The Bryan city council’s final action on decreasing next year’s property tax rate by one-half cent followed considerable discussion during Tuesday’s meeting.
Mayor Andrew Nelson said the one-half cent decrease will generate savings of about $15 dollars for the owner of a $307,000 dollar home, which is the average value in Bryan.
During the discussion, James Edge thanked his fellow councilmen for their “professionalism” in setting the tax rate. That is after two Brazos County commissioners skipped their meeting earlier in the day in opposition to the majority’s desire to lower the county’s tax rate by one cent instead of four cents.
The six to one vote followed another attempt to make the tax rate decrease one cent.
Edge, Prentiss Madison, Reuben Marin, and Buppy Simank all compromised from their original position of having no rate change. Nelson and Bobby Gutierrez compromised from their original position of wanting a one cent decrease.
Madison said he did not want to go farther than a one-half cent decrease because there were more improvements yet to be done in single member districts one and two.
Brent Hairston maintained his position of wanting a one-cent decrease as a way to return some of the city’s excess revenue back to property owners.
Click below for comments from James Edge, Prentiss Madison, and Brent Hairston during the September 13, 2022 Bryan city council meeting: