Fort Bend County adopts $827.7M budget, cuts proposed tax rate on 3-2 votes amid ongoing feud over judge's authority

RICHMOND, Texas — Fort Bend County Commissioners Court adopted a $827.7 million fiscal 2027 budget and a lowered property tax rate Thursday in a series of contentious 3-2 and 4-0 votes, as commissioners publicly clashed over the legal authority of interim County Judge Daniel Wong and the elimination of associate judge positions and county attorney staff.

The court, meeting with a four-member quorum after Commissioners Grady Prestage and Dexter McCoy returned following an extended absence, voted 4-0 to adopt a county tax rate of 40.7 cents per $100 valuation — a half-cent reduction from the previously proposed 41.2 cents. Commissioner Andy Meyers proposed the last-minute cut, saying Fort Bend County should not follow other area jurisdictions raising rates and should offer relief to residents facing rising costs. Budget officer Pamela Gubbels said the reduction would remove about $6.4 million in revenue, dropping the general fund’s projected ending balance closer to the county’s mandated 30% floor, while trimming roughly $15 off the median homestead’s tax bill. Commissioner McCoy questioned the timing and lack of prior analysis, calling it an “eleventh hour” proposal; Meyers and Wong defended it as a straightforward reduction that keeps the fund balance policy intact. On the roll call, Morales, Meyers and Wong voted yes; Prestage initially deferred his vote until after Wong’s, then voted yes, making the final tally 4-0.

The court then adopted the FY2027 budget itself, $827,702,847 for the county exclusive of the Drainage District, on a 3-2 vote, with Morales, Meyers and Wong in favor and Prestage and McCoy opposed. The overall combined county and drainage district budget totals $841,411,589, a 10.7% increase year-over-year that Gubbels attributed largely to a one-time $52 million carryover for bond-funded projects expected to be reimbursed once bonds are issued. Excluding that item, the increase is about 3.8%. The budget includes a 2.5% cost-of-living raise for employees hired before July 1, 2026, 82 new positions — including 35 previously frozen sheriff’s deputy slots, three mosquito control workers, two paramedics, a veterinary technician and a mental health clinician — and capital spending on technology, building renovations and 112 fleet vehicles.

Before the budget vote, McCoy moved to amend it to fully fund all eight associate judge positions through the fiscal year and to dissolve a newly created civil legal department, returning its 11 positions to the elected county attorney’s office. That amendment failed 2-3, with only McCoy and Prestage in support. As adopted, the budget funds eight associate judge positions only through Dec. 31, then five for the remainder of the fiscal year, and shifts 11 positions from the County Attorney’s Office into a new department overseen by commissioners. County Attorney Bridgette Smith Lawson’s office formally objected to that shift on the record, and Wong and Meyers were repeatedly pressed by McCoy to explain the rationale; Wong said only that the change would make operations “more effective and efficient” without elaborating, while Meyers cited what he called inaccurate and partisan legal advice from the county attorney’s office, including disputes over 2021 and 2025 redistricting.

The judicial staffing cuts drew extended public opposition. Eight speakers addressed the court, several urging commissioners to retain all eight associate judge positions rather than reduce to five. Family law attorney Heather Bachman and attorneys Christian Becerra and Studee Patel argued the cuts would slow access to justice in family, criminal and protective-order courts. Associate Judge Felicia Young, appearing for a third time, said no commissioner has publicly explained the rationale for eliminating the positions and disputed that a state judicial workload report supports the cuts. A letter from state Rep. Matt Morgan, read into the record by Greg Barnes, said the reduction from eight to five associate judges was tied to the Legislature’s creation of two new elected district courts.

Tensions over Wong’s legal standing dominated much of the meeting. Prestage, explaining a recent absence from court, said he believed Wong’s interim authority had expired following a June 17 non-suit in litigation involving suspended County Judge KP George, and he asked Wong to abstain from voting on the tax rate and budget to avoid a legal cloud over the votes. McCoy echoed those concerns, saying his own votes reflect opposition to what he called unlawful removal of staff from elected officials’ offices. Wong did not directly answer repeated questions about whether he would abstain and ultimately voted on all measures. County Attorney’s office representatives said in open session that KP George remains the legally elected county judge, suspended without pay, while outside counsel representing the county in litigation said a district judge had found Wong holds the powers of the office pending further court action.

The court also voted 5-0 to authorize eminent domain for two segments of the Riceville Road project in Precinct 3, and approved a $20,000 litigation expense authorization tied to a Wallace Street condemnation case.

Later, sitting as the Fort Bend County Drainage District Board of Directors, the court unanimously adopted a 1-cent drainage district tax rate and a $13,708,742 FY2027 drainage district budget, along with fleet and take-home vehicle assignments and a renewed audit services contract with Forvis Mazars, LLP not to exceed $14,040.

Also at this meeting:

• Commissioners honored longtime resident Mr. Campbell for decades-long efforts to identify and mark the remains of 28 individuals removed in the 1970s from what is believed to have been an all-Black cemetery in the Quail Valley area.
• The court approved elected officials’ FY2027 salaries 5-0, with McCoy later amending his vote to abstain.
• Commissioners approved bills and disbursements totaling roughly $11.4 million in time-sensitive payments, $10.76 million in routine bills and $6.76 million in additional disbursements.
• Prestage raised concerns about elimination of an early-voting polling location in Fresno and asked the elections administrator’s office to explore restoring it before the next election.
• State Sen. Boris Miles was recognized as a visitor during the meeting’s public comment period.