Court that runs on time
Cases called when they are posted, so a hearing costs an hourly worker a morning instead of a day's pay and a write-up from a supervisor.
The court that hears the eviction, the fender bender, the unpaid deposit and the ticket. Almost nobody who walks in has a lawyer. That is what this bench is built around.
Five dates set by the State of Texas. None of them move.
A Justice of the Peace decides the cases that determine whether an ordinary week goes sideways. Here is the standard this bench will be held to.
Cases called when they are posted, so a hearing costs an hourly worker a morning instead of a day's pay and a write-up from a supervisor.
Both sides hear the process, the deadlines and the right to appeal in words they can act on, said out loud before the ruling rather than printed on a form after it.
Texas law already allows community service and payment plans for people who genuinely cannot pay. Use them. A ticket should never turn into a warrant, a suspended license and a lost job.
Ask the district why the student stopped coming, and fix that. A citation that never asks the question solves nothing and follows a kid for years.
Justices of the Peace conduct death inquests in Texas. A family that has just lost somebody deserves a judge who comes when called and says plainly what happens next.
Posted hours that hold, staff who return calls, and forms a person can fill out at the kitchen table without hiring anybody.
Precinct 1 is walkable, the lists are built, and the margin here is thin enough that a single Saturday moves it. Tell us what you can do, or just tell us what is on your mind.
That is the entire budget. Nothing here goes to a consultant in Austin. Twenty-five dollars puts four door hangers on four doors.
Over $50 the campaign has to record who contributed and what they do for a living, for the treasurer's public filing. ActBlue and Stripe ask for it at checkout. For PayPal and Cash App we need it here first.
Recorded. Put this reference in the payment note so the treasurer can match it up:
ContinueMake it payable to Ben Collins Sr. Campaign. Treasurer: Ben Collins Jr. Contributions to a political campaign are not tax deductible as charitable contributions.