Precinct 2 commissioner asks to retain larger share of road funds; court discusses rotating road crew trial

Commissioner David, representing Precinct 2, presented his FY2025-26 road-and-bridge budget to the Hunt County Commissioners Court on July 11 and asked the court to allow Precinct 2 to retain a larger share of its property-tax revenue for local road work.

David said Precinct 2 currently receives roughly $3.6 million under an equal four-way distribution of ad valorem revenue, and he asked permission to retain 30 percent of the precinct's contribution rather than 25 percent. He said the change would add about $721,756 to Precinct 2's materials line and allow the precinct to plan 18'20 miles of resurfacing annually.

"I'm requesting permission to retain 30% of that revenue within Precinct 2 to support our ongoing growth," David told the court during his presentation. He cited rapid growth in parts of Precinct 2 (notably the Caddo Mills area) and detailed recent precinct accomplishments, including buying and rebuilding equipment, reopening nine previously impassable dirt roads, replacing approximately 125 culverts, and rectifying base failures on roughly 67 miles of roads. David also supplied material-use figures: asphalt tonnage increased from roughly 14,339 tons in 2023 to a projected 20,964 tons in 2025, while rock tonnage declined as maintenance needs improved.

Commissioners and road supervisors discussed operational changes. Court members and staff proposed a trial in which the county's road crew would rotate through precincts on a four-month cycle and check in at each precinct's barn at the start of the day. The court directed a trial to begin next month so commissioners and foremen could evaluate whether the arrangement improves communication and productivity. The court also discussed changing how fuel and consumables are charged, with one staff member suggesting a transition to precinct-level fuel accounting beginning Oct. 1 while continuing central funding through the current budget year.

Why it matters: Precinct-level control of more of the property-tax distribution would increase localized funding for materials and resurfacing, directly affecting how quickly high-priority roads are rehabilitated in the fastest-growing parts of the county.

Actions and next steps: commissioners authorized a pilot of the rotating-crew schedule to begin next month and asked staff to show how the proposed Precinct 2 revenue split would appear in budget materials. No vote was taken to change the county-wide revenue split on July 11.

Ending: The court asked county staff to include David's request and the rotating-crew operational changes in upcoming budget models; any change in the county revenue-share formula would require formal action at a future meeting.