HEMPHILL COUNTY JUDGE

LISA JOHNSON

1. If successful in winning election, what is the single-most important quality you will bring to the office of Hemphill County Judge? Do you plan to serve as a full-time judge?

LJ It takes many qualities to be an effective County Judge. I believe the most important is integrity. The definition of integrity is being honest and having strong moral principles. To me, this means I do and say what I think is right and lawful all of the time, even if someone disagrees. Sometimes it means having difficult conversations to address important issues. It is important to me to keep my word, and people can count on me to do what I say I will do. I do work full-time. I am at my office early and many days I stay late. I work whatever hours are needed to do my job. During and after the fire, I worked evenings and weekends until I had accomplished what needed to be done.

2. What past experience has prepared you to administer a budget of $6 million, and what would your top priorities be in allocating those dollars?

LJ Prior to becoming the County Judge, I was the County and District Clerk and oversaw my departmental budget. As clerk, I sat through the Commissioners Court meetings and kept the minutes of all of the budget workshops. I saw how decisions were made regarding the budget and setting tax rates to support those budgets. As the Chief Budget Officer for the county, I have put county budgets together for the last four years. I work with all of the elected officials to find out what they need and let them know if we need to cut budgets. The Commissioners Court (all four commissioners and the judge) is the final say when adopting a budget. Once a budget is adopted, we set a tax rate to support that budget. We all work together to make sure we can provide the services required by law and expected by our citizens. My top priorities are to provide services required by law, maintain our properties, partner with local entities when appropriate and provide adequate pay and benefits for our employees. I always want to be a good steward of taxpayer dollars.

3. What role do you believe the Hemphill County Judge should play during and after a county-wide disaster/emergency, i.e. the 2024 wildfires? 

LJ The County Judge is the Emergency Management Director for the county. It’s the job of the EMD to work with local and state agencies to deal with the disaster and facilitate recovery. I work with first responders and local entities to make sure we protect lives and property in the most effective way. The EMD also provides information to the public and makes decisions about evacuation if necessary. After the disaster, I work with local organizations and state agencies to provide needed services and to implement a system to receive and disburse donations. It is important that the citizens of our county know they can trust me to determine what our needs are and to find the resources to assist us during the recovery phase. I’ve built relationships with all of the agencies that worked with us during and after the fire. I’m so proud of how our community came together and supported our folks that suffered devastating losses.

4. Given the downturn in the local economy, what role, if any, do you envision the County playing in long-term economic development?

LJ The county supplies some funding through the EDC for projects they implement to support local tourism and businesses. It’s not so much the county’s job to seek out economic development but to partner in it when given the opportunity. I would like to see a project come to Hemphill County but I’m hopeful it will be the right project. We have to consider the impact to our local citizens and resources when it happens. The county has no authority over land use, we might not have a say-so in the type of project that comes here. If a tax abatement is sought, that is when the county would have some negotiating power. I am hopeful that we will see a rise in oil and gas exploration but we have to plan for the alternative.

5. In the last two decades, a unique cooperative relationship has evolved between Hemphill County and the City of Canadian. Do you support the interlocal agreements that have enabled these two entities to fund projects that benefit the taxpayers, and would you support partnerships with the City in the future?

LJ The partnerships that we have with the City benefit all of us. Over 70% of our population lives in Canadian, so we have to keep that in mind. When the County partners with the City, it helps them get projects done that they might not otherwise have the resources to do. The County has a much larger tax base than the City so it just makes sense that we partner together. I am grateful to have a good working relationship with the City because I can remember when it was otherwise. We are all the same people. I live outside of the City but am impacted by what goes on in Canadian.

6. What do you feel is the best use of current surplus funds over the next 20 years? Do you think it is important to maintain a larger surplus balance than it was 20 years ago? Please explain.

LJ The County has a healthy fund balance thanks to thoughtful leadership of past Commissioners Courts that planned for the future. Myself and the current Commissioners have followed the practice of former Commissioners Courts that sought to use the fund balance in several ways. The first is to use those funds for capital projects which in turn would keep us from raising taxes to pay for those larger projects such as construction or large maintenance items. We have recently used those funds for a project at the jail where we replaced all of the door locks and the electronic locking system. This was a significant safety issue in our jail. This way. we limit the amount of taxes we need to levy by not using ad valorem taxes collected in that fiscal year. The second is to keep those funds available in the event that our tax base has a steep decline and we need them for actual operations. Another way those funds might be used is to invest in any economic development opportunities that arise and could benefit our county in very positive ways. It’s a balancing act. We try to keep taxes low while also maintaining a fund balance that will sustain us in the future.

BETH RAMP STURGEON
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