County Commissioners

About the County Commissioners and Commissioners Court

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What is the Commissioners Court?

The Commissioners Court of Brazos County Texas is the governing body of the county. Despite its name "court", the Commissioners Court does not act in a judiciary manner. The court is made up of a county judge and four county commissioners. The county judge is the presiding officer of the court. Each of the county commissioners is the representative for a fourth of the county. The county judge is elected by all of the residents of Brazos County, Texas. The county commissioners are elected by the residents within their single commissioner precinct. The county judge serves a four year term. The four commissioners also serve four year terms, but their elections are staggered by two years (two commissioners are elected one year and then the other two commissioners are elected two years later).

What does the Commissioners Court do?

A major area of responsibility for Commissioners Court is overseeing the construction and maintenance of roads and bridges in Brazos County that are not part of the state highway system. The court approves the hiring of, and the setting of salaries for, most county employees, and may appoint a replacement for a vacant elected position. The Commissioners Court has the power to create offices, boards and commissions to fulfill certain needs. The court is authorized to issue bonds for the support of county projects and is responsible for the management of debt created by the sale of those bonds. The Commissioners Court may enter into contracts with other local governments, with the state, and with private entities. The court has financial responsibility for the county, including setting the tax rate, authorizing expenditures and issuing bonds.

How does the Commissioners Court Interact with the Public?

The Commissioners Court meets in the Commissioners courtroom each Tuesday morning at 9:00 A.M. and at 6:00 P.M. on every third Tuesday evening. The Commissioners courtroom is located Suite 106 of the County Administration Building (200 South Texas Avenue, Bryan, TX), and the court session is open to the public. The agenda for the session is finalized and made public on the preceding Friday. If you have an item that you would like the Commissioners Court to review, there are two methods of achieving this.

  1. The first method is to show up at a Commissioners Court session. Near the end of the session the county judge will ask the public if there are any items that they wish to introduce. The public may speak at that time. The Commissioners Court CANNOT ACT upon what has been introduced. The court members will decide if there is need to research the item, and whether to put the item on a future agenda or to dismiss the item.
  2. The second method is to call the office of the County Judge (979-361-4102) and request that your item be placed on a court session agenda. You MUST call and make your request AT LEAST TWO WEEKS prior to the court session in which you wish the item to be discussed.

Members of Commissioners Court

Feel free to contact your Commissioner about county issues that you feel are important.

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