What are the County Judge’s responsibilities?
According to the Texas Association of Counties, “the Texas Constitution vests broad judicial and administrative powers in the position of the county judge, who presides over a five-member commissioners’ court, which has budgetary and administrative authority over county government operations.” Hidalgo County Judge J.D. Salinas III waived his judicial duties and serves in an administrative capacity. He is similar to a mayor for a city. In the olden days, county government primarily concentrated on building roads and public safety. Today, Hidalgo County is involved in a wide array of projects from developing a healthy workforce, increasing economic opportunities and green space to improving public infrastructure such as drainage and roads. Day to day, this office strives to improve the overall quality of life for residents of Hidalgo County.
