Residents urge tax relief and question county spending; commissioners debate nonprofit funding

Several county residents used the court’s citizen input period Tuesday to press commissioners on property taxes, ask for greater budget transparency and urge fiscal restraint.

Chris Barnes opened the public comment period from Precinct 2, urging a fundamental rethinking of how governments raise revenue. “The real solution here then is to abandon property taxes and convert everything to a sales tax,” Barnes said, acknowledging the idea could not be implemented by the county alone.

Other speakers described the personal impact of property tax increases. Kathy Viens, a Precinct 4 resident, asked commissioners to manage county funds “as if it’s your own,” noting family budget constraints and urging prudent spending. Don Gilman, who described recent experience negotiating his appraisal, challenged the court to explain its relationship with the local appraisal office and to make the budget and tax process more understandable to residents.

Cindy Wiley urged the court to exercise fiscal accountability and to reduce the property tax rate, saying elected officials should spend only what is necessary and not pursue legacy or discretionary items at taxpayers’ expense.

During budget debate, Commissioner Brown remarked that nonprofit organizations sometimes appear to treat county funds as an easy source of revenue: “This court’s got 1 entire day dealing with outside nonprofits that came to us asking for money … they look at us like a big piggy bank,” Brown said. Commissioner Watson responded directly to Brown’s comments, defending community nonprofits as organizations that provide services to residents in need and that also do fundraising. “They do a good service,” Watson said, adding that while the court could review funding levels, it was unfair to characterize nonprofits as simply seeking county money.

Charles Coats of Bryan‑College Station Habitat for Humanity invited officials and candidates to volunteer at a candidate build on Oct. 11 and urged the court to maintain regular, visible meetings for county residents who live outside city limits.

Court staff and commissioners said public input factored into budget deliberations. The court approved the FY2026 budget and discussed options to reduce tax impacts, including debt or reimbursement bonds, while noting that some revenue growth reflected newly added property rather than an increased tax rate.

Ending: Commissioners said they will continue public outreach and hold workshops on financing options during the upcoming months. Citizens who testified requested clearer communication about tax office practices, budget choices and nonprofit funding levels.