AUSTIN CO. PRECINCT 2 JUSTICE OF THE PEACE RESIGNS
Austin County’s Precinct 2 Justice of the Peace has submitted his resignation.
At their meeting on Monday, Austin County Commissioners accepted the resignation of Wilfred Krause, effective April 2nd.
Krause has served as the Precinct 2 Justice of the Peace since being appointed in 2009. His term expires at the end of 2026.
According to the Bellville Times, County Judge Tim Lapham said on Monday that Krause “regretfully” turned in his letter of resignation. He said Krause has enjoyed serving the community but “knows this is what needed to be done.” He and the rest of the commissioners court thanked Krause for his service to the county.
KWHI reached out to Krause and Lapham for comments, but did not receive a response.
The court’s next meeting will be on April 8th, at which time an executive session may be held to review any applications submitted for the position. Lapham said anyone who is interested can give their information to him.
Further action on filling the vacancy may come following an executive session at a meeting on April 22nd.
That’s a shame, and I wish him the best. Although he wasn’t an attorney, he once helped me get a $750 refund from a company headquartered in Rhode Island that had a retailer in Brenham double billing me by charging full retail then billing insurance. The retailer was claiming my cost to be after insurance was applied when it wasn’t. Krause suggested the route to take and helped me locate the company’s state agent in Texas, and I took it from there. Cost me nothing but some paper and ink, and the retailer is no longer in business in Brenham. People need to pay attention to this JP position because the voters increased JP case limits to $20,000. That’s a lot for someone who isn’t required to know the law (be an attorney). I’m wondering if the names of applicants for this very public office are public record. People should be able to see the applicant pool. It’s the closest court to home, and it’s my opinion (although quite evident) the state’s attorneys, who also make law and/or have huge influence, wanted this so they could get further away from smaller cases that aren’t big moneymakers for them. Trouble is some cases that don’t promise a pot of gold for attorneys can have a big impact, and you may want a judge who knows the law.