Remarks by Jacqueline Ott
223 remarks on the record, newest first · Page 3 of 9
- Play at 2:34:06
“Okay, great. And a two-step increase, of course, would be a 13.5. The current for the assistant planner is a 9.3. with the two-step increase being an 11.4. Current for the floodplain manager is an 8.3, with a one-step increase being a 9.3. Total cost on the high side of that is 24K. If you're giving the two-step increase to both the planner and assistant planner, if you're doing the one-step for each of those three positions, it's approximately 14K, both which fall within the monies that have been set aside for that Clerk 2 position that is unfilled.”
Commissioners Court · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 2:42:34
“I will echo to you that the Justice of the Peace Precinct 1 is also requesting that one of his part-time clerks be moved to a full-time as well. And I would ask that if we are inclined to do this for Precinct 4, that we would do it for Precinct 1 as well.”
Commissioners Court · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 2:45:24
Not quoted here: it may name a member of the public. Hear it at the meeting.
Commissioners Court · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 2:47:37
“Okay. I appreciate the feedback. We'll move on to the next one. The next thing I wanted to talk about, and again, this is something I brought up several times, was our admin, Commissioner's Court admin. Again, as we've discussed with the court, I don't think that her salary, the way that she's graded, is appropriate at all. Multiple counties that are within our similar numeric comparison have an administrative assistant for each commissioner. We have one administrative assistant total for all four commissioners. I again want to reiterate my hesitation and apprehension toward losing a lot of…”
Commissioners Court · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 2:52:38
“Commissioner Wolverton, would you share your thoughts with us?”
Commissioners Court · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 2:52:54
“If the court is unwilling to make that move, then I would ask that the court take half of my conference budget and put that toward hers. I want to urge the court. I don't want to comment too heavily on the changes that this court is going to experience. But going forward in the future, I am the only person that intends to run again, and I want people that are experienced and are doing a good job to stay and give the best service possible to the county. I really want to urge this court to look at our administrative assistant in the unique situation that she's in. This is the only…”
Commissioners Court · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 2:56:14
“I understand. I do. And if that needs to be something that continues for as long as I'm here, I don't have a problem with that. But, again, I really want to rearrange the necessity of keeping her here. Is there somewhere we can meet in the middle on that?”
Commissioners Court · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 2:56:48
Not quoted here: it may name a member of the public. Hear it at the meeting.
Commissioners Court · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 2:58:39
“My calculations were not based on 28. It was based on 27.”
Commissioners Court · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 2:58:54
“Well, if we don't have three votes for it, then I don't know that that's even a relevant conversation. But I will urge this court, again, to look at what she's expected to do. And I wouldn't say this out loud without her permission and having talked to her about this, but she's expected to work for all four of us for $49,000 a year before tax. I can't imagine somebody in that position doing one job for all four people that is making that. I mean, that's an expectation to do a whole lot of things. And again, our surrounding counties have four people doing that job. I mean, it's not good. It's…”
Commissioners Court · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 3:02:30
Not quoted here: it may name a member of the public. Hear it at the meeting.
Commissioners Court · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 3:05:53
“I want to say that that is something that I have discussed with Taylor, and it's something that she is fine with. I definitely appreciate Dr. T's recommendation toward the others. But not being able to speak about anything that occurs in executive session, certainly I'm aware of that, and everyone sitting up here knows what was discussed during an executive session or what wasn't. So we'll leave it at that.”
Commissioners Court · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 3:07:25
Not quoted here: it may name a member of the public. Hear it at the meeting.
Commissioners Court · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 3:12:10
“And again, I don't want to speak for several of the other department heads that are in here, but please know that I would welcome you to come up here if any of you want to talk. And that being said, I want to shift to the last topic that I had other than that, which is law enforcement. First, I want to tell you that their proposed budget was a clerk position for the Constable Precinct 1. I have spoken with the Constable's Office, and Precinct 1 does have a part-time, unfilled deputy position currently. That deputy position is funded at either, I believe it's $33,000 or $5,000, and the…”
Commissioners Court · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 3:14:08
“Okay, I want to keep on going. Court, I'm going to talk about the elephant in the room. I am not a fan of how the Commissioner's Court has been painted in social media. I think that was very difficult for all of us to stomach. I think that all of us up here are trying to do a job It is very difficult for all of us when we receive phone calls and emails from people that are angry at us from all of the things on social media that we've received. I will only speak for myself in saying that it is very frustrating to have to tell people that my position is that I support law enforcement when I…”
Commissioners Court · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 3:18:40
“Yes, again, I'm going to reissue the request I made originally when we first talked about this, that we do have the $3 million set aside for land and building purchases. Part of the conversation today did surround us having a building in Precinct 4 that we're worried about staffing, a fire station that we don't have enough firefighters for. The building in Precinct 4, we're looking to try to put some folks in there, both in the tax assessor's office. We have some space that's unfilled in several of the JP's offices, things like that. We are, and I know that we have to do this to anticipate…”
Commissioners Court · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 3:20:53
“I understand. I'm not trying to prioritize anybody over anybody else. It is simply that... Law enforcement is law enforcement, and when any of us need help, that is who we're calling. If we have a fire, I mean, those two things are the life or death things. I mean, everyone here has important jobs. I have an important job, but their job is more important than my job.”
Commissioners Court · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 3:21:47
“I understand that, and like I said, you know, we're spending... Sorry, I can't remember this figure, but I know our COLA was 1.8 or 2.4 for the 3%. I know it's one of those, and that's obviously a big difference, but a lot of numbers that are in front of me right now, but if you know, if we come to a situation where we can't do that next year and that might be something that offsets it, that might be something that we have to do. I acknowledge that and understand that, but I think if you ask anyone in this room and you ask people in the public as well, would you rather look at that for next…”
Commissioners Court · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 3:22:54
“I voted no to a double-digit tax increase. That's correct. Because I think a double-digit is more than the populace can stomach. I don't think people want a double-digit tax increase.”
Commissioners Court · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 3:23:10
“I don't think that we need a double-digit tax increase.”
Commissioners Court · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 3:23:15
“Well, I think that the total, if we look at some of these things... Not just a few of them, just everybody.”
Commissioners Court · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 3:23:25
“I understand that every office needs it, and I think that that's not feasible right now for us, to be able to do these things for every office. I wish it was. I don't think it is. I know that there are some that feel that all or nothing is the approach. I'm not one of those. I think that sometimes we have to look at certain things and make decisions. I know it's hard, and I respect your decision. And if your decision is not the same as mine, I respect it.”
Commissioners Court · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 3:24:03
“I'm so sorry. One more that I didn't bring up. It was a request by several of the retirees and retired law enforcement. They asked that the court also think about the retiree COLA because they are not feeling that the COLA this year is adequate. I did inform them that I would pass that concern along to the court. So I am doing that.”
Commissioners Court · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 3:26:58
“I appreciate the information. Thank you so much.”
Commissioners Court · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 3:48:12
“I would ask, Judge Squires did ask if this was pulled, that he had the opportunity to step out of court and come speak to the court in regard to this item. Would the court be inclined to continue with the agenda until his arrival? And I just let him know.”
Commissioners Court · Sep 1, 2026