EDINBURG — Justice of the Peace Mary Alice Palacios hopes to pull in two paychecks this coming year: Her ordinary salary, $68,190 from the county, plus $47,000 from the Edinburg school district for handling their truancy cases.
But county officials have balked, unsure if the arrangement is legal, and other Hidalgo County justices of the peace say handling truancy is part of their jobs and shouldn’t merit a second salary.
Let me tell you how these people work? She goes in front of the board to tell them that since she is also handling truancy cases for the dist. She is entitled to more staff. Being good friends with the board will allow her to write a list of candidates that she thinks will do well under her office. Which happens to be, most if not, all of her family members.
No, this is not nepotism since the baord is the one hiring for her office. But little do you know that the board members already have the list of her family members to hire.
