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Home My WebLink About2023/09/19 PUBLIC HEARING 9:15AMFILED FOR RECORD o DATE 0'%y`Z� AT / 3"--O'CLOCK M BRAZOS COUNTY BRYAN, TEXAS PUBLIC HEARING BRAZOS COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COURT BRAZOS COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COURT WILL CONDUCT A PUBLIC HEARING ON TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2023AT 9:15A.M. IN THE COMMISSIONERS COURTROOM OF THE BRAZOS COUNTY ADMINISTRATION BUILDING, 200 SOUTH TEXAS AVENUE, SUITE 106, BRYAN, TEXAS 77803 The Court will hear comments on the Proposed Tax Increase for 2023. Interested parties are invited to attend said hearing and present their cause, if any, for or against the tax increase for 2023. The Brazos County Administration Building, 200 S. Texas Avenue, Suite 106, Bryan, TX77803 is wheelchair accessible. Handicap parking spaces are available. Any request for sign interpretive services must be made two working days before the meeting. To make arrangements, please call (979) 361-4102. The foregoing minutes of the Commissioners Court Public Hearing held September 19, 2023, have been examined and are approved in open Court this the 3rd day of October 2023, in Bryan, Brazos County, Texas. Duane Peters County Judge Chuck Konderla Commissioner, Precinct 2 Wanda J. Wat n Commissioner, cinct 4 Attest: Karen McQueen County Clerk Steve Aldrich Commissioner, Precinct 1 Nancy Berry Commissioner, Precinct 3 MINUTES SEPTEMBER 19, 2023 BRAZOS COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COURT PUBLIC HEARING Call to Order A public hearing of the Commissioners' Court of Brazos County, Texas was held in the Brazos County Commissioners Courtroom in the Administration Building, 200 South Texas Avenue, in Bryan, Brazos County, Texas, beginning at 9:15 a.m. on Tuesday, September 19, 2023 with the following members of the Court present: Duane Peters, County Judge, Presiding; Steve Aldrich, Commissioner of Precinct 1; Chuck Konderla, Commissioner of Precinct 2; Nancy Berry, Commissioner of Precinct 3; Wanda J. Watson, Commissioner of Precinct 4; Karen McQueen, County Clerk. The attached sheets contain the names of the citizens and officials that were in attendance. The Court will hear comments on the Proposed Tax Increase for 2023. Interested parties are invited to attend said hearing and present their cause, if any, for or against the tax increase for 2023. Judge Peters called the meeting to order at 9:20 a.m. and invited members of the public in attendance to speak. Jody Quimby asked that the Court collect no more than what is needed to fund the budget. He further requested that the Court agree to a rate close to the No New Revenue Rate. Carlyle Fraser applauded CommissionerAldrich's efforts to set the tax rate at the No New Revenue rate. He asked that the Court use taxpayer money responsibly. Mark Cappock urged the Court to set the lowest rate possible to help the taxpayers already struggling in this economy. Honorable Fred Brown spoke against a tax rate increase. He stated that the County is asking for $2.5 million more than what is needed. Catherine Viens stated she is totally opposed to a property tax increase. She discussed the financial burden caused by property taxes. Paul Viens spoke against a tax increase. He expressed concerns over retirees no longer wanting to move to Brazos County due to high property taxes and current residents not wanting to improve their property out of fear of increased tax payments. Dorothy Saka stated that every time the County raises property taxes, it is affecting someone's ability to stay in their home. She implored the Court to remember that they work for the people, not the other way around and she does not think it is necessary to raise taxes if fund balance is sufficient. Moreecy Day disagreed with the proposed tax rate. He asked that the Court do the right thing for the public and if additional funds are not necessary, do not adopt the proposed rate. Larry Thompson discussed the burden that a tax rate increase would have on citizens. He stated that he is opposed to the Court proposing to add an additional $15 million to what he deemed an already exorbitant amount. Cynthia Wiley opposes an increase to property taxes. She stated that the County is asking for more money than necessary. Ms. Wiley also noted that while a majority of property taxes go to the school districts, she has worked hard to be debt free and does not feel it is appropriate to pay so much in taxes. Shauna Cox spoke against the proposed tax rate. She stated that the No New Revenue rate generated a $20 million surplus last year and she does not understand why it would be necessary to raise taxes this year. She asked that the Court listen to the citizens who have spoken against the proposed tax rate. After all citizens who signed up to speak were recognized, Judge Peters offered commentary. He stated that school taxes are the bulk of property taxes, not the County. He explained that the County is required to fund many costs mandated by the State. He then reiterated that fund balance grew significantly during the COVI D-19 pandemic shut- down. Due to projects that need to be completed, the Medical Examiners Office and potentially an Emergency Communications Dispatch Center, the funds will be spent. Judge Peters stated that the projects will not happen if the County is not financially prepared to complete them and it is crucial to focus on long-term safety needs. He also mentioned the liability cost of the OPEB trust. Commissioner Watson articulated that it is imperative for the Court to provide services that enhance the wellbeing of the community, such as mental health services. She stated that the citizens expect the County to provide those services but they come at a substantial cost. Commissioner Aldrich thanked the citizens for taking the time to address their concerns with the Court. He then rebutted each of Judge Peters' points and shared his thoughts on using debt service as opposed to sitting on a surplus fund balance. Commissioner Aldrich asked why the Court is asking for more money than necessary. Judge Peters and Commissioner Aldrich further debated the matter. Commissioner Konderla stated that he spent hours with the