Houck said, \u201cA lot of people were caught pretty flat-footed.\u201d<\/p>\n
The decision of the courts will either vindicate Parrish or undermine his action when he appointed Mark Meurer to Corley\u2019s seat, Houck said. For now, Meurer is out and Corley is restored to office.<\/p>\n
Parrish repeatedly defended the move \u2013 saying Corley did this to himself. The court cases remain pending.<\/p>\n
Big projects<\/p>\n
Lubbock County just finished construction on a new medical examiner\u2019s office on the city\u2019s north side \u2013 paid for with a 2023 bond election. The county is also constructing a new TAG (Texas Anti-Gang Center) building next door \u2013 paid with a grant from the governor\u2019s office.<\/p>\n
While commissioners might have already decided what happens with the proposed Expo Center by March 3, it\u2019s still on the list of major projects Lubbock County needs to tackle.<\/p>\n
But there\u2019s more to come. During budget negotiations for the 2025\/26 fiscal year, commissioners universally agreed the county\u2019s office building at 916 Main Street needs millions of dollars of renovations. Just the first floor will be more than $2 million.<\/p>\n
The parking garage next door to 916 Main needs to be replaced, according to information presented during the budget process \u2013 an estimated cost of nearly $8 million.<\/p>\n
Parrish told LubbockLights.com that justice of the peace and constable offices must be moved out of the courthouse and into the various precincts by 2031. He also said the county\u2019s adult probation building needs to be replaced.<\/p>\n
Budget discussions revealed the need for a new roof over part of the Lubbock County Detention Center, but Parrish said it goes further \u2013 with maybe an outright expansion of the jail to meet the needs of a growing population.<\/p>\n
Disagreeing \u2013 what\u2019s the plan?<\/p>\n
Houck was critical of Parrish, saying, \u201cI don\u2019t know what the one, three, five, seven-year plan is with the leadership of the court. I don\u2019t know where it\u2019s going. I don\u2019t know what the objectives are.\u201d<\/p>\n
Parrish disagreed, saying there\u2019s a vision driven by population growth.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re growing. The demographer says that we\u2019re going to be probably 500,000 people in Lubbock County by the 2040 census. 2040, that\u2019s not that far away. So, we need to make sure that our infrastructure is ready, that our jail is ready, our courthouse is ready, our parks and our clubhouses are ready, our roads are ready,\u201d Parrish said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got to make sure that we have this vision that gets us ready for the growth of this county. And I want to continue that vision,\u201d Parrish said.<\/p>\n
Some of the capital project decisions are still under consideration, Parrish said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been on a facilities assessment program. Also, not only assessing the facilities, but assessing what do we need to renovate? What do we need to replace? What are going to be the costs of that? None of that\u2019s been decided, but we are working toward that,\u201d Parrish said.<\/p>\n
Houck raised concerns about transparency of the budget.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve talked to a few commissioners, and I\u2019m by no means going to put anyone under the bus or anything like that. But when quizzing numbers, I was surprised at how uncertain the commissioners were about numbers and not feeling like the full picture is really clear,\u201d Houck said.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy first objective is let\u2019s get these numbers clear. Are we hemorrhaging money? Are we spending it well?\u201d Houck added.<\/p>\n
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