RUSS FORD

Brazos County has more than 480 miles of roads of which a large percentage are in Pct. 2. Almost 92 miles of that are unpaved gravel roads. As the Commissioners Court liaison to Road and Bridge my responsibility is not only to secure funding for construction from the Court but to assist our Right of Way staff in securing at least 70 feet of right of way to construct roads to County Standards. I have also worked to be fair to the firms who are building roads to assure they are not being held to a different set of standards than what was approved by the Commissioners Court. I am currently working on a resolution for a voluntary program with oilfield companies to repair damage done building new site locations. In addition, our Sheriff’s Dept. deputies who patrol these roads must be paid equitably with local police departments.

Are county funds being distributed equitably among the four precincts? If not, how would you address the situation? 150 words

Brazos Co., as a unit county means that each Commissioner is responsible for all county roads not just the ones in their precinct. This difference from a precinct road system means that commissioners must work together on county wide priorities. The County Engineer’s office suggests a Capital Improvement Program which is approved during the budget cycle for the upcoming year. During my time on the court, I feel that Brazos County funds our Court system including the District and County Attorney’s offices, the Sheriff’s Department and Road and Bridge equitably. Since the JP court and Constable Offices are housed at the County Administration building for Pct.2 we are currently prioritizing an office for those agencies in Pct. 1. Brazos County is doing an excellent job of distributing funding fairly Since Pct. 2 has the largest area and more County roads it is necessary to spend more on County Roads and bridges.

Is there adequate cooperation between the Commissioners Court and other government entities? If not, how would you fix that? 150 words

On occasion, the State legislature creates mandates that the County must follow without supplying a funding source. The result is that the rules must be paid from property taxes. In addition, the only funding source for the Regional Mobility Authority which will give Brazos County a voice in determining the route of Interstate 14 and 214 is by raising vehicle registrations. Many of our citizens are conflicted because our community serves a regional area of at least 7 surrounding counties and on 6 weekends a year we host 100,000 people at Kyle field who contribute to congestion in our County. If the legislature would approve a user tax on these visitors it might relieve the tax burdens on our citizens. I was elected recently to serve on the Urban County Policy Committee which will allow me direct access to the legislature to discuss these topics.