Budget Office to gain a full understanding of the information in the proposed budget. He concluded that in consideration of the current and future needs of Brazos County, a compromise on the proposed tax rate would be appropriate. Commissioner Konderla stated that he intended to propose a rate of 0.4097 at the regular Commissioners Court meeting. Judge Peters adjourned the meeting at 10:23 a.m. Pg I of - `I BRAZOS COUNTY COMMISSIONER'S COURT DAY O .19 Name (PLEASE PRINT) if J&�s e2 (� a � 7r� T� Organization (PLEASE PRINT) kome- 16t0Q<v",*,- b nn� Co l� �5C fall► Pg Z of 4 BRAZOS COUNTY COMMISSIONER'S COURT fg�-' DAY Name - (PLEASE PRINT) Organization (PLEASE PRINT) �I I� W2 bcso p-e- 5 1- de ,L-� lax 0&1 av� Pg� of Lb BRAZOS COUNTY COMMISSIONER'S COURT 9� DAY Name (PLEASE PRINT) rnr .moo.!' (%/\ AS Dv-% �iWAI W/i 0 3f-e V., k- NA� 1 \ i i`ufe� �IaS�nS ltav-\, Organization (PLEASE PRINT) 1 ( it D Pg of 4 BRAZOS COUNTY COMMISSIONER'S COURT % yf—� DAY OF &p4adcck- , 20P AM/PM, Name (PLEASE PRINT) 1 , / Organization (PLEASE PRINK 7,�_ BQ- .2tx- -J-W/tV'(t SW605 vm( 5/c - z 'a \ MWIA1,01 Cheryl L. Coffman From: James Douglass <jamesdouglass63@gmail.com> Sent: Thursday, September 7, 2023 3:19 AM To: Duane Peters; Steve HW. Aldrich; Chuck Konderla; Nancy F. Berry, Wanda J. Watson; Cheryl L. Coffman Subject: Re: 2023 Brazos County Tax Rate Follow Up Flag: Follow up Flag Status: Flagged Brazos County Disclaimer ***** This is an email from an EXTERNAL source. DO NOT click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and have verified that the content is safe. Never enter USERNAME, PASSWORD or sensitive information on pages linked from this email.***** ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................-- -- -- ..--- -- - September 7, 2023 Dear Brazos County Commissioners Court, I regret to report that you, as both a Body and individually, failed to so much as acknowledge my August 14, 2023 correspondence to you. This came with little surprise and I now better understand your reasoning for failing to respond.... although, as elected officials that work for the constituency, I would have at least expected some acknowledgement. Your September 5, 2023 majority action to advance a discussion of an out-of-pocket 14.49% tax increase from each and every Brazos County Property Owner perfectly aligns with the 'tax and spend' group -think that prevails amongst you. It is sad to see that you wield such power to take our money, so that it may rest in your bulging coffers. As I understand it, you propose to take these additional dollars from us because: 1. "We area rapidly growing County and we need to be prepared for whatever comes." My household also needs to be prepared for'whatever comes' and if you unnecessarily hold our money in your account, I am unable to maintain that preparedness. These are our rainy day dollars, not yours. This is flatly unacceptable reasoning. 2. You are currently using reserve fund dollars to supplement the County's annual operating budget. At the current tax levy (valuation x current tax rate), how long would the reserve balance last? When did you last thoroughly complete a line -by-line assessment of the County's spending? I guarantee you that there are unnecessary expenses occurring within Brazos County Government every day. I also suspect that some reorganization and realignment would yield significant economies. 3. You reminisce of a time when property values unexpectedly dropped during a recession 40+ years ago. What do the property valuation experts have to say in their current predictions of Brazos County, Texas property valuations over the next 1, 5, 10 years and beyond? Please solicit this kind of expert input and incorporate it into your tax rate decision making, so that your decisions can be well informed with the most current predictions vs. historic recollections. 4. If the State Constitutional Amendment passes this Fall, the Taxpayers will receive an ISD 19 - 20 cent rate reduction. You state that BCAD reports an overall 20% annual increase in property valuations. You do understand that this overall valuation increase nullifies the ISD rate reduction to which you refer - correct? BUT ..... that's a discussion to be held with a different taxing entity and should not influence your decision -making in the slightest. To even suggest its relevance reveals your invasive, underlying belief that you have some authority to decide how much the overall property tax bill should be for Brazos County Property Owners. THIS IS NOT YOUR CONCERN. Your concern is restricted to the funding of Brazos County Government - PERIOD. Please read and enter this correspondence into the record of the Brazos County Commissioners Court's September 19, 2023 Tax Rate Public Hearing. Finally, I would appreciate a simple acknowledgement of your receipt of this correspondence. Respectfully, James and Tjuna Douglass 6307 Scott Ln. Bryan, Texas 77808 (979) 220-1652 On Mon, Aug 14, 2023 at 10:56 AM James Douglass <iamesdouglass63@gmail.com> wrote: Greetings Brazos County Commissioners Court, As Brazos County property owners and taxpayers, we are writing to express our STRONG OPPOSITION to any decision on your part to increase the 2023 tax rate. Conversely, you should refund a portion of your abundant surplus back to the taxpayers. Those are our dollars .... not yours. Regrettably, we all know that this will not happen. At a minimum and considering Brazos County's projected budget surplus, together with the balance of unassigned funds, you (our elected and trusted stewards of our dollars) should lower the 2023 out-of-pocket amount that each of us paid vs. 2022. Not just lowering the rate, but ensuring that the lower rate, along with grossly increased 2023 assessment values, results in a lower dollar amount collected from each property owner. Once you've conservatively and reasonably worked through the balance of surplus and unassigned funds, you can then consider any needs for additional dollars from the taxpayers. I DO NOT support a 'tax and spend' approach that raises hostage money from us, so that the plunder can sit in the County's Account, while awaiting the next en vogue spending idea. STOP IT! Respectfully, James and Tjuna Douglass 6307 Scott Ln Bryan, Texas 77808 (979) 220-1652