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Council advances discussion to put crime‑control district proposal before voters
Summary
Council heard staff's executive summary on creating a Crime Control and Prevention District (CCPD) that would reallocate a statutory minimum 0.125% of sales tax (~$1.7M) from the Rosenberg Development Corporation to public-safety spending; RDC leaders warned reallocation would cancel planned projects, and council gave staff direction to return with formal resolution and potential temporary board at the Dec. 2 meeting.
City staff presented an executive summary on creating a Crime Control and Prevention District (CCPD), explaining the district would be funded by a voter‑approved reallocation of local sales tax. Staff said Texas law sets a statutory minimum CCPD allocation of 0.125% of sales tax; for Rosenberg that minimum would yield roughly $1.7 million annually. Establishing a CCPD would require reducing part of the Rosenberg Development Corporation (RDC) sales‑tax allocation and winning voter approval.
Ted Garcia, president of the RDC, told council he did not oppose the aim of a CCPD but opposed funding it by reallocating RDC sales‑tax proceeds. "I am not opposed to implementing the CCP District. I am opposed to the method of funding," Garcia said, warning that the RDC has committed $5.6 million for projects in 2026 and that a $1.7 million reallocation would eliminate two or three planned projects. George Hecht Contreras and Timothy Anders, both RDC board members or past members, echoed the concern that diverting RDC proceeds would reduce the authority’s ability to attract businesses and fund capital projects that generate sales and property tax revenue.
Councilors debated alternatives (general‑fund budgeting, park‑dedication or hotel‑occupancy funds), statutory constraints, and the type of board that would oversee the CCPD. The city attorney and staff cautioned that the CCPD mechanism reallocates future sales‑tax proceeds (not current RDC cash balances) and that a temporary board would need to be appointed quickly if council elects to move forward to meet election timelines. The police chief outlined how a dedicated $1.7M stream could be used for vehicles, equipment, personnel and retention and said the department has roughly 107 total staff across uniformed and civilian positions.
By the end of the discussion multiple council members indicated consent to advance the proposal to the next step. Staff said that if a majority wants to move forward, the council would receive a formal resolution for consideration on Dec. 2 and would be expected to appoint a temporary CCPD board at that meeting to stay on the election timeline. Any CCPD would still require voter approval before funds could be reallocated.
