The quality that Taylor County Judge Phil Crowley admires most about the people he serves is their willingness to help one another, either one-on-one or through volunteering.
He can count himself in that group of “most-admired” people. His job includes county administration, presiding over hearings and being the county’s Chief Emergency Management Officer. Those all fall under the heading of “service.” Off duty, Crowley attends Beltway Church and is a member of the Kiwanis Club. Additionally, he is on 14 nonprofit boards.
The job description of a county judge is multi-layered, and most people never give the office a second thought. Unless, of course, you live in the country. Then, you’re likely to be quite familiar with the county judge’s responsibilities, especially law enforcement and emergencies. Not surprisingly, the part of the job that gives Crowley the most satisfaction is responding to people’s needs.
A native of Abilene, Crowley graduated from Hardin-Simmons University and Texas Wesleyan School of Law. He previously was a prosecutor in the Taylor County District Attorney’s office.
WHAT IS UNIQUE ABOUT ABILENE AND TAYLOR COUNTY?
How warm the people are, people are always willing to help each other and organizations.
WHAT IS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE FACING TAYLOR COUNTY?
Revenue is always tricky, as we don’t receive any sales tax. We always try to keep the property tax rate low, even though that’s our main source of revenue while also trying to deliver the services that constituents want from the county. Also, trying to make sure our emergency services are keeping up with the growth.
WHICH PART OF YOUR JOB GIVES YOU THE MOST SATISFACTION?
Being able to help people quickly with problems big and small. A big example–the response time for ambulance service has been cut in half since the last Taylor County budget gave Taylor County EMS (a nonprofit we partner with) funding for three 24/7 EMS Stations (Merkel, Tuscola and View). Previously, View was the only 24/7 station.
WHAT WOULD PEOPLE FIND MOST SURPRISING ABOUT YOUR JOB?
That I have about 800 civil cases a year. About 400 of those are mental health commitment cases, about 300 are probate cases and about 100 are guardianship cases. I think most people see Commissioner’s Court and think that that’s my main responsibility. However, I spend about 70 percent of my day in Taylor County Court hearing these cases and then spend the rest of it working with county administration along with the commissioners and our deputy county administrator. I’m also by statute the Chief Emergency Management Officer, so that becomes job #1 in times of crisis.
IS THE COUNTY FACING ANY UNFUNDED MANDATES FROM THE STATE OR FEDERAL GOVERNMENT?
The State of Texas tells counties across the state to maintain law and order and carry out other government functions but doesn’t really give us much money to do it. For example, we spend about $10 million a year on a court system with 15 courts, we spend about $12 million on the Sheriff’s Department, about $1.5 million on Constables, about $20 million on the Taylor County Jail, about $8.5 million on the Juvenile Justice Department and Detention Center. We also spend about $5 million on the District Attorney’s Office and about $5 million for indigent court-appointed counsel. The Legislature often adds new mandates. A new mandate from the 2023 session requires Taylor County to spend an additional $400,000 a year on court-appointed attorneys for parents in CPS, bringing the CPS total to $2.5 million a year. I appreciate Rep. Stan Lambert and his staff and Sen. Charles Perry and his staff for always being willing to listen and to fight for us, but I always breathe a huge sigh of relief when the session ends and nothing else can be done to counties by the Legislature.
WHAT IS THE SINGLE BIGGEST COMPLAINT YOU HEAR AS COUNTY JUDGE?
I don’t hear many complaints, but if there was one I hear occasionally, it’s that many folks believe that I’m like the Abilene City Manager and can tell other department heads in the county what to do. However, most county officials are elected officials in their own right and can run their departments however they wish and are only answerable to the voters. There are a handful of county officials that I and the four commissioners jointly appoint, but that’s the exception. Luckily, Taylor County has great elected officials, so I don’t hear this very often, but I’ve heard this one a few times since being in office just because not every citizen is going to agree with every decision made by elected officials (including the ones I make).
Phil’s Favorites:
HOBBY: Going to movies and traveling.
CURRENTLY READING: Last book was a James Madison biography, and I’m currently in between books, but I read five – seven newspapers/news publications each day.
DRINK: A tie between water and Coke Zero.
