Clarifying County Priorities
Reviewing the County website, the County Commissioners page, Exhibit 1 will show sixteen listed functions — assumed priorities — indicating a need to reorder County priorities. Law Enforcement and the Judiciary functions fall to the bottom of the list of Main Functions, twelfth and fourteenth, respectively.
Exhibit 1
Exhibit 2
Stephen Covey, perhaps the best-known author and lecturer in the history of the United States of America, taught the importance of prioritizing the largest, the biggest ‘functions’ using a well-known story in his book First Things First: The Gold Standard of Time Management Books. Read the text of Covey’s parable of the rocks via this link: Prioritization of Duties.
“The Main Thing Is To Keep The Main Thing The Main Thing.” ― Stephen R. Covey, First Things First
The last paragraph of Stephen Covey’s parable:
One student replied, “Well, there are gaps in your day, and if you really work at it, you can always fit more into it.” “No,” the instructor said, “that’s not the point. The point is this: if I hadn’t put the big rocks in first, I would have never gotten any of them in.”
On the next page, the 2023 Rockwall County Budget is prioritized according to the overall cost of each ‘major ‘Big Rock.’
2023 Budget
The published 2023 county budget presents challenges to readers. The following chart breaks out the three biggest ‘rocks.’ The Law Enforcement block incorporates all components of this function. The detention center is not separate from the Sheriff’s office but simply a department of that office. Law Enforcement is the ‘biggest rock.’
The second largest ‘rock’ is the Judiciary. The sums listed include all operations that constitute this department. Judges, prosecutors, probation officers, Justices of the Peace, and Juvenile probation people.
Exhibit 3
The third largest ‘rock’ is the Road and Bridge department. At the most recent Rockwall County Commissioners Court meeting on 12 September 2023, Commissioners voted to purchase a costly (over one-quarter million dollars) dump truck. There was no discussion about leasing new equipment, only a discussion about selling the old truck.
Exhibit 4
Heavy equipment leasing features valuable benefits. Municipal Leasing Company of East Sandwich, Massachusetts, details 7 Benefits of Municipal Leasing.
Before starting my own business in 1986, my previous employers were all engaged in commercial construction; those three corporations leased all automobiles and all heavy equipment. An eighth benefit to commercial customers is that leased vehicles and equipment are tax deductible. Commercial companies enjoy the seven benefits of municipal leasing common to governments. Governments who lease enjoy an advantage unavailable to commercial enterprises: lower cost of financing.
All leasing companies in Texas are fiercely competitive: HOLT CAT Rentals, Preston Rentals, TEXAS EQUIPMENT RENTAL, TEXAS STATE RENTALS, BANE MACHINERY, and others.
Exhibit 5
Contact Information
| County Judge | Frank New | 972-204-6000 | fnew@rockwallcountytexas.com |
| Commissioner Precinct 1 | Cliff Sevier | 972-204-6000 | csevier@rockwallcountytexas.com |
| Commissioner Precinct 2 | Dana Macalik | 972-204-6009 | dmacalik@rockwallcountytexas.com |
| Commissioner Precinct 3 | Dennis Bailey | 972-204-6000 | dbailey@rockwallcountytexas.com |
| CommissionerPrecinct 4 | John Stacy | 469-939-2067 | jstacy@rockwallcountytexas.com |
| County Treasurer | David Peek | 972-204-6100 | Contact Form |
| County Auditor | Lisa Constant Wylie | 972-204-6050 | Contact Form |
| County Sheriff | Terry Garret | 972-204-7001 | Contact Form |
| Criminal District Attorney | Kenda Culpepper | 972-204-6800 | Contact Form |
| Road & Bridge Administrator | Wayne Hensley | 972-204-7890 | 915 Whitmore Dr, Rockwall, TX 75087 |
Exhibit 6
For Your Information and for Your Convenience: The Public Information Act. Learn how simple the PIA is to use and how quickly you can expect a response via the handbook.
The PIA is not intended to be a means to express your opinion. This is solely to request information. Ask specific questions. Keep it simple. Keep it short. Begin your request for information by stating, “This is a request for information pursuant to the Public Information Act.”
Ask your question. Yes, you can ask multiple questions. Make reasonable requests for facts. As Sgt. Friday used to say, “Just the facts, ma’am, just the facts.” County employees are ordinary people just like you. They should be afforded the highest respect. Be courteous at all times. You reap what you sow.
Exhibit 7
As per Article IV, Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution, our form of government is the republican form, a constitutional republic. The word republic comes from the Latin res publica, “the people’s thing.” It’s a republic, not a democracy.
Be an informed citizen. Be an active citizen. Pray for all elected officeholders, administrators, law enforcement, and the judiciary.
Knowledge is power, and ignorance is a choice.
John White
Rockwall, Texas
John N. White 