Erath County commissioner calls out dual role held by emergency management coordinator.
Erath County Commissioner Sherman Edwards is questioning the fairness of a county employee getting full time pay from two different departments.
In a video posted to his Facebook account, Edwards brings attention to the fact that Erath County Emergency Management Coordinator Chris Brooks receives full-time pay in his role as well as full time pay as a member of the Erath County Volunteer Fire Rescue department.
“I don’t think you can have two jobs and do them simultaneously while drawing a full paycheck from both departments,” Edwards told Beneath the Surface News.
Edwards said he was made aware of the situation a few weeks ago when Brooks asked commissioners to hire him an assistant.
“My first thought was, ‘Well maybe you should concentrate on your full-time job we’re paying you for and stop working for the fire department,” Edwards said.
“We hired him for 40 hours a week and if he didn’t have another 40-hour-a-week job, he would have enough time and not need an assistant.”
Commissioners denied Brooks’ request for an assistant, but the meeting prompted Edwards to dig into the issue further.
He said as the county’s emergency management coordinator, Brooks is paid $64,400 per year and an additional $68,000 by the ECVFR.
“I was shocked,” Edwards said. “I figured he was making $10,000 to $12,000 extra at the fire department, not $68,000. I thought, ‘this can’t be legal.’”
Edwards said he questioned Erath County Attorney Bethany Espinoza about the situation and was told “there is nothing illegal” about it, but Edwards calls it “immoral.”
Edward says he has tried, to no avail, to get it stopped through a budgetary change.
Now, he says he’s focused on changing the county’s employee handbook to prevent this from continuing.
“I’m not trying to say (Brooks) doesn’t work hard or doesn’t do his job well, but this is wrong,” Edwards said.
“Now that I’m aware of it, I want it corrected.”
WHAT BROOKS HAS TO SAY
Chris Brooks spoke with Beneath the Surface News about the situation on Friday morning.
He said he has been working both positions since 2023 and at no time has he felt that either department has suffered.
“I have 40 people that are keeping eyes on me every single day, so if anything is lacking, there is going to be an uproar,” Brooks said.
“The jobs are closely meshed because they involve emergency services for both departments.”
Brooks said he was completely taken aback by Edwards’ videos.
“I didn’t ask for an assistant because I can’t do the job. I asked for an assistant so I could implement new programs and take the county’s emergency management to the next level.
“This job is what you put into it and there are a lot of things I want to accomplish that can’t be done by one person.
“As we crest into urban from rural, we need plans. I am looking to set the county up for success in the next five, 10 years.”
Brooks said a board of directors oversees his job at ECVFR and that it doesn’t necessarily require 40 hours a week.
“Some weeks it’s 20 hours and other weeks – like when we had recent wildfires – it was 104,” he said.
Brooks said he has met with board members since the hoopla began and that he is receiving their full support.
In fact, he said he has received overwhelming support from the community.
“People who know me understand my passion for Erath County,” he said.
“I have always had a love for the fire service because I get to help people on their worst days – and that makes me feel good.”
ERATH COUNTY JUDGE BRANDON HUCKABEE’S TAKE
County Judge Brandon Huckabee said commissioners on Thursday approved a contract with ECVFR that’s been in place for more than 20 years.
“We approved a new contract with updated changes on Thursday,” Huckabee said.
“There has been a contract in place since the Erath County Volunteer Fire and Rescue was formed in 2003. It has been a yearly contract since I took office.
“We will make any adjustments as needed moving forward.
“When I offered Chris Brooks the position as emergency management coordinator when I first started, he was already in that role with the Erath County Volunteer Fire Rescue, and because of some of the overlap in that position, I told their board it was their decision to allow him to do both.
“Chris has done an incredible job bringing our emergency management plans up to date and in compliance, which had not been done in years.”
Huckabee went on to praise Brooks’ work leading Erath in its county-wide radio communications upgrade and the unified dispatch center.
“He’s done a great job,” Huckabee said.
PUBLIC REACTION
Since releasing two videos about the situation to Facebook this week, Edwards said the reaction has been mixed.
“There are a few naysayers, but most of the response has been positive and thanking me for bringing it to light,” Edwards said.
“I put this out to the powers that be and asked, ‘Does this pass the smell test?’
“Even if I can’t change it, I want people to know that I am trying.”
What do you think?
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