Filing for Municipal Elections continues until February 14, 2025. So far, five candidates have filed.
Each school district in Terry County will have open trustee positions. Brownfield Independent School District (ISD) has three trustee seats available for election. During a special meeting of the Brownfield ISD Board of Trustees on Tuesday night, January 21, 2025, April Salas was appointed and sworn in for District 1, and Keri Barnett was appointed and sworn in for District 3. The District 1 position has remained vacant for four election cycles, while District 3 became available after Cody Churwell resigned from the board. Districts 1, 2, and 3 are the three trustee positions up for election. The incumbent for District 2 is Julian Hernandez, who was appointed to that position in 2024.
In Meadow ISD, two At-Large trustee positions will also be up for election. The current incumbents are Chris Casteneja and Anthony Furgeson, who was appointed following the resignation of Scot Caswell from the board.
Wellman-Union ISD will have three At-Large trustee positions available for election. The incumbents for these positions are Ryan Dill, Aaron Martin, and Ed Rodriguez. All three are eligible to run for reelection and have already filed their candidacies.
The Board of Directors for Brownfield Regional Medical Center has three positions available for election. The current board members—Justin Hesse, Chuck Nave, and Brian Paiva—were all appointed to their roles. Hesse and Nave were appointed in 2023, while Paiva was appointed in 2024. All three members are eligible to file for reelection.
The City of Brownfield has four positions available for filing: Districts 4 and 5, along with two At-Large positions. Currently, District 4 is held by Marshall Martell, District 5 by Mark Williams, and the two At-Large positions by Mayor Pro Tem Leon Pope and Councilman Jimmy Garza. All four incumbents are eligible to run for another term. During the City Council meeting on Thursday, January 