Irion County ISD September 29 2026

Agenda Analysis | Meeting Review | Meeting Documents | Commentary | Last Meeting

The McDonald's Observatory at Fort Davis is only 238 miles west of Mertzon.

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BoardBook agenda for this meeting.

A. Agenda Analysis

1. Time: Note the time of this meeting is at 7:30 am. There's no requirement in the Texas Open Meeting Act addressing what time is a lawful time. This Board always meets around 6:00 pm. Can they meet early? Yes. The law provides that meetings only have to be "open to the public". (Texas Gov't Code 551.002.) A meeting at 7:30 is generally no less accessible than one around 6:00 pm. Contrast that with a meeting at, say, 4:00 am. An argument might be made that meeting was inaccessible to the public because of its unusual time, and therefore it would not be "open to the public".

2. Approve the tax roll, Item 3 a. : This is the final tax roll that should firmly determine the District's income next year from 2026 taxes. I'm unsure why this wasn't approved before Aug 31; I recall there is a good reason, I just don't remember it.

3. DIP and CIP, items 3b and c: I had to reach out to Supt. Heath to decode these. These are the "District Improvement Plan" and "Campus Improvement Plan". Each year there are modifications to the TEA required plans. Here is the 24-25 District Improvement Plan, for example.

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If you go to a "star party" at the Observatory you don't get to see space from their largest telescope at the top of the mountain (the 2nd largest telescope in the world), but you do get a chance to view from telescopes like the one in the lower right.

B. Meeting Review

Pending.

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The Cactus Museum at the Chihuahuan Desert Research Center near Fort Davis is worth the trip.

C. Commentary

1. Tip of the day: When you don't understand the language being used in a public meeting agenda (like CIP and DIP), just reach out to the governmental body and ask for an interpretation.

2. Links: McDonald Observatory, Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center. Here's an example of a star cluster, the Wild Duck Star Cluster, that you can see while at the Observatory at one of their Star Parties. We stayed at a nearby AirBnB, but another option for lodging that is in the mountains and quite close to the Observatory is The Prude Ranch. I also recommend the horseback rides at the ranch.

3. What you aren't seeing on Government in the Sun: political endorsements and race analysis. Again, this is more of an experiment in civics than a political or news site. My exception will be evaluating how politics have impacted the 765 kV line cases. Stay tuned for that.

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Copyright 2026 G. Noelke