Justice of the Peace for Washington County - District 4
What is a Justice of the Peace?
Think of the JP role as a local county commissioner and their primary responsibility is managing the county budget. They do this by sitting on the Quorum Court and serving on committees.
Important Washington County Numbers
15 JP's
There are 15 JP roles in Washington County that represent a total population of roughly 245,000. Currently, 4 are Democratic, creating a super majority to enact partisan decisions.
District 4 = 15k People
The total estimated population of District 4 is roughly 15,000. Over the last 2 cycles, voter turnout skews Democratic with just under 2000 people participating.
Millions In Unspent Aid
Since receiving more than $20 million in relief funds, the bulk of spending is a $10 Million allotment to expand the prison, which may not even be legal.
What is the Quorum Court?
The Quorum Court is the legislative body of county government and exercises a variety of local powers. JP's are assigned to committees by the County Judge and ultimately approve the annual budget. Over the past few years, this has included appropriations for federal aid tied to Pandemic relief.