Contact Your Officials

The five people who vote on tax abatements in Leon County, how to reach them, and what to say.

An abatement needs a majority of the whole Commissioners Court, not just your precinct’s commissioner. Contact yours and the County Judge — and if you have time, all five. Find yourself by town if you do not know your precinct number.

County Judge
Byron Ryder
Leon County
903-536-2331 byron.ryder@co.leon.tx.us
130 E. St. Mary, P.O. Box 429, Centerville, TX 75833
Presides over the Commissioners Court. Contact regardless of where you live.
Commissioner, Precinct 1
Joey Sullivan
Centerville
903-536-3299 joey.sullivan@co.leon.tx.us
6301 FM 1119, Centerville, TX 75833
Commissioner, Precinct 2
Newman Paul Bing
Oakwood and Buffalo
903-545-2471 paul.bing@co.leon.tx.us
119 Front Street, Oakwood, TX 75856
Commissioner, Precinct 3
Kyle Workman
Jewett
903-626-4656 kyle.workman@co.leon.tx.us
11332 Hwy. 79 West, Jewett, TX 75846
Commissioner, Precinct 4
Thomas J. Foley
Flynn and Marquez
936-396-3427 thomas.foley@co.leon.tx.us
P.O. Box 66, Flynn, TX 77855

What to say

You do not need a script. Anything you say in your own words carries more weight than a form letter, and they can tell the difference. If it helps, these are the points that matter most:

I am not against the project. I am against the discount.
New construction is not under the 3.5 percent cap, so taxing it in full does not raise anybody’s rate.
A regular property tax is backed by a lien on the property. A payment in lieu of taxes is a promise you have to sue over.
If they get a break, the rest of us make up the difference.
The fire district already collects its own tax from a project like this. It does not need PILOT money to buy a truck.

If you are not sure how to start

Fill in the blanks. Every one of them makes it yours, which is exactly the point — five hundred identical emails get counted once, and five hundred different ones get read.

Commissioner ____,

My name is ____ and I live near ____.

I am writing about the tax abatement being requested for ____.

I am not asking you to keep this project out of Leon County. I am asking you to vote no on the abatement. If the project makes sense, it makes sense paying the same taxes I pay.

____ — one line in your own words: your road, your water, your tax bill, your fire department.

Please vote no on the abatement.

____

A phone call is worth more than an email, and showing up is worth more than both.

Show up

Commissioners Court meets in the Annex 2 Great Room, 3rd floor, 155 N. Cass St., Centerville, usually at 9:30 a.m. Meetings are open to the public and there is a public comment period.

Agendas, minutes and meeting dates →