Gillespie County

Gillespie County’s 1,061 square miles are home to just over 25,000 residents, with many concentrated in and just outside of the county seat of Fredericksburg.

County Facilities

County services are provided through the Gillespie County Courthouse in the heart of downtown Fredericksburg at 101 West Main Street.

Situated on “Courthouse Square,” the courthouse is joined there by Pioneer Memorial Library, and the Gillespie County Annex 1 building (located in the former U.S. Post Office building.)

Annex 1 houses the driver’s license office, the justices of the peace offices, the county attorney’s office and the hot check department.

Gillespie County Annex 2, another auxiliary building, is located across the street from the courthouse at 102 East San Antonio Street (the corner of South Adams and East San Antonio streets).

Annex 3, located at 95 Frederick Road, is home to the elections department and the Veterans Service Office.

Law enforcement agencies, including the Gillespie County Sheriff’s Office, are located in the Gillespie County Law Enforcement Center, 1601 East Main Street.

And, three miles southwest of downtown Fredericksburg off Texas Highway 16, the county also operates the Gillespie County Airport, an around-the-clock general aviation facility with a 5,002-foot runway and full-length taxiway and fuel services.

Commissioners Court

County Judge – Mark Stroeher Commissioner, Pct. 1 – Charles Olfers Commissioner, Pct. 2 – Keith Kramer Commissioner, Pct. 3 – Dennis Neffendorf Commissioner, Pct. 4 – Donald (Donnie) Schuch

The Commissioners Court conducts the general business of the county and consists of the county judge and four commissioners.

It holds meetings open to the public every second and fourth Monday of the month, at 9 a.m., in the county courtroom of the courthouse.

Court’s Duties

- Adopts the county’s budget and ad valorem tax rate; - Approves all budgeted purchases of the county; - Fills vacancies in elective and appointive offices; - Sets staff salaries and benefits; - Has exclusive authority to authorize county contracts; - Provides and maintains all county buildings and facilities.

County Judge

- Presiding officer of the

Commissioners Court; - Represents the county in many administrative functions; - Serves as the budget officer;

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- Position includes broad judicial duties, such as presiding over misdemeanor criminal and small civil cases, probate matters, and appeals from the justice of the peace courts; - Serves as head of county emergency management.

County Commissioners

- Each commissioner, as a member of the Commissioners Court, exercises broad policy-making authority; - Represents one of the four precincts within the county; - Typically, responsible for building and maintaining county roads and bridges within their precinct.

Contact a Commissioners Court member by phoning 830-997-7503 or faxing 830-992-2608.

County Attorney

County Attorney – Steven Wadsworth

The county attorney is responsible for representing the State of Texas in all adult misdemeanor and juvenile felony criminal cases under examination or prosecution in Gillespie County. His office also attempts to collect restitution for merchants and persons who have received hot checks (at no cost to the recipients of hot checks).

Office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mondays through Fridays, with a closing for lunch from noon to 1 p.m.

Contact Wadsworth’s office at 830-990-0675.

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Tax Assessor-Collector

County Tax Assessor-Collector – Vicki Schmidt Services provided: - Motor vehicle titles, registration and sales tax; - Boat titles, registration and sales tax.

Contact the TAC Office at 830-9976519 or fax 830-990-2756.

Justices of the Peace

Gillespie County has four justices of the peace. Justice of the Peace, Pct. 1 – J.D. Hickman Justice of the Peace, Pct. 2 – Catherine Kuhlmann Justice of the Peace, Pct. 3 – Linda McCann Justice of the Peace, Pct. 4 – Carl Schoessow

They hear all Class C misdemeanors, handle civil disputes involving amounts in controversy up to $10,000 in value and do inquests, mental commitments and evictions.

They also magistrate individuals who have been arrested, hear traffic cases, issue warrants and sometimes are asked to grant emergency protective orders.

