Tarrant County Judge Glenn Whitley gave his annual update on the state of Tarrant County with 884 people watching virtually. The annual event sponsored by the Greater Arlington Chamber of Commerce usually draws about 350 people.
The Judge showed the Tarrant County Covid-19 dashboard for June 18th and made the point 283 people with Covid-19 are in hospital beds in Tarrant County with 1877 beds available. There is an abundant supply of ventilators available in the county. While he is concerned about the rising number of cases and certainly mourns the 205 who have died, there is no reason to be alarmed by the numbers now.
“You have a right not to wear a mask, but that does not make it right”, said Whitley. He emphasized that wearing a mask has been demonstrated to be an effective tool against the spread of the virus if everyone wears one. We all need to wear masks, he emphasized.
Recently the Commissioners Court voted to remove a confederate monument from the courthouse grounds. Judge Whitley said he read the words on the monument and they seemed harmless. Then he learned that the monument was placed on the grounds in 1953. That was a time when blacks could not enter the courthouse by the front door. There were separate water fountains for “coloreds”. The monument was placed there to make it clear that the white leaders were still in charge. It has been crated up and the Judge said he hopes that wherever it goes, some explanation of the circumstances will accompany the monument.
In another controversial decision the Commissioners Court extended the 287g contract with the federal government. This is a program that trains some Sheriff’s deputies to investigate the citizenship status of people booked into the jail. He assured the audience that these people have committed crimes that would normally involve being jailed. They are not from traffic violations or random arrests. In the last year, the jail booked 52,400 people into jail. Only 307 were identified by deputies to need an ICE “detainer”. A detainer means that when a jail inmate is ready to be released, the jail must notify ICE and give them 48 hours to pick up the prisoner. Of the 307, 36 were convicted and sent to state prison, 67 were transferred to other agencies with outstanding warrants and 197 went to ICE. The cost to the county was estimated at $20,000. The federal government paid the county $400,000 last year for processing and holding federal prisoners.
The Judge was justly proud of the operation of the county. When he was elected the county property tax rate was $.27 per $100 and today is $.22. The county pension liability is funded 89.3% and is considered in safe financial territory. We are about to get texting to 911 which will add a level of safety to the system. He praised the work of District Attorney Sharen Wilson, the first woman District Attorney in the county, and her accomplishments since in office. The Tarrant County District Attorney’s office has been a leader in hiring women, minorities. He also touted the county success in securing funds for transportation projects and expressed excitement about those currently underway.
He concluded his remarks by repeating “you have a right not to wear a mask, but that does not make it right!”