HOOD COUNTY, Texas — Hood County’s judge elect spoke out over a proposed $874,000 radio expenditure, helping bring the amount down to $200,000. That represents a $674,000 reduction in proposed county spending.
The proposed $874,000 expenditure was mentioned during budget discussions as a capital expense but did not pass.
The discussion also raised questions about which fire departments needed new radios and which did not.
One volunteer firefighter told the Hood County Express that the radios currently in use worked just fine. He could not provide a justification for spending $874,000 on replacements and said other equipment or another brush truck would be a more pressing need.
The issue was whether the purchase matched departments’ actual needs.
By speaking up before taking office, the judge elect helped bring those questions forward and cut $674,000 from the proposed expenditure.
An $874,000 purchase deserves scrutiny and a clear justification for taxpayers.
