Three District Judge Panel Splits on County Auditor Reappointment, Name New County Auditor
By: Jose G. Landa, Copyright 2015, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc.
The Three District Judge Panel, comprised of 293rd Judicial District Judge Cynthia Muniz, 365th Judicial District Judge Amado J. Abascal, III, and 38th Judicial District Judge Camile Dubose, named to decide the appointment of a Maverick County Auditor split on the candidates who applied for the position with Judges Muniz and Dubose voting in favor of former Kinney County Auditor Sandra Watkins while Judge Abascal voted in favor of reappointing current Maverick County Auditor Fidencio Ortiz. The three judge panel’s decision brings to a closure the appointment question of a County Auditor for Maverick County.
Current County Auditor Ortiz will remain until April 19, 2015, at which time newly appointed Maverick County Auditor Sandra Watkins will commence a two year term appointment.
County Auditor Ortiz had been previously appointed to a two-year term as County Auditor by District Judges Abascal and Muniz on September 24, 2012 after almost a year the position had been vacant as a result of the resignation of the prior County Auditor Carlos Pereda.
County Auditor Ortiz inherited a Maverick County accounting and financial system in total disarray and without appropriate accountability systems for more than 10 years.
During the lack of a full-time County Auditor period before Ortiz’s appointment, certain Maverick County Commissioners and local construction contractors engaged in a bribery and bid-rigging scheme in County public construction contracts including Assistant County Auditor Alejandra Garcia whom facilitated the authorization and issuance of County checks to this scheme.
While certain Maverick County Court Commissioners members were busy in the bribery scheme, the County’s finances suffered significant financial losses, including back to back year $2.3 Million losses during 2011 and 2012. In addition, Maverick County Commissioners Court lost two major state and federal Community Development Block Grants totaling over $1.5 Million due to their non-compliance with grant requirements, hurting Maverick County taxpayers with much needed services previously awarded but forfeited due to management negligence. To add injury to insult, Maverick County Commissioners Court lost the operator of the Maverick County Public Facility Corporation-owned Maverick County Detention Center, causing the Maverick County Sheriff’s Department to take over the operation of the 650 bed detention center to some extent at County taxpayers expense. Maverick County is currently in default of the $42 Million bonds to build the Maverick County Detention Center and is desperately attempting to reach an amicable workout with the Trustee and Bondholders to avoid foreclosure.
At the April 7, 2015, Maverick County Commissioners Court meeting, independent auditor Milo Martinez advised Commissioners Court that they had overspent $1.4 Million during the 2013 fiscal year budget in his audit presentation.
Consequently, Maverick County has lost the ability to obtain state and federal grants as a result of all these financial problems and the lack of independent auditor Milo Maritnez providing a clean audit opinion of the Maverick County audits for 2011 and 2012.
A federal law enforcement wire tap against a suspected drug suspect resulted in the interception of a cell telephone call of then Maverick County Commissioner Rudy Heredia stating that he had just sold his Ford-250 King Ranch Pick-Up Truck to a member of a notorious drug cartel in Mexico. This wiretap became the tip of the iceberg and opened an aggressive joint FBI and Texas Rangers investigation into Maverick County corruption during 2009 through 2012. The investigation has netted over 20 federal indictments and almost the same number of guilty pleas, including former Maverick County Commissioners Rudy Heredia, Cesar Flores, Eliaz Maldonado, and former Assistant County Auditor Alejandra Garcia.
The FBI and Texas Rangers confiscated many Maverick County records through search warrants from the County Auditor Office and elsewhere.
County Auditor Ortiz attempted to establish accountability systems to Maverick County’s accounting practices and procedures discovered by independent auditor Milo Martinez of Martinez Rosario & Companty, LLP of San Antonio, Texas during his 2010, 2011, and 2012 audits of Maverick County. However, this was not enough for Maverick County Commissioners Court desperate attempt to stop the financial bleeding of County taxpayer funds.
It is no secret that Maverick County Commissioners Court and their political associates vigorously campaigned to oust County Auditor Ortiz, whose taxpayer financed campaign succeeded. It is unknown as of yet how much Maverick County taxpayers had to pay special legal counsel Luis R. Vera, Jr. of San Antonio, Texas for his services as well as any other persons or experts consulted or used to support their campaign.
Newly appointed Maverick County Auditor Sandra Watkins will have her work cut out for her despite her acquaintance with Maverick County Commissioners Court as Maverick County is undergoing the most serious financial and corruption scandal in its history. Watkins will face many new challenges as the Maverick County Auditor as it has a much larger budget and issues than the small rural Kinney County where she previously served as County Auditor.
Watkins did not apply originally for the Maverick County Auditor position during the first application period in September 2014. However, she did apply for the position when it was reopened in February 2015. Watkins has previously done some auditing work as a or for a contractor or subcontractor doing work of a Maverick County entity.
Maverick County taxpayers demand a County Auditor that will be independent and fulfill their state-mandated responsibilities while protecting Maverick County taxpayers.
