Hays County Loses Long-Term Regional Seat On CAPCOG Board

January 31, 2020

1 3 minutes read

Melissa Jewett, Publisher

For over 13 years, two representatives from Hays County have served on the Capital Area Council of Governments.

However, in December, during their monthly meeting, Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra was not recommended to remain on the board as the Hays County Representative.

Becerra was appointed to the spot after longtime board member and chairman Will Conley had to step down as the Hays County representative.

Commission Debbie Ingalsbe, who was appointed to replace former Commissioner Conley, has served on the board in a regional position all year.

In December, the CAPCOG board appointed Commissioner Ingalsbe, who had served in a regional representative seat, to serve as the Hays County Representative and appointed a representative from another county to take her regional representative seat.

Williamson County Commissioner Cynthia Long, who serves on the Executive Committee, said to be an effective member of the committee, members have to be willing to be involved and attend meetings.

According to the Executive Committee Attendance Report, Becerra attended five of the committee’s eleven meetings; he volunteered to serve as the Executive Committee Liaison to the Criminal Justice Advisory Committee but attended only one of six meetings.

The Executive Committee bylaws state, “if an executive committee member misses three executive committee meetings in a calendar year, the executive director shall notify the executive committee in writing of the absences and that a fourth absence will vacate the member’s position on the executive committee.”

Commissioner Long said, “There were more elected officials across the region seeking to be on the Executive Committee for 2020 than there are slots. It was the decision of the nominating committee to recommend Commissioner Debbie Ingalsbe for the Hays County slot and recommend a city council member from another county for the At-Large slot that had been filled by a Hays County representative.”

We reach out to Judge Becerra’s office for comment and was sent the following statement;

“I have fulfilled my one-year term commitment with CAPCOG and have full confidence in Commissioner Ingalsbe’s leadership and ability to represent Hays County.”

The 29-member Executive Committee, CAPCOG’s governing body, largely comprises city and county elected officials nominated and selected annually to provide direction to CAPCOG staff on program implementation, budgets, contracts and general policies and procedures for managing the agency. The committee has up to four nonvoting seats for state legislators representing Texas Planning Region 12, the CAPCOG 10-county region.

CAPCOG assists its region with emergency communications to economic development. According to their website, “some things just make sense for collaboration at the regional level, and the Capital Area Council of Governments helps make that happen every day.”