$24,000.00 Toilet

Sparing no expense in the multi-million dollar restoration of their 1912 county courthouse, Cameron County commissioners voted Tuesday to spend $24,000.00 to reconstruct a "historic toilet" on the first floor of the courthouse the Austin American-Statesman reported.

Renovation of the historic building began way back in 1994. Because the courthouse is considered a historic site, the renovation is being overseen by the Texas Historical Commission. The commission gave the county $3,100,000.00 of the state's tax money to spend on renovations. A condition of the grant is that all construction must comply with the nit-picky rules of the commission. Lest you think that $24,000.00 is a blatant waste of scarce tax money, rest assured that figure includes not just the toilet, but also the fixtures, plumbing, plaster and mosaic tile.