Infomaniacs: January 31, 2012 (7:15am)

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.

A Bryan woman was arrested for driving while intoxicated after crashing her car into a tree. Bryan Police Department was dispatched to the crash near North Earl Rudder Freeway East Frontage Road and North Harvey Mitchell Parkway just before 3:00am Monday. A witness told police he saw a vehicle speeding down Harvey Mitchell Parkway toward Highway 6 before it ended up in a field near the 2400 block of North Harvey Mitchell Parkway. When BPD arrived, they found 20-year-old Hayley Isavel Jimenez standing next to the car. She told officers she was traveling to a friend’s home a few minutes away, but when she showed police the location on a map, the officer reported that the residence was in Franklin. Jimenez failed field sobriety tests. She was arrested for DWI and agreed to provide a breath specimen. Two tests showed alcohol concentrations of 0.163 and 0.166. She was arrested for Driving While Intoxicated with a BAC greater than 0.15.

A man is jailed on an ICE detainer after he tried shoplifting from the West Bryan Walmart. Police were called to the Walmart at 643 North Harvey Mitchell Parkway on Sunday after receiving reports of a theft in progress. The store’s asset protection told police that a man tried walking out of the store with a cart full of merchandise. Reports say 25-year-old Nelson Jimenez Santamaria admitted to not paying for the following items worth $1,156.77 (not including tax): (4) LEGO sets valued at $419.98 (10) pet supplies items valued at $176.48 (8) household items valued at $155.63 (17) assorted men’s and women’s clothing and shoes valued at $404.68 Santamaria was charged with Theft of Property greater than $750, but less than $2500. Got a news tip? e-mail us at news@wtaw.com, text us at (979) 695-1620, or message us on Facebook or Twitter/X.