{"id":1512324,"date":"2026-06-04T03:21:40","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T08:21:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/?p=1512324"},"modified":"2026-06-04T04:31:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T09:31:13","slug":"land-protection-commission-fails","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/?p=1512324","title":{"rendered":"Land protection commission fails"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"TYLER \u2014 A debate over how East Texans should protect their land and water came to a head Tuesday, when the Smith County Commissioners Court split 2\u20132 on whether to form a subregional commission with Van Zandt County \u2014 effectively killing the proposal, according to our news partner KETK. After being tabled multiple times, the measure returned for a vote and resulted in a split 2\u20132 decision. As the court could not reach a majority, the effort to create the subregional commission failed.<\/p>\n

FOR: Precinct 1 Commissioner Christina Drewry, Precinct 3 Commissioner J. Scott Herod
\nAGAINST: Smith County Judge Neal Franklin, Precinct 4 Commissioner Ralph E. Caraway
\n*Precinct 2 Commissioner John Moore was not present.<\/p>\n

What the 391 Commission Would Have Done<\/strong><\/p>\n

The subregional commission, which would have been formed under Chapter 391 of the Texas Local Government Code, was proposed by Van Zandt County to address citizens\u2019 concerns as new infrastructure pressures from growing industries look to utilize land and natural resources in the area.<\/p>\n

Van Zandt County commissioners asked Smith County to join a subregional commission with the intention to create a council that would oversee and assess the possible creation of industrial farms, centers and units in the region.<\/p>\n

Concerns About Overlapping With ETCOG<\/strong><\/p>\n

At Tuesday\u2019s meeting, concerns were raised regarding the new commission\u2019s potential to encroach on the already existing subregional commission, East Texas Council of Governments (ETCOG). ETCOG Executive Director David Cleveland presented the court with what the existing council can do and provide insight for the commissioners\u2019 decision, highlighting that a new commission would be a layer atop ETCOG if passed.<\/p>\n

According to its website, ETCOG serves as a \u201cbridge between federal, state and local governments, helping cities and counties solve challenges and impact the future regionally.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smith County Judge Neal Franklin, who voted against the passage of the commission, says all that can be done in a new commission is already structured and established with ETCOG. Utilizing ETCOG and its resources \u201cseems like a really good fit,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe that we can do what we need to do through ETCOG,\u201d Franklin said as he explained his opposition on Tuesday. \u201cI\u2019ve spoken with other judges in the region, not just in Van Zandt County, they feel like the ETCOG would be a great way to go with this is. I have gotten nothing but quick movement from them \u2014 when we did the water issue \u2014 that probably is the best way to go. I believe that this is a route we can go, and it\u2019s already formed. All those things I believe are already established and we will work at that.\u201d<\/p>\n

In an interview with KETK News on Wendesday, Franklin said since the proposed commission\u2019s dismissal, ETCOG and the county have already begun working toward addressing concerns of new projects possibly using natural resources in the area.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were formed a long time ago, so they already have staff,\u201d Franklin said about ETCOG. \u201cThey already are wide-reaching in 14 counties. We already have people on committees already assigned. They\u2019ve got money. They\u2019ve got relationships with all these other entities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dissenting View: \u201cCitizens Need Their Own Voice\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Precinct 1 Commissioner Christina Drewry voted for the new commission, raising questions about ETCOG\u2019s ability to address the concerns. In a statement issued on social media by Drewry, she reasons that the region needs a more focused commission:<\/p>\n

\u201cETCOG is not elected by the people,\u201d Drewry said in her statement. \u201cThey serve governments, not citizens. ETCOG does not offer the same focused power. According to their own mission statement, they are \u2018a voluntary association of counties, cities, school districts and special districts\u2019 that exists to assist local governments and their elected officials. Their \u2018Vision\u2019 is to help their \u2018members\u2019 \u2014 who are elected officials \u2014 accomplish their goals.\u201d<\/p>\n

Across the region, citizens are speaking out about proposed artificial intelligence data centers and planned projects that could jeopardize water and land resources in the area. Earlier this year, the Van Zandt County Commissioners Court paused all planning of energy projects in the county.<\/p>\n

Drewry said that the commission would have been a \u201ccitizen empowerment tool that gives everyday residents a real voice alongside their elected representatives.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou deserve a strong voice that actually fights for you instead of deferring to unelected bureaucrats in Kilgore,\u201d Drewry said. \u201cThat is why I fought for this 391 Commission. It keeps power where it belongs: with elected officials who are directly accountable to the people, not with unelected regional planners.\u201d<\/p>\n

What Happens Next<\/strong><\/p>\n

Franklin says the issue of water rights concerns everyone, citizens and local officials alike.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re concerned as well,\u201d Franklin said. \u201cI don\u2019t want something coming in and going into a neighborhood \u2014 I don\u2019t want any of our citizens to be bothered by noise or pollution. I wanna make sure that anything that comes in is not abusing our water.\u201dke sure that anything that comes in is not abusing our water.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though the new commission did not pass and the issue will be forwarded to ETCOG, Franklin said he is not opposed to revisiting the need for a focused commission in the future, if needed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re always open,\u201d Franklin said. \u201cIf somebody comes forward and says, \u2018Hey, I\u2019d like you to join,\u2019 whatever it is, whether it\u2019s 391 commission or something else in an effort, we\u2019re gonna look at it, we\u2019re gonna talk over it in court and do the best for our community.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

TYLER \u2014 A debate over how East Texans should protect their land and water came to a head Tuesday, when the Smith County Commissioners Court split 2\u20132 on whether to form a subregional commission with Van Zandt County \u2014 effectively killing the proposal, according to our news partner KETK. After being tabled multiple times, the … Continue reading Land protection commission fails<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1512327,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[165],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1512324","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-06 05:08:11","action":"change-status","newStatus":"trash","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1512324","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1512324"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1512324\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1512329,"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1512324\/revisions\/1512329"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1512327"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1512324"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1512324"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1512324"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}