Photo by Pioneer Staff
By Nick Self
The Randall County board of the Potter-Randall Appraisal District took steps last month toward hiring legal counsel for ongoing contract talks with Potter County, but the meeting also featured sharp exchanges over public comment and a new push to enforce stricter decorum rules.
During the board’s meeting on August 11th, board chairwoman Jinger White opened the meeting with public comment. Several citizens spoke, including Take It in the Gas owner Mike Fisher. After his three minutes ended, White told him to stop talking and sit down. Fisher appeared to respond by saying, “That’s shit.”
Board member Deborah Foster turned toward Fisher and said, “That was uncalled for.”
White then reported that she had not been able to contact all of the attorneys the board had requested and therefore could not make a recommendation on hiring counsel for the contract renegotiation with Potter County.
Board member Bob Lindsey, who has openly opposed the renegotiation, requested that the board go into executive session. After returning to open session, the board voted unanimously to form a two-person committee to interview attorneys for Randall County.
Board member Claudia Burkett announced that during the closed session the board decided it would begin enforcing decorum rules for public comment, and that those who violate the rules may be asked to leave the meeting. Later in the meeting, White directed Chief Appraiser Jeffrey Dagley to place an action item related to the decorum rules on the next agenda.
This is not the first time a local government body has moved to tighten control over public comment. In 2018, then-Mayor Ginger Nelson led an effort to stop broadcasting public comments at Amarillo City Council meetings and created a separate, non-broadcast comment period that many council members did not regularly attend. The council also briefly considered moving meetings to 7 a.m., a proposal that drew heavy public criticism and was later dropped.
Fisher was a frequent and vocal public commenter during that period and often clashed with Nelson. He and White have similarly gone back and forth at several Randall County PRAD meetings. Fisher’s page has recently criticized White’s handling of public comment while praising Potter County Chairman Zac Plummer for remaining more open to speakers.
The tension comes after months of pressure on both PRAD boards to renegotiate the 1987 contract that currently gives Randall County the dominant vote on most policy matters.
Some board members were also observed making light of citizens who were recording the meeting. Lindsey was seen blowing kisses toward one of the cameras and laughing with other members while doing so. The board had previously considered a proposal to begin video recording its own meetings, a move strongly opposed by Lindsey.
The episode echoes the 2018 debate over citizen recording of Amarillo City Council meetings. Nelson had told citizens to stop recording their meetings shortly after taking office. After public pushback, Nelson ultimately allowed filming to resume. Section 551.023 of the Texas Government Code expressly permits citizens to record open government meetings.
The Randall County Appraisal District Board subsequently held a public meeting this month in a joint capacity with Potter County, but the agenda was limited primarily to approval of a reappraisal plan and budget for the district. White did not attend the meeting.
It remains unclear whether the board will succeed in placing a decorum item on a future agenda or how the members will handle public comment going forward as contract negotiations continue.