MCLENNAN COUNTY, Texas (KXXV) — With Election Day less than 24 hours away, three candidates are vying for the McLennan County Commissioner Precinct 2 seat: Jeremy Davis, Travis Gibson, and incumbent Donis Wilson.
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Dominique Leh met with each candidate to help voters know who they're choosing before they cast their ballots.
The county commissioner is responsible for setting the annual budget, determining property tax levies, and overseeing county operations like infrastructure.
When asked about their plans for the county budget and how they plan to prioritize spending, each candidate offered a different vision.
Davis said:
"Your spending should be attached to needs in our community.So for me,our budget priorities again are putting people first.What are the actual needs that our community is facing?How can we identify solutions that,um,bring resources to our community,and then how do we fund those properly?Um,I think right now one of our priorities is mental healthcare."
Gibson said:
"3%of the $216 million which is about $3 million. I want to take that money and invest back into our community.I want to partner with our local nonprofit organizations,our local small business owners,our churches,and also our schools so we can bring after-school programs back,recreational activities."
Wilson said:
"Our budget is huge here and of course the jail takes up and thepublic safety takes up a lot of our,our money.So we have to keep making sure our safety is priority and that the jail is run proper and safely.And then of course we want to make sure everybody's money,that the taxes we get in here are taken care of."
Each candidate was also asked what area of county government they plan to prioritize.
Davis said:
"Our mental health services and our youth divergent programs, I think, are at the front of my priority list. I think we have to ensure that our community has a mental health outlet, has mental health experts that can respond properly. In crisis for our youth, our veterans, and just every constituent we have in precinct too,and youth divergent programs and divergent programs for low level nonviolent offenses,I think are crucial."
Gibson said:
"The first thing would actually be in the budget because we have a Veteran Services Fund in the budget which is underfunded.We have a language access fund which is underfunded.Now that language access fund,we have a bilingual community here now and everyone should have access to the services that they deserve without any kind of barrier,language barrier,and that includes people that are deaf."
Wilson said:
"So you have to spread yourself all out, be available for everybody. People still call me at 10 o'clock at night, 11 o'clock at night. So I'm used to that from my prior service. So I'm always available and I'm open book and I'm very transparent."
The Democratic candidate who wins this primary will face Commissioner Wilson again during the November election.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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