Left to right, front row, Precinct 1 Commissioner Debbie Gonzales Ingalsbe, County Judge Ruben Becerra, Central Texas Dispute Resolution Center Mediation Coordinator Alyssa Kutach, Director Martha Joyce and Community Liaison Randolph Goodman; back row, left to right, County Chief of Staff Alex Villalobos, Precinct 2 Commissioner Mark Jones, CTDRC Board Member Andrew Leone, Gary Job Corps representative Donte Jacobs, Precinct 3 Commissioner Lon Shell and Precinct 4 Commissioner Walt Smith. Photo courtesy of Hays County
CTDRC discusses growth, thanks commissioners court
Central Texas Dispute Resolution Center Community Liaison Randolph Goodman thanked the Hays County Commissioners Court for its support of CTDRC over the years.
Goodman presented each member with CTDRC commemorative cup, an informational booklet and pen to show appreciation.
“We thank you for all your support,” said Martha Joyce, CTDRC director, adding a discussion about the path CTDRC took from a fledgling resource, struggling financially and to get the word out about its services, to serving the 500,000 residents of Hays, Comal, Guadalupe and Caldwell counties with mediation services and training.
Now a multi-county service, the CTDRC was formed as a nonprofit in 2009 with $20,000 funding from the commissioners court to serve as a resource for unserved and underserved Hays County persons who could benefit from mediation as a way to resolve a conflict. As needed, justice courts also send cases, including Child Protective Services cases, to mediation at the CTDRC.
CTDRC takes a preventative approach to resolving conflict in the area. We seek to use training and community education to resolve conflict before it becomes a judicial or legal case. The Central Texas DRC does mediate cases ordered through the courts as well as those cases referred by an attorney and initiated by a party in conflict.
