RICHMOND, Texas (Covering Katy News) — Fort Bend County Judge KP George acknowledged Tuesday that the county's current commissioner precinct redistricting map was never reviewed by outside legal experts before being approved in 2021, a stunning admission that came during a heated debate over redrawing voting boundaries in Fort Bend County.
The Democratic county judge's revelation emerged during Tuesday's Commissioners Court meeting after Republican Commissioner Andy Meyers presented a legal opinion from a law firm he hired, stating that the Fort Bend County commissioner precinct map violates state and federal statutes, in large part because is based on race.
Attorney Tony McDonald formed the opinion after reviewing transcripts from the 2021 meeting where the current map was approved. (See McDonald's 4 page memo below) The transcripts show George saying the map was designed to create precincts for specific racial groups.
Fort Bend County Judge Admits Race-Based Redistricting Map Was Illegal
"This map provides an opportunity district for each of the major communities of interest," George said in 2021. "This keeps Precinct 2 as its opportunity district for African Americans, Precinct 3 as an Asian opportunity district, (and) will give Precinct 4 an opportunity for Latino members of our community to have a chance to elect a member of choice."
At Tuesday's commissioners court meeting, George admitted he made a mistake in 2021 when he introduced the map that was approved.
"I should have never done it, and I was never told it is illegal or federally is not legal to do something like that," George said.
George also distanced himself from the map.
"If you go back and look at the minutes, you will see that the map I presented was not the map approved," George said. "This particular map was presented to me, and I trusted some people in my office; this was presented to me the day of voting, and that map, the current map you are talking about, was never reviewed by outside legal consultants or the county-hired redistricting consultants. It was never reviewed."
One of his staff members in 2021 was Dexter McCoy, who served as chief of staff and is now Precinct 4 commissioner. McCoy said the map is legal because race was not the "predominant factor" in drawing the precinct lines.
Video: KP George's Comments, Courtesy KTRK ABC 13
Texas Redistricting Laws Spark Fort Bend County Voting Rights Controversy
The controversy began when state Rep. Matt Morgan, a Republican, wrote to commissioners in February stating that about one-fifth of the county's voter precincts don't meet population requirements under Texas redistricting law.
Elections Administrator John Oldham, who said he spent more than 30 hours over Memorial Day weekend working on a new map, questioned whether redistricting is necessary since the precincts were last established in 2021.
"In my mind, it doesn't help with the election process," Oldham told commissioners.
But Meyers said he would not vote for a map that violates the law even if it allows him to go back to his home. Majority Democrats took the unprecedented step of removing Meyers' home from his precinct, a move many see as punitive and designed to keep him from running for re-election. He did run and won after his opponent Taral Patel was indicted nine times during the 2024 campaign.
Meyers currently lives in a rental property in his precinct so he can continue serving as Precinct 3 commissioner.
"The most important thing at this moment, from my perspective, is that our county precinct map should fully comply with both federal and state law," Meyers said.
County Attorney Bridgette Smith-Lawson, a Democrat, disputed claims the maps are illegal.
"No court has determined that our maps are illegal," she said. "We are using this phrase loosely and also to the detriment of the public. There has been no finding of illegality in these maps."
McCoy said he would support adjusting voter precincts to return Meyers to his original district, something he voted against earlier, but opposed broader changes to the boundaries of commissioner precincts.
"To say that we need to do a full-scale redistricting at this time, it's a waste of taxpayer dollars," McCoy said. "It's a waste of our county resources, and we need to make sure that we start preparing now for what redistricting in 2030 looks like."
Fort Bend County Commissioners Court Meeting Erupts in Political Clash
McCoy and Meyers clashed repeatedly during the Fort Bend County Commissioners Court meeting, prompting George to bang his gavel when McCoy talked over Meyers in an apparent attempt to prevent Meyers from introducing his agenda item, three alternative maps to the one presented by the elections administrator.
Meyers withdrew his three alternative maps from being considered.
"Based on input from constituents who attended the town hall meetings on my proposed redistricting maps, I pulled the item from today's Commissioners Court meeting," he said in a statement posted to Facebook. "We will continue with this redistricting effort to seek more input from residents."
On Wednesday, McCoy criticized both George and Meyers.
"This continued effort to impose on our residents a full-scale redistricting process is disingenuous and baseless," McCoy said. "The redrawing of commissioner precinct boundaries is a serious responsibility that must be guided by accurate data from the census — not political agendas or personal vendettas."
Fort Bend County Residents Weigh in on Redistricting Debate
The county courthouse was packed Tuesday, with overflow seating in another room. About 20 people spoke during public comment, with each person having three minutes to speak.
Fort Bend resident Lynda Mixon, who served on the county's redistricting commission in 2000, praised Meyers' outreach efforts.
"No other commissioner had meetings, and he's trying to be fair here, trying to do the right thing," she said.
Former Fort Bend County Judge Bob Hebert, a Republican, spoke on behalf of the Fort Bend Business Coalition. He said the coalition's position was that the commissioners court should delay a vote on the new maps and instead look to engage citizens in the process.
After Meyers pulled his maps from consideration, Fort Bend County commissioners court took no action on the Oldham map, meaning the redistricting issue will have to be discussed later, at the very least to address the voter precincts being brought into compliance with state statutes. Whether the commissioner precincts get changed is still unknown.
Meyers noted that the Fort Bend County commissioner precincts don't reflect the political makeup of Fort Bend County, which is roughly 50% Democratic and 50% Republican. He notes that the current precinct map is designed to elect three Democrats and only one Republican.
Meyers noted that he used his own funds to have the three alternative maps created, and for consultation with his attorney.
"No taxpayer funds were used," he said.
See the McDonald Law Office 4 page memo below.
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Attorney McDonald Memo p1
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Attonrey McDonald Memo p3
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Covering Katy owner Dennis Spellman is employed by the Fort Bend County Precinct 3 Commissioner's Office.