Waller County · issues
Civic issues
Topics getting the most attention in Waller County public meetings, ranked by how frequently they come up.
GIS Program and Support Department Investment
Johnson Development wants to name a collector road in memory of Brittlee Hildebrand, but it conflicts with the county's naming policy because of a similar road name to the north. The engineer sees no emergency-response risk but tabled it to avoid setting precedent without the precinct commissioner present.
Civil Rights and Law Enforcement
The Sheriff's Office and three constable precincts would get the Rocket in-car video platform, a roughly $51,500 purchase aimed at equipping patrol vehicles with modern video recording.
Deerwood Lakes lot sales and septic concerns
A resident reported new home construction clearing over a creek on small lots where bylaws and TCEQ rules bar septic systems within 100 feet of a creek. The county says three nearby lots were already deemed unbuildable for the same reason and will route the complaint to Environmental and Road and Bridge.
Courthouse project spending transparency
A Monaville resident delivered a petition asking the court to share cost breakdowns and renderings for the courthouse/justice system project, arguing a certificate of obligation spends money without voter approval while a bond would require a vote.
Precinct 3 building design contract amendment
The new Precinct 3 building can't connect to the nearby subdivision's water and sewer for years, so the county is installing its own well, septic, and generator — making it emergency-ready like Precinct 4 — and pushing bidding to January or February.
La Sagara Section Two partial replat
Final plats for multiple subdivisions and business parks across Precincts 2 and 4 are on the agenda, plus moving Sunterra Lakes North roads into the developer's one-year maintenance period. These steps advance residential and commercial growth in the county.
In-car video systems for deputies and constables
The Sheriff's Office and three constable precincts would get the Rocket in-car video platform, a roughly $51,500 purchase aimed at equipping patrol vehicles with modern video recording.
Fort Bend Seniors Meals on Wheels funding
A $70,000 payment to Fort Bend Seniors Meals on Wheels, allocated in the 2027 budget, would fund meal services for seniors in the served area.
Proposed IDV QOZB 2023 tax abatements
New proposed tax abatement agreements between the county and IDV QOZB 2023, LLC are up for discussion. Abatements trade future tax revenue for investment and jobs in the county.
2027 Legislative Agenda
The county is drafting its legislative agenda, including funding for the detention pond and jail expansion, a new district court, commercial vehicle parking restrictions for neighborhoods, and changes to county assistance district law.
Broadband and utility installations in county rights-of-way
AT&T, Comcast, and PS Lightwave got notices accepted for fiber optic lines and poles along Hegar, Rice, Joseph, Cameron, Penick, and Twinwood roads — more broadband infrastructure coming to the county.
Spending limits for outgoing officeholders
New policy requires court approval for big spending by officeholders who lost their re-election bids, preventing lame-duck budget drains.
Morton Road bond project pipeline crossings
Road-bond construction on Morton Road requires agreements with pipeline owners to cross their easements. Roughly 30 pipelines cross the project, and more agreements are still needed.
Homeland Security radio grant for county law enforcement
The county won its full homeland security grant request but equipment prices jumped, so it scaled back to 20 portable and 5 mobile radios and put up local money to finish the project.
State underfunding of county mandates
Dr. Maddox warned that the legislature cut $4.5 million from the Secretary of State's budget, forcing Waller County's election administrator to run elections on a 2024-level budget despite rapid population growth.
Constable Salary Grievance Resolution
Constables pressed the court to pay their deputies the same as sheriff's deputies, citing an 84% jump in papers served and a 103% jump in evictions. The court committed to studying parity and staffing, with grievances pending Thursday.
Prairie View water plant generator cost overruns
Prairie View will pay about $60,000 in cost overruns on a grant-funded generator at Water Plant No. 2, which the county will hand over to the city when done. The overruns came from four years of cost escalation since the grant application.
Brookshire detention facility project terminated
A grant-funded detention facility planned with Brookshire is dead because land prices jumped $2.5-2.7 million during the slow federal grant process. The county will raise the funding-delay issue with its state delegation.
Illegal dumping cameras
A new H-GAC grant buys trail cameras for known dumping hot spots so deputies can catch and prosecute serial dumpers.
A/E services selection policy
A new policy creates a pre-qualified vendor bank for architects and engineers, letting the county skip months of procurement for small routine projects. Some concern was raised that tiny firms may struggle with the paperwork.
Mowing contract failure
The county's road mowing contractor failed to perform — showing up with zero-turn mowers instead of shredders — so the court terminated the contract and will rebid with backup vendors. That's why county ditches have looked rough.
Flock license plate reader contract opposition
A resident warned that proposed data centers in the region are 'surveillance data centers' that could aggregate residents' personal data, and questioned Governor Abbott's assurances about reduced electricity bills. She also asked for transparency on a large project in Katy.
Prairie View A&M University Sesquicentennial
The county formally recognized PVAMU's 150th anniversary. The university is a major economic engine — $1.2 billion a year — and is expanding with a $47 million academic building and a $130 million public health complex.
Non-emergency medical transportation access
A retired nurse wants to start a non-emergency medical transport service for hospice and dialysis patients, freeing county EMS ambulances for true emergencies. Commissioners liked the idea but tabled it pending a business plan and legal clarity on the county's oversight role.
Support for small businesses and workforce development
The extension office reported two years of results: 34 business academy graduates, housing fairs, financial literacy training at Hempstead High School, and a toy drive for 450-plus kids.
