BRYAN, Texas — A lot of cities are drawing up new strategies to start off the new year on the right foot. Here in the Brazos Valley, several cities in the are have nearly all-new council members following the midterm elections this past November.
Following the election, Bryan received five new council members and a new Mayor for the city. Bobby Gutierrez was elected to serve in the position and has previously served on the city council for several years. Among other things, Gutierrez said he's looking forward to working with the other councilmembers to determine the vision for the city in the new year.
Question
"Is it safe to say you've been pretty busy?"
Answer
"I've been very busy. You know, December is always a busy month, no matter what, and add this to that and it's double that."
Question
"When you were running for office, one of the things that stuck with me, is that you said you wanted to leave Bryan better than you found it. What did you mean by that specifically?"
Answer
"You know it was something my Grandad taught us, is no matter what it is, leave it better than you found it and bring it back to that, so I try to stay within my realm and do that."
Question
"One of the biggest discussions that Bryan had in the ladder part of 2022 was the Bryan ISD Bus Barn. There was a lot of back and forth and a lot of misconceptions made about it. Would you want to speak on that from the city's perspective on what that discussion looked like?"
Answer
"That whole issue was something that was talked about for many years. I think that BISD felt like that was the best place for them and we didn't necessarily agree that was the best location for them, although we understood the need and we understood what the vision was.... I think our Superintendent Mrs. Carrabine is phenomenal, their board is phenomenal. I think there was probably just a little misstep and just a misunderstanding. I think it was like that because, from my understanding, they all thought we were talking and we weren't."
Question
"I think there was some discussion though on the fire union though, is that correct?"
Answer
"We've always given them the best tools, best training, the best of what they need to protect our citizens. What a city does is safety and services and that's it. The rest of everything is fluff, like quality of life stuff that's what's left after you've paid everything."
Question
"What exactly is the union proposing that would put a huge impact on the city?"
Answer
"We have to take from somewhere, you can't just pull money from the sky. No one wants to raise taxes, no one wants increased fees, so we have to look at ways to save. It can't always be on our admin. staff who does a tremendous job as well."
Question
"What are we seeing for the tax rate for Bryan going into 2023?"
Answer
"Our Sales tax has actually generated more than we've ever generated before, counter to our Ad Valorem tax, so I think that means we're on the right track."
Question
"A few months ago, we saw sexual assault cases pop up in Bryan, and recently we've seen some shootings. What are your hopes to rid the area of crime?"
Answer
"I had a meeting this morning with the police chief and we're talking a lot on these issues and I do think we need to be very hard on crime. I do think at this point...we have strike one, two, and three, and I think it should be strike one and if you're going to act bad then you don't need to be here."
Question
"Going into the new year, what's it going to take from you and the other council members...to take Bryan into that next step you're wanting?"
Answer
"I think it's all of us building relationships between the councilmembers and staff and getting a good sense of what our vision is."