Cooke County commissioners meet on second and fourth Mondays, county rules show

Cooke County's Commissioners Court holds its regular sessions on the second and fourth Mondays of each month, according to the county's published rules of procedure. This fixed calendar lets residents plan when to attend or follow county business. The rules do not set a weekly regular meeting.

The county's notice for the April 13, 2026, session set a 10 a.m. start. The notice scheduled the meeting in the first-floor Commissioners Courtroom at the Cooke County Courthouse in Gainesville. It also included a link to a county YouTube livestream, which gave residents a way to watch the daytime meeting remotely.

Special sessions can start at other times. The county called a special meeting for 9 a.m. on Nov. 17, 2025. Its agenda listed an election canvass and a health-insurance workshop.

Residents who want to speak to the court must give a public-participation form to the county judge's office at least 15 minutes before the meeting starts, according to the court's webpage.

State law controls how far ahead these meetings must be announced. House Bill 1522 took effect Sept. 1, 2025. Under it, most Texas government bodies must post meeting notices at least three business days in advance, with some exceptions in the statute, according to the Texas attorney general's office. The same law added notice requirements for meetings that discuss or adopt a budget. These requirements cover the proposed budget and a statement of its effect on taxpayers.

Each county chooses its own meeting day. Section 81.005 of the Texas Local Government Code tells every commissioners court to designate its regular meeting weekday for the next fiscal year. It also lets the county judge or three commissioners call a special term. It does not require weekly meetings. State law once required commissioners courts to meet on the second Monday of each month. A 1989 change let each court choose its own day, according to an attorney general opinion.

Cooke County put that designation on its agenda in two consecutive years. The Sept. 23, 2024, agenda listed the court's meeting day for fiscal 2025. The Oct. 13, 2025, agenda listed it for fiscal 2026. The agendas show that the item was posted for consideration. They do not show how commissioners voted.

The 10 a.m. start is not new. County minutes show that the court convened at that time on Jan. 14, 2013.

Neighboring Montague County also holds regular sessions on the second and fourth Mondays, according to its published rules. Other North Texas counties post weekly calendars. Denton County lists weekly sessions on Tuesdays at 9 a.m. Grayson County's meeting calendar shows a 10 a.m. session in each week of September 2026.

The Gainesville City Council meets in the evening. It meets at 6:30 p.m. on the first and third Tuesdays of each month, according to the city. On Jan. 16, 2026, the city announced that it would add livestreams of its regular council meetings and keep its online video archive.