Lubbock County Commissioners pass a resolution supporting Texas Rangers investigation into payroll dispute - KCBD

The mess traces back to last December, when County Judge Curtis Parrish appointed Meurer to Precinct 2 after removing Commissioner Jason Corley from the post. A judge later ordered the seat returned to Corley. Despite that ruling, the county kept cutting Meurer checks.

Meurer and Judge Parrish both say the payments continued because the legal case stayed unresolved until Meurer dropped out. Not everyone on the court is satisfied with that explanation. Commissioner Mike Dalby said he agrees with everything in the resolution but still voted against it, and Judge Parrish was in the room but abstained from voting entirely.

For people in Lubbock County, this comes down to a basic question. Nearly $70,000 in public money went to someone a judge said should not have held the office. The resolution itself carries no legal weight, so it does not force the Rangers to open a case or require anyone to pay the money back. It puts the question on record and pushes state investigators to look at how Precinct 2 got paid twice for one seat.

A commissioner can vote for a resolution's message and against the resolution itself on the same afternoon, and that is exactly what happened in Lubbock this week.