Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against the Travis County Commissioners Court. The suit alleges that the court violated the Texas Open Meetings Act by holding a secret meeting to discuss and approve funding for security enhancements at the personal residence of Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza.
According to the lawsuit, on March 19, 2024, the Travis County Commissioners Court entered an executive session labeled as “security issues” without providing proper notice or allowing public observation. Following this session, they voted to allocate $115,000 from the general fund to the District Attorney’s Office for security measures at Garza's home. This decision was made without giving the public an opportunity to comment on it.
The Texas Open Meetings Act requires governing bodies to give adequate notice of topics discussed in executive sessions and restricts such sessions to specific issues. The lawsuit claims that discussing taxpayer-funded security for a personal residence does not qualify under these restrictions.
“Travis County has illegally abused procedure to conceal self-serving decision-making, to hide from scrutiny, and to prevent citizens from knowing exactly what is being done with their money,” said Attorney General Paxton. “After the Travis County DA’s pro-crime policies have created such dangerous conditions for Austin residents, it is especially ironic that he secretly sought taxpayer-funded security measures for his home.”
To read the filing, click here.