Three associate judge positions serving Fort Bend County's family, criminal and probate courts could be restored when commissioners vote on the county's $792 million budget Thursday, Sept. 10.

Missouri City and Stafford residents rely on Fort Bend County courts for family, criminal and probate cases. The budget vote will also set the county tax rate on their property.

County Judge Daniel Wong and 400th District Court Judge Christian Becerra, representing the Fort Bend County Board of Judges, reached a tentative agreement to bring back the positions, the Fort Bend Independent reported Wednesday, Sept. 9. The deal hinges on courts meeting certain performance metrics, though the specific benchmarks had not been finalized as of Wednesday.

Becerra called the tentative deal a major win for associate judges, district courts and Fort Bend County residents in a Wednesday statement to the Fort Bend Independent.

The three positions were cut at an Aug. 27 Commissioners Court meeting, reducing the county's associate judges from eight to five starting in 2027. The Office of the County Judge said in an Aug. 28 news release that the move would save taxpayers nearly $500,000 a year.

But district judges pushed back hard. 505th District Court Judge Kali Morgan said at the Aug. 27 meeting that family courts already had about 7,000 pending cases as of July 31.

"You're going to be causing unreasonable delays. Families, children are gonna be negatively affected," Morgan said at the time.

What's at stake

The deal still needs support from the two Republican commissioners on Commissioners Court. Commissioners Dexter McCoy and Grady Prestage, both Democrats, boycotted the Aug. 27 meeting over what Community Impact Newspaper reported were ongoing concerns with court leadership.

That absence matters. According to budget workshop minutes from Aug. 4, if fewer than four of the five commissioners are present Thursday, the county would be forced to adopt the lower No New Revenue tax rate. That would require cuts to the recommended $792,067,150 budget, a 4.2% increase over the current year.

The budget vote and a public hearing are scheduled for 1 p.m. at the Fort Bend County Courthouse, 401 Jackson St. in Richmond.

Background

Fort Bend County is the only large Texas county where each district court has its own associate judge, a 1-to-1 ratio. Harris, Dallas and Tarrant counties average one associate judge for every three district courts, according to the Fort Bend Independent. A 2024 workload analysis by the Texas Office of Court Administration found the county had 2.57 more full-time equivalent judicial positions than its caseload required.

Two new district courts began operating Jan. 1, bringing the county's total to 10. The three positions cut in August traced back to a 2021 decision to add associate judges using federal pandemic funding. That contract expired in 2024, but the county voted to make the positions permanent.

Wong and McCoy are also political opponents. Wong, a Republican, faces McCoy in the November county judge race. Some district judges considered legal action against Commissioners Court if the positions were not restored, according to the Fort Bend Independent, though not all Republican judges supported that approach.

Residents can attend the public hearing or follow the agenda on the county's website.