Joshua Star (Joshua, Tex.), Vol. 41, No. 12, Ed. 1 Thursday, June 23, 2011 Page: 3 of 14
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www.joshuastar.net
Thursday, June 23, 2011 ★ Joshua Star ★ Page 3
COMMISSIONER'S COURT
Pet. 2 to lose land
By DAVE SORTER
burlesonstar@thestargroup.com
Through the fault only of
population growth and where
newcomers decided to live,
Johnson County’s current
commissioners precinct map
is unconstitutional. Now, the
commissioners are beginning
work to correct that problem.
The Commissioners
Court, at a special meeting
Monday night at the Johnson
County Courthouse, intro-
duced its committee to work
on redistricting and was pre-
sented a plan that evens out
the county’s population by
making slight tweaks to each
precinct.
The county’s population
grew by 24,123 people to
*50,934, according 2010 cen-
sus figures analyzed by re-
districting consultant David
Guinn, a constitutional law
professor at Baylor Univer-
sity who is also working with
the state on its redistricting
process. Most of the people
who moved into the county
came to Burleson, Cleburne
and Joshua, and Precinct 2 —
which includes part of Burle-
son, Joshua, Godley and the
northwest part of the county
— had the most population
growth.
In fact, according to the
census, Precinct 2, represent-
ed by John Matthews, has
“an overflow” of about 7,000
people, Guinn said. Commis-
sioner Don Beeson’s Precinct
4, in the southern part of the
county representing part of
Cleburne and all of Keene
and Grandview, was short by
about 4,000 people. That’s a
30.4 percent difference.
“The U.S. Supreme Court
says the deviation can’t
be more than 10 percent,”
Guinn said. “We have got to
get all the precincts to have
the same number of warm
bodies, and that has nothing
to do with racial balance.”
The plan presented at
Monday’s meeting has Pre-
cinct 1 with 37,009 people;
Precinct 2 with 39,208; Pre-
cinct 3 with 38,036; and
Precinct 4 with 36,681. That
changes the difference be-
tween the the largest and
smallest precinct to 6.7 per-
cent.
That is being done by cut-
ting some populous areas out
of Precinct 2. For example,
Precinct 3 Commissioner
Jerry Stringer will obtain
area in Burleson south of
Hidden Creek Parkway to
Interstate 35W, with FM 731
(John Jones Road) being the
western boundary of that
change. Precinct 4 will add
the Cross Timbers/Briaroaks
area, and Precinct 2 will hand
over a small portion of north-
ern Godley to Precinct 1 and
Commissioner Rick Bailey.
The model presented
Monday did have to be
tweaked from the first plan
drawn up to ensure minority
representation, Guinn said.
“The biggest minority
precinct is Precinct 4,” Guinn
said. “Though we do not have
a majority-minority precinct
and I can’t make one, we
must protect the interests of
our minority citizens.”
By 2030, Johnson County
is projected to have 320,000
residents, with 165,000
of them being Anglo and
137,000 Hispanic, Guinn
said, citing projections made
by researchers at the Univer-
sity of Texas-San Antonio.
The committee will like-
ly meet formally only once
more, County Judge Roger
Harmon said. That will be
followed by two public hear-
ings — probably on the same
night, first in Cleburne, then
in Burleson — and submis-
sion by the court to the U.S.
Department of Justice for ap-
proval.
“We have to go through
the same process the state
has to go through,” Guinn
said. “This is not a dog-and-
pony committee.”
Committee members
were warned that the Depart-
ment of Justice will likely call
them to ensure they are keep-
ing population equality and
minority interests in mind in
their work.
Harmon and each com-
missioner had two appoint-
ments to the panel. They are:
■ Harmon: Anne Watson
of Cleburne and Vinsen Faris
of Godley.
■ Bailey (Precinct 1):
R.C. McFall of Cleburne and
David Johnson of Cleburne.
■ Matthews (Precinct
2): Dan Boutwell of Burleson
and Sharon Wright of Burle-
son.
■ Stringer (Precinct 3):
Manuel Trevino of Burleson
and Tam Phillips of Alvarado.
■ Beeson (Precinct 4):
Crystal Holmes of Grandview
and Yddo Ortiz of Cleburne.
Commissioners can-
not make a final decision on
the new maps until the city
of Cleburne decides on its
single-member district ward
boundaries. Other cities with
wards, such as Alvarado and
Keene, don’t have to make its
decisions before the county
acts because their population
is less than 10,000 and the
cities contain only one voting
precinct.
JOSHUA STAR/DAVE SORTER
County Judge Roger Harmon, right, and redistricting committee
appointee Anne Watson of Cleburne look over the proposed map.
JOSHUA STAR/DAVE SORTER
Precinct 2 County Commissioner John Matthews, center, talks
over proposed changes to his precinct with redistricting commit-
tee appointees Dan Boutwell of Burleson and Sharon Wright of
Burleson.
For a complete listings of jobs online, visit:
www.thestargroup.com
The Joshua Independent School Di strict is accepting applications
for the position of Journeyman Plumber. Interested persons
should apply at the Service Center located @ 522 Stadium Drive,
Joshua. For information call 817-202-2500, ext. # 11351.
Tritrax Healthcare services, a homecare co., has an immediate
opening for a FT RN Case Manager in the Johnson County
area. Please send resume/cover letter to a. duckworth @ tritrax.
net. Excellent compensation + benefits. No phone calls accepted!
•
Tritrax Healthcare Services, a homecare co., has an immediate
opening for a PRN Certified Nurse Assistant in the Johnson
County area. HHA experience required. Please send resume/
cover letter to a. duckworth @ tritrax. net. No phone call s accepted!
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REQUIRES METAL BLDG./TAKE-OFFS/STRUCTURAL
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MUST PASS DRUG SCREEN & BACKGROUND CHECK.
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Burleson
Now Hiring
Professional, Courteous, DEPENDABLE, Sales Oriented,
Office Assistant. Must have good computer skills.
Must work Saturdays.
817-293-2204
Debbie
Tarrant Interiors is hiring employees to work in Shipping.
2nd shift hours: 4:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. + .50 shift premium for
Evening shift. Day shift hours: 6:00 a.m.-2:45 p.m., or 8:00
a.m.-5:00 p.m. Duties include: Pick & Pull product, Data Entry,
Scanning, Loading trucks w/forklifts, pallet jacks, manually. Must
be forklift certifiable (both written and maneuvers test). Must
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& ability. Vacation holiday, personal days after 1 year, Health
& Dental ins. available. Apply in Person 5000 S. Freeway, Ft.
Worth, TX 76115.
Gastroenterology
Adil M.Choudhary, M.D. has extensive training in gastroenterological
and biliary endoscopic procedures. He is board certified in both internal
medicine and gastroenterology. Dr. Choudhary treats inpatients and
outpatients for conditions of the liver and digestive tract.
Previously, Dr. Choudhary practiced for nine years in Roswell, New
Mexico and served as Clinical Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine
at the University of New Mexico.
* Founder, Huguley Center for Digestive and Liver Disorders
* Award-winning gastroenterologist
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817-551-7332
HMA
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Porter, Brian. Joshua Star (Joshua, Tex.), Vol. 41, No. 12, Ed. 1 Thursday, June 23, 2011, newspaper, June 23, 2011; Burleson, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth823168/m1/3/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Burleson Public Library.