LEAGUE CITY, Texas – Galveston County Commissioners will hold a rare Saturday session in a League City courthouse. While what is on the agenda may seem like routine business, it is anything but routine.
In fact, some Commissioners tell Channel 2 Investigates they are concerned they will be arrested if they take action during this meeting.
"It's making Galveston County look foolish," said Precinct 4 Commissioner Ken Clark.
Two Galveston County commissioners said they are fed up with a protracted political and legal battle between Commissioners Court and several district court judges.
"What is this battle between commissioners and judges doing to the taxpayers of Galveston County?" asked Channel 2 Investigator Robert Arnold.
"It's costing them money, it's costing them time, and it's a distraction from doing the regular business we were hired to do," said Precinct 1 Commissioner Ryan Dennard.
This power struggle began nearly a year ago when a longtime county employee, Bonnie Quiroga, was fired from her position as director of the Justice Administration Department. This department oversees district court operations and the collections of fines and fees.
Dennard said Quiroga was fired for insubordination and poor performance.
"The program is a mess," said Dennard. "We just got a bad audit finding from the Office of Court Administration over the program."
Dennard said the county is owed more than $40 million in uncollected fees and fines.
District Court Judge Lonnie Cox and other judges took issue with the firing and issued an order to have Commissioner's Court reinstate Quiroga. Commissioners wouldn't budge, and the issue turned from a fight over one employee's firing into a months-long legal battle over who has ultimate authority over the county employees who manage the business of the courts.
County commissioners appealed this order, but higher courts declined to take up the issue, which leaves the original order in place.
"There was no hearing for us to be able to talk about this as adults, and it has devolved to this," said Clark.
Commissioners thought they reached a compromise by agreeing to vote to give district court judge's direct authority over the employees who manage the business of the courts. Commissioners were set to vote on this issue last Tuesday but were surprised by a last minute legal move by Cox.
"He's intervened and entered a temporary restraining order to prevent us from voting on the very thing he asked us to vote on," said Dennard. "He also entered a restraining order prohibiting us from considering hiring counsel to defend the very lawsuit he just filed against the county."
Dennard said the restraining order also prevents commissioners from taking a vote on whether to file an ethical complaint against Cox.
Frustrated, Dennard said Commissioner's Court plans to move forward and vote on this issue Saturday even though there is a restraining order in place.
"Are you concerned you may be arrested for doing county business come this weekend?" asked Arnold.
"I am concerned," said Dennard.
Clark also said he was concerned he would be arrested if the vote takes place Saturday.
Clark said he believes the restraining order was filed because judges also want to set the salary for the person who oversees their administrative office.
"We've been left hanging; looking like a bunch of children in this process because he decided to assert authority that he probably, really doesn't have," said Clark.
Cox and Galveston County Judge Mark Henry both declined to comment, citing the matter is pending before the court.
Quiroga is suing the county over her firing, claiming age and gender discrimination. Quiroga is also claiming her rights as a whistleblower were violated. A petition filed as part of the lawsuit reads Quiroga believes she was fired for reporting to Galveston County District Attorney Jack Roady that Henry had "bugged" "confidential spaces" to capture private conversations between defense attorneys and inmates.
Quiroga further claims that shortly before her firing, she reported a county employee was revealing confidential bid information to a competitor.
Roady told Channel 2 there is "no basis for the allegations filed in the petition," and there is no investigation into either allegation.
In a separate email to Channel 2, Quiroga claims the poor findings in the recent state audit dealt with areas outside her scope of responsibility, and that collections were up, and the office was in order when she left.
Channel 2 also obtained a copy of an email written by Judge Kerry Neves, who was one of the judges who signed the order to have Quiroga reinstated.
The email was sent to several top county officials and called this issue "embarrassing." Neves further wrote he "regrets" signing the order to have Quiroga reinstated given the "not unexpected response."
Neves admonished both sides of this issue for allowing the dispute to reach this point and called for the issue to be resolved.
"But whatever we do, let's quit wasting our valuable time and the taxpayers' money, and get back to governing this county and dispensing justice, the jobs to which we were all elected," Neves wrote.
Neves verified to Channel 2 that he was the author of the email.