BCS Salvation Army Major David P. Swyers on The Infomaniacs

College Station Mayor John Nichols joins The Infomaniacs in the studio to discuss College Station schools going back to school, road construction updates, budget and tax rate proposals, and more during his appearance on Wednesday, August 19, 2026. Listen to “College Station Mayor John Nichols on WTAW” on Spreaker.

Texas A&M University OPAS Director Monica Elliott joins The Infomaniacs in the studio to discuss stepping into her new role as director of OPAS, upcoming events like “Behind the Lines: A 9/11 Story” and “Aiden Ross: Homecoming,” and more, during her appearance on Wednesday, August 19, 2026. Listen to “Texas A&M University OPAS Director Monica Elliott on The Infomaniacs” on Spreaker.

Brazos County Commissioners met Tuesday. Several tax rates were discussed in hopes that Maintenance & Operations revenues can soon be used to exclusively fund M&O expenses. Right now, they are dipping into the fund balance each year. There were four options presented. The lowest option was the “no-new-tax rate” (NNR) of 0.414658. This amount is lower than the current year tax rate of 0.419700. The largest tax rate option is known as the “voter approval rate” (VAR) at 0.455272. That doesn’t mean that residents would have to vote to approve that rate. Rather, it means voters would have to vote if the amount goes above the VAR amount. The lower the tax rate, the longer it will take for M&O to be self sufficient. With the objection of Commissioner Fred Brown — who wanted the NNR — the court decided that the maximum tax rate they would adopt was the third highest option at 0.448474. Based on the public hearings, they may opt to adopt a lower rate. Two public hearings will take place Tuesday, September 1, 2026: 8:30am – hearing for proposed County Budget of $482,336,738 for Fiscal Year 2026-2027 9:15am – hearing for proposed tax rate 10:00am – regular session of commissioners court to consider adopting the budget and tax rate.