This podcast is a visit with Brazos County tax assessor-collector Kristy Roe and WTAW's Bill Oliver.

The Brazos County tax office is still composing property tax statements.

Tax assessor-collector Kristy Roe says as of October 23rd, the data verification process for more than 147,000 accounts is underway.

Once the data is verified, then the statements will go to the printer.

Roe says at the earliest, the first of 120,000 statements will be in the mail by the end of this week (Friday, October 27).

Roe says before the data verification began, there were delays due to changes made by the legislature and in getting numbers from the appraisal district.

This podcast contains comments from the October 16, 2023 meeting of the Texas A&M faculty senate.

Two weeks after Texas A&M's interim president returned the provost's position to number two in authority, the provost is asked about the elevated role by members of the university's faculty senate.

Provost Alan Sams, who was hired by former president Katherine Banks, says he has a range of experiences that is equivalent to most of the provosts he knows at land grant universities of similar stature and size to A&M.

Sams served nine months as interim provost when he was given the job on a permanent basis in May.

Sams also told the faculty senate that the reorganization of the provost's office that came with the announcement by Mark Welsh should be completed next month.

This podcast is a visit with Rusty Warncke of the city of College Station's capital projects office and WTAW's Bill Oliver.

College Station residents are asked for their opinion about adding youth ballfields and the future development of Southeast Park.Online surveys are now available on both topics.

And residents can participate in separate meetings that are hosted by the city's parks and capital projects departments.

Project manager Rusty Warncke of the city's capital projects office says staff will be forwarding public opinions to the city council.

The subject of adding youth ballfields is the result of the city learning that soil quality issues prevented the construction of fields at what was the Texas Independence Ballpark complex.

That property, off Rock Prairie Road west of Fitch, is now called Southeast Park. Warncke says the council is seeking public input on what should be located on that park property.

The meeting about youth ballfields is Wednesday, October 25.

The meeting about developing Southeast Park is Monday, October 30.

Both meetings are at College Station city hall, starting at 5:30 p.m.

Neither meeting includes a formal presentation. Warncke says residents can come and go and visit with city staff.

Click HERE to be directed to the city of College Station's survey regarding the addition of youth ballfields.

Click HERE to be directed to the city of College Station's survey regarding the development of Southeast Park.

This podcast contains comments from the October 23, 2023 Bryan ISD school board meeting.

Bryan ISD school board members and administrators recognize a statewide honor for a Stephen F. Austin middle school teacher.

Naveen Cunha is BISD's first secondary teacher of the year from the Texas Association of School Administrators.

Cunha, who is a robotics teacher and leads SFA's STEM academy, was chosen from 370,000 secondary educators in Texas.

Speakers included Cunha, SFA principal Kim Giesenschlag, and board members Leo Gonzalez and Mark McCall.

This podcast is a visit with United Way of the Brazos Valley president Peggi Goss, the Brazos Valley region coordinator for UWBV partner agency Texas Ramp Project Roy Harrington, and WTAW's Bill Oliver.

Steven Maldonado, Assistant Director of Water Services, visits with WTAW's Chelsea Reber about the Lick Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant expansion, its environmentally friendly features, training high school students to become a water or wastewater operator, and more during his appearance on The Infomaniacs.

Scott Smith, Chief Information Security Officer, visits with WTAW's Chelsea Reber about cybersecurity month, strong passwords, turning on MFA, recognizing and reporting phishing, updating software, and more during his appearance on The Infomaniacs.

College Station Mayor John Nichols visits with WTAW's Chelsea Reber about a joint meeting with the College Station ISD school board, concerns from opponents of the no-more-than-four ordinance, a new Housing Action Plan Steering Committee, voting to amend the land use regulations in the Wellborn neighborhood, studying the feasibility of a recreation center, and more during his appearance on The Infomaniacs.

This podcast contains comments from the October 12, 2023 College Station city council meeting.

The 11 public speakers during last week's College Station city council meeting (October 12) shared their opinion about the city's lack of affordable housing.

Most of the speakers were Texas A&M students who wanted to repeal the ban on more than four unrelated occupants living under the same roof, particularly in the historic district south of the university's campus.

The council also heard that 1,100 requests for on-campus housing were turned down due to a lack of rooms.

The last public speaker, a fifth generation College Station resident, brought up the gentrification of minority neighborhoods near campus due to rising property values caused by new student housing.

Because the topic was not on the meeting agenda, by state law the council was not allowed to respond to the public speakers.

This podcast contains comments from the October 12, 2023 College Station city council meeting.

The College Station city council updates land use regulations in the Wellborn neighborhood.It is the first change since the city annexed the area ten years ago.

Click HERE to read and download pages 1-55 of the updated Wellborn area plan approved during the October 12, 2023 College Station city council meeting.

Click HERE to read and download pages 56-109 of the updated Wellborn area plan approved during the October 12, 2023 College Station city council meeting.

Click HERE to read and download presentation materials shown during the October 12, 2023 College Station city council meeting.

The four to two vote followed public opposition to TxDOT's plans to widen Wellborn Road from Fitch to Greens Prairie with a center median and a hike and bike trail.

Mayor John Nichols brought up more than once that TxDOT's plans were not part of the city's Wellborn neighborhood update.

Three property owners talked about TxDOT taking a substantial portion of their land for the project.

One property owner said he has 2,000 petition signatures opposing TxDOT's plans.

Councilmen William Wright and Dennis Maloney said they would sign the petition, but repeated that was separate from the city's land use update for the Wellborn area.

Also voting for the city's land use update were Nichols and Elizabeth Cunha.

Voting no, were Bob Yancy and Linda Harvell.

Mark Smith was absent from the meeting.