly fund lobbyist’s activities.

A message left with TAC’s legal department for comment was not returned Monday.

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Bob Belcher may be contacted via e-mail at belcher@corsicanadailysun.com