Hays County staff will review and potentially update the Commissioners Court rules of decorum for the first time in almost three decades. Staff will additionally review the court’s legal authority to allow the reading of written comments from community members during meetings.
What happened
Commissioners directed staff to review the court’s rules of decorum July 7 and consider an update to better clarify what language and comments are allowed during public meetings. The decorum rules were last updated in 1998. The request for an update to the court’s rules of decorum came after a June 23 incident where former Hays County Democratic Party Chair Jon Leonard was physically removed from a meeting after interrupting a public comment.
Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra directed staff to update the decorum rules with more modern and clearer phrasing. Staff will return to the court with a draft of the updated text for review and feedback before approval.
“Our guiding principle must be the Constitution, and so [we must] make it to where we're not going to get sued,” Becerra said. “Don't overreach [to] where you're trying to put your hand over someone's mouth. Just provide a freshened-up suggestion and [confirm] our legal ability to allow written comments.”
The context
During the public comment period of a Commissioners Court meeting June 23, Liz "Sumter" Gajdos, independent candidate for Hays County judge, spoke, directing comments at Michelle Cohen, Democratic judge candidate and current Precinct 2 commissioner, about her campaign.
“Your inability to tell the truth is astonishing,” Gajdos said during the meeting. “Your willingness to mislead and outright lie to get a vote is despicable. Your misleading statements about your accomplishments that never happened, coupled with a failed political agenda to provide anything meaningful to the people of Hays County, is on record for all to see.”
As Gajdos gave her comment, Leonard spoke up, claiming she was breaking decorum rules. Becerra had him removed from the meeting after continued interruptions and received an opinion from the county’s legal department that Gajdos’ comments were allowed.
“I ain't going anywhere,” Leonard said during the meeting. “I'm not leaving. I'm not leaving. I'm not leaving. I'm not getting up. I'm not leaving.”
Leonard was physically removed from the meeting by court officers, and Gajdos was permitted to finish her comments.
Through a review and update of the court’s rules of decorum, the commissioners hope to clarify what comments are permitted during the public comment period and ensure all rules are consistently followed and understood by community members.
“[The] First Amendment trumps decorum rules,” Cohen said. “The language that was used was obviously directed towards me from an individual who obviously was campaigning from the podium. We've all been attacked on this dias. We need the public to better understand the First Amendment over decorum rules, and what takes precedence.”