Historic cemetery access protections in Klaus Road subdivision
A resident asked the court to delay a variance next to a cemetery dating to 1885, worried new development could squeeze out cemetery access. The court solved it by requiring a plat note barring any access from the cemetery road.
Courthouse third-floor renovation completion
The courthouse third floor is on track to finish in June, the modular buildings are essentially done under budget, and the sheriff's maintenance garage is about six weeks from completion.
Delinquent tax collections
The county renewed its five-year deal with its delinquent tax law firm at no cost to taxpayers, and scheduled a June resale of ten tax-delinquent properties, including many small lots in Deerwood East where roads were never built.
Creation of a county parks department
The county now has an official parks department with the court acting as its board, plus a possible $1.5 million donation from a solar farm agreement — with hopes of building a place families can fish.
Electronic warrants in the field
A new Cloud Gavel system lets judges magistrate warrants remotely with CJIS compliance, instead of the current cumbersome scan-email-sign process. It has a 30-day out if it doesn't work.
Recognition of Mayor Danny Marberger's retirement
After 48 years leading the City of Waller, Mayor Marberger was honored with a county proclamation. Commissioners recalled his hands-on service, from spraying weeds to helping widows with their trash.
Owens Road rehabilitation extension
The road bond project will now cover the 1,500-foot county-maintained gap in Owens Road between Prairie View and Waller, with a future deal possibly shifting maintenance to the city. Officials noted heavy traffic uses Owens as a relief valve from FM 3602.
Employee health benefits broker agreement
The county hired ANCO Insurance to negotiate its TAC health plan at no upfront cost, with a goal of a zero-deductible, zero out-of-pocket plan for employees. If negotiations don't improve the renewal, the county pays nothing.
Robin Hood Lane renaming for Maple Woods subdivision
Sections of Robin Hood Lane will become Robin Hood Court and King Richard Court to fit the new Maple Woods subdivision's collector road. No existing addresses change, and a section of pavement will be removed once the new road is built.
Homeland security radio grant
Emergency management is getting $70,359 in state grant money for industrial-grade incident response lighting — no local match needed.
Adopt-a-Road program launch
The county now has an official Adopt-a-Road program after a family's volunteer cleanup inspired it. Groups adopt a mile of road, clean it four times a year, and the county supplies gear and a sign.
Opioid settlement funds
The county accepted another $505,460 from the nationwide opioid litigation, adding to prior distributions for local use.
Senior citizen programming
The court created a formal policy to spend grant money on senior citizen health and wellness programs at the community center — $4,000 a year for five years — a first step toward broader senior programming.
Code Red emergency notification renewal
The county renewed its Code Red alert system, which can geolocate warnings for storms, fires, burn bans and missing children; residents must sign up on the county website, and a statewide test is set for April 2.
Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month
The court proclaimed April as Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, with Focusing Families sharing stark Texas statistics and prevention tips, including Wear Teal Day April 7 and Denim Day April 29.
Justice Center land purchase
The county is buying about 10 acres near the Justice Center from Mr. Hernandez, below appraised value, to make room for future buildings like juvenile probation and administrative offices — a potential one-stop shop for county services.
County court at law judgeship vacancy
Judge Carol Cheney resigned effective March 6, leaving family and juvenile cases in limbo. The court weighed appointing a replacement now versus waiting out the runoff, with the associate judge and visiting judges covering the docket in the meantime.
Igloo Texas Enterprise Zone nomination
The county is nominating Igloo Products for a state sales tax reimbursement program tied to a $5 million investment and ten new jobs, with about 490 existing jobs retained. Because Katy's annexation put Igloo in the city's ETJ, the county needed an interlocal agreement with Katy first.
Highway safety action plan public input
A public meeting on the regional road safety action plan is set for Tuesday, February 24, with an online survey available for those who can't attend.
Kickapoo Road major thoroughfare plan amendment
The county is preserving a future north-south corridor through Precinct 2, near land it may lease for a park and annex. Three alignment options were shown; the item was pulled so affected landowners get mailed notice before a March 4 vote.
Comprehensive strategic plan update
The county's strategic plan is from 2017 and badly outdated — it projected the county would double to about 90,000 people by 2040, and the county is already nearly there. The court wants cost estimates for a consultant to refresh the plan, which ties together mobility, staffing, infrastructure, and budgeting.
Contract deputy for Grange subdivision (MUD 55)
A two-year contract deputy agreement will put dedicated law enforcement coverage in the fast-growing Grange neighborhood, with the MUD sharing costs — 50/50 in year one, 90/10 in year two.
Mitchamore Road shortening
The county will shorten Mitchamore Road by about a mile southwest of Hempstead, ending it at Telephone Road. This cuts maintenance and illegal dumping costs while giving the sole property owner a gate; future development would still trigger right-of-way dedications.
Traffic safety enforcement grants (STEP)
The sheriff's office will continue state-funded patrols targeting DUIs, seatbelt violations, and crashes, with enforcement zones on Highway 6 and I-10 near Brookshire. The county's total match is about $15,300.
Public Corruption
The former mayor of Hempstead is officially headed to prison for six years, finally closing the book on a long-running corruption scandal that’s been a stain on city hall. It’s a major shakeup for local leadership and a reminder of the need for better oversight in our town.