Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget And Tax topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commissioner schedules Sept. 24 budget public hearing as court discusses tax-rate options and time limits
Summary
A Newton County commissioner set a public hearing on the county budget for Sept. 24 at 9:00 a.m. and discussed concerns about raising the tax rate and proposals to limit public-comment time; the setting passed by voice vote, tally not recorded.
A commissioner on the Newton County Commissioners Court scheduled a public hearing on the county budget for Sept. 24 and discussed how the court should handle the timing of the hearing and public comments.
The commissioner said the previous meeting closed without scheduling the hearing and proposed reopening the record to set the hearing for Sept. 24. "I will set it for September 24th at 9:00 a.m.," the commissioner said. They later moved to adopt that date during the session; the court proceeded with a voice vote but the transcript does not record a roll-call tally or who seconded the motion.
The discussion included competing suggestions on start time — speakers mentioned 8:30 a.m., 9:00 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. — and a proposed sequence that would hold court business first, the public hearing next and reconvene afterward. The commissioner argued adopting the date at this meeting would give staff and the public time to prepare and avoid last-minute changes.
Budget substance arose throughout the exchange. A commissioner reiterated opposition to raising taxes, urging "serious conversations" about next year’s budget and framing the tax-rate question as a longer-term issue rather than an immediate action. Numerical details discussed in the transcript about the mill rate were unclear; specific rate figures were not recorded in a way that can be confirmed here.
The commissioner also proposed limiting how long the public may speak, saying, "30 minutes to speak and that's plenty of time," and expressing concern about the hearing becoming protracted. The session included remarks that public attendance at court meetings is often low, a point offered to temper expectations of large turnout.
The hearing was set for Sept. 24 with the start time discussed at 9:00 a.m.; the court indicated approval by voice vote, though the transcript does not show a formal tally or a named seconder. No formal ordinance, resolution number, or statutory citation was referenced in the transcript. The court did not record additional formal actions on the budget during the portion of the meeting in the transcript.
The commissioners' court is scheduled to meet on Sept. 24 for the public hearing, after which staff and the court will continue deliberations as needed.
