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This interview was recorded at the Henderson County Courthouse Annex on Wednesday, July 7.
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This week's guest on the County Report is County Judge Wade McKinney. He was raised in the Eustace area and is married with four children. His family has been in Henderson County for more than 100 years.
I. Longest Serving on Commissioners Court (1:57)
Judge McKinney has served the most time on Henderson County Commissioners Court. He spent 20 years as Pct. 2 Commissioner before being elected County Judge.
"I have a love for county government," he said. "I believe county government is that portion of our system that impacts everyone in their daily lives."
II. Remembering the Past (5:25)
Judge McKinney looks back at the slower pace of government when he first joined Commissioners Court and how technology has changed that.
"I reminisce a lot about the quote-unquote good old days and the fun we used to have around the table," he said, "but there was very serious business taken care of then just as there is today, it's just done at a faster pace."
Looking at his connection to the past, Judge McKinney said he feels a responsibility as the keeper of Commissioners Court's institutional knowledge.
III. Community Challenges (14:12)
When asked about the challenges facing the county, Judge McKinney spoke about community-level issues like broadband infrastructure and substance abuse.
As an example, he spoke about the new HOPE Henderson County program to combat opioid use.
IV. Taxes (21:16)
A second major challenge for Henderson County is making taxpayer money go as far as possible as the cost of doing business continues to rise. Another factor impacting county spending is unfunded mandates from the Legislature in Austin.
"You have to manage your expenses as compared to your revenues," Judge McKinney said.
The Judge used the county's new radio system as an example of how planning pays off for Commissioners Court.
V. Different Cultures (32:34)
Because of the physical size of Henderson County, it has distinct regions: the west end, or Cedar Creek Lake area; the center, or Athens area; and the west end, or Brownsboro and Chandler area.
"We are as wide as Van Zandt County and Kaufman County combined," Judge McKinney said, "and because of that geographical distance, we actually have three cultures in this county."
The example used in the podcast for this is a burn ban and how often one end of the county is dry while the other end is not.
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