Fort Worth Star-Telegram
BY ELIZABETH CAMPBELL
MARCH 01, 2023 5:55 PM

A bilingual employee in the Erath County tax assessor/collector’s office resigned last month after her boss required her to sign an English-only policy.

Veronica Cajamarca resigned instead of signing the policy.

Tax assessor/collector Jennifer Carey declined to comment in an email to the Star-Telegram on Wednesday.

County judge Brandon Huckabee was out of the office Wednesday, but told KXAS Channel 5 that the tax assessor’s English-only policy will not be countywide. Huckabee stated that Carey did not consult with him or the county commissioners regarding the English-only policy.

In a statement to the television station, Huckabee wrote that he apologized to Cajamarca and another co-worker, Mary Cruz Serrano.

“I want to be very clear, this is not an Erath County policy, nor is it found in our handbook; it is not a current policy used in any other County office that I am aware of at this time.”

Huckabee wrote that Carey never consulted with his office, human resources or with the county attorney’s office, and that he learned about the English-only policy after Cajamarca and Serrano got the letters.

“County Government is an interesting setup in that each elected official is responsible for their own office and work independently without much oversight from other officials in the County,” Huckabee wrote.

According to KXAS, Carey initiated the English-only policy after other employees accused Cajamarca and Serrano of gossiping about them in Spanish. The policy states that employees are to only speak English at work unless they are translating for someone who does not speak English.

The employees were told to sign the policy in early February.

“English is the primary language of a majority of the employees of this office and in order to facilitate an efficient and harmonious work environment, all employees shall only speak the English language except in limited circumstances.”