Contact a justice of the peace office at 830-307-3737 ext. 1 for JP No. 1, 830-307-3737 ext. 2 for JP No. 2, 830-307-3737 ext. 3 for JP No. 3 and 830-307-3737 ext. 4 for JP No. 4.

County Clerk

County Clerk – Mary Lynn Rusche

She and her staff record public land records, serve as clerk for county criminal, civil, juvenile and probate courts, record births, deaths and marriages and keep record on registered livestock marks and brands.

Contact the county clerk’s office at 830-997-6515 or also by fax at 830-997-9958.

County Treasurer

County Treasurer – Kelly Eckhardt

Eckhardt’s office invests available county funds, receives and accounts for all monies belonging to the county and pays, applies and disburses monies belonging to the county as per the Commissioners Court’s directions.

Collections office for the county’s Hotel Occupancy Tax is also located here.

Contact the county treasurer’s office at 830-997-6521 or email countytreasurer@gillespiecounty.org.

Human Resources

Human Resources Director – Dana Smith

The Human Resources Department ensures the efficient use of county resources, including recruiting qualified individuals, retaining employees, training employees, administrating and monitoring employee benefits and providing education on county policies and procedures.

Contact Smith at 830-307-3772 or hr@gillespiecounty.org.

District Clerk

District Clerk – Jan Davis

Her office handles all felony criminal cases, divorces and parent/child relationship matters, plus works with

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all civil cases over $10,000, processes passport applications and handles naturalization and citizenship records.

Contact the district clerk’s office at 830-997-6517 or fax 830-992-2613.

Sheriff

Gillespie County Sheriff – Buddy Mills GCSO Chief Deputy – James Segner

The Gillespie County Sheriff’s Office is a constitutionally created office with responsibilities prescribed by legislature (Tex. Constr. Art V section 23). The Sherriff is the chief law enforcement officer for the county.

They are responsible for operating the county jail, accepting bail for prisoners, investigating crimes, making arrests, the enforcement of state laws, serving writs, seizing property after judgement, maintaining communications with other law enforcement organizations, security of both county and district courts, and protection of those that live in and visit Gillespie County.

The chief deputy, who is the highestranking appointed officer in the department, supervises the division commanders and serves as the operations manager for the agency.

The Gillespie County Sherriff’s Office is located in the Law Enforcement Center, at 1601 East Main Street.

Information on the 10 Most Wanted, crime prevention, Crime Stoppers, emergency system notifications and much more is available on the sheriff’s office website, accessible

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through the county’s general website www.gillespiecounty.org and on the department headings.

Contact the Sheriff’s Office by calling (830) 997-7585, (800) 735-0362 or email sherriff.info@ gillespiecounty.org.

County Constables

Gillespie County has four constables. Constable, Pct. 1 – Ken Moore Constable, Pct. 2 – Kenny Bode Constable, Pct. 3 – Hilario Villa Sr. Constable, Pct. 4 – Marshall Akin

They serve as bailiffs for justice of the peace courts, collect money owed on judgments, serve the civil process of all courts, enforce traffic laws and assist other law enforcement agencies at traffic accidents, among other duties.

County Court at Law Judge

County Court at Law Judge – Chris Nevins

Statutorily created in some counties, the county court at law judge provides some judicial relief to both the county and district courts’ caseloads.

Jurisdiction includes misdemeanor criminal cases, a variety of civil cases and appeals from the justice of the peace and municipal courts.

Contact the county court at law office at 830-307-3766 or by email at courtatlaw@gillespiecounty.org.

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Elections Administrator

Elections Administrator – Anissa Herrera

This office is in charge of conducting elections and voter registration.

Contact the elections administration office at 830-997-6518 or email elections@gillespiecounty.org.

County Surveyor

County Surveyor – Carey Bonn

Duties include verifying and clarifying property boundaries under original land grants.

Other offices

Residents are also served by a host of other county offices, among them the county extension office, county auditor’s office, communications center, and others.

Information on these individual departments is also available on the county’s webpage at: www.gillespiecounty.org.

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