In a meeting that several officials and citizens referred to Monday as “embarrassing,” the Fisher County Commissioners Court preceded its tie-breaker vote with confusing actions, off-point debates, and unsubstantiated accusations before dividing on spending federal dollars to complete a two-year-old rural water project.
The item debated on Monday’s agenda was a proposition from Precinct 1 Commissioner Gordon Pippin, who requested additional funds to cover the expense of transporting material to repair roads after the completion of recent water line replacements. It was a request that was met with immediate pushback from political opponents.
Commissioner Preston Martin reminded Pippin that just four months ago, Pippin agreed to cover the cost of road repair from his precinct budget, as the roads were located within Precinct 1. The court discussed various options for addressing projected shortfalls in the county’s recent water project that has been years in the making.
For years, the county applied for a Community Development Block Grant on behalf of the Sylvester-McCaulley Water Supply Corporation, which after multiple denials was accepted just before the onset of the pandemic began to spread in 2020. The awarded dollars, however, did not stretch as far in a post-Covid market.
The court unanimously agreed to use a portion of the roughly $740,000 in federal funds received through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to cover the approximate $200,000 remaining shortfall. To allow the county to install better quality water lines, Pippin also agreed to convert the roughly $55,000 expense of repairing the roads.
“That’s exactly right,” said Pippin in court on Monday, “but I wasn’t planning on hauling my gravel 50 miles away. That’s 100 miles round-trip. Otherwise, I was planning on hauling it five miles.”
This side issue is the result of the court’s deadlocked decision to pay the invoice from the caliche pit owned by Doris Pippin. Although owned by Commissioner Pippin’s family, the county has done regular business with the pit for roughly two decades, longer than Pippin has served as commissioner.
The unusual decision to not pay the bill without justification prompted County Attorney Michael Hall to issue a letter to the court expressing his legal concerns.
“I am concerned that this action by the Court will subject the County to damages for not only the unpaid amounts but also attorney’s fees and court costs,” wrote Hall in his letter. He added that he would be remiss not to point out the “difficulties with getting vendors and business to even show up to provide services to the county. I fear this will be exacerbated by the Court’s decision to honor our obligations.”
While the legal concerns for non-payment of bills still hang in the air, Pippin said the county is still being affected by the decision since he is now having to make a 100-mile round-trip to have access to material while there is a court-approved vendor within his precinct.
“I want you to explain to me why I can’t get material where I’ve been getting in for the last 20 years,” said Pippin.
Martin responded with a bombshell statement, saying, “I can’t talk about it. It’s under investigation.”
While questions about the investigation or how it related to denying the bill were asked, no information was shared. Martin later stated that when it all comes out, the court can revisit the discussions.
When questioned later, neither County Attorney Hall nor Fisher County Sheriff Randy Ford said they had any knowledge of an investigation. District Attorney Ricky Thompson also confirmed that he was not aware of any investigation, however, he admitted his office was not the only investigative office that could be involved.
The Chronicle officially reached out to the Texas Attorney General’s Office — who recently conducted an investigation that resulted in the April indictment of Commissioner Martin — as well as DPS, the Texas Rangers, the Texas Railroad Commission, and others.
While the possibility of an investigation could be underway, several sources inside the agencies contacted admit having no knowledge of an investigation that would put the county in jeopardy by paying the bill. Investigators we spoke with did say that if there is an investigation, the agency would not be happy with an official announcing it in a public forum.
Although the public is still left with more questions than answers, Pippin proposed covering the $10,000 cost for hauling material to complete the water project with ARP funds. After a brief discussion, Judge Ken Holt seconded the motion.
Commissioner Dexter Elrod also cast his vote in favor, swinging the majority to cover the cost, saying, “It’s for our people, and we need to finish it up.” Commissioners Martin and Stuart voted against it