Released from the Van Zandt County Judge’s Office:

After almost ten years in office, Van Zandt County Judge Rhita Koches has announced that she will be leaving office on Friday, August 1st .

Judge Koches was appointed County Judge in 2004 when she was serving as Chief of Staff for State Representative Dan Flynn. Koches served as City Secretary for the City of Canton for five years and was a Certified Legal Assistant for almost twenty years.

Judge Koches announced that she has accepted a position with the Texas Association of Counties working with their Legislative Department.

“For several years, TAC has organized a Core Legislative Group made up of elected county officials across the State. I’ll be working with those folks in developing relationships with their respective State Senators, State Representatives and Congressmen,” she explained. “We want our legislators to recognize the resource they have in TAC and in their local elected officeholders.”

“I’m extremely proud of the progress we’ve made here in Van Zandt County in the last ten years,” Koches said. “We’ve gone from cash flow issues and short-term borrowing in the form of tax anticipation notes to a projected positive fund balance of over $200,000 for FY2014.”