No changes were made to County Judge Chris Hill’s original order during the March 30 commissioners meeting.
But Hill clarified during the discussion that cities in Collin County have authority to establish their own regulations and guidelines in addition to the county’s shelter-in-place order.
“It has always been my intention to allow the cities and the mayors the room to implement their own guidelines in addition to mine,” Hill said at the meeting. “Some mayors have seen fit to put additional guidelines in place. I’m not the arbiter of their guidelines.”
That statement came after weekend discussions between Hill and McKinney Mayor George Fuller over the authority between the county and its cities.
Fuller said he believed Hill’s statement would help resolve a lawsuit over the specifics of his order for McKinney residents.
“We had a very, very productive weekend, and I couldn’t be more pleased with the judge’s response,” Fuller said.
The lawsuit against McKinney was filed by Derek V. Baker, a local real estate agent who ran unsuccessfully for City Council in 2017. His suit claimed the city’s order was inconsistent with the county’s.
The county order urges residents to stay home except for travel related to essential activities. The order went on to define all business as essential.
McKinney’s order, in contrast, defined a narrow group of business activities as essential and ordered all non-essential businesses to close.
An attorney for Baker declined to comment on the lawsuit.
A hearing on a temporary restraining order related to the lawsuit is scheduled in district court March 31.
Daniel Houston contributed to this story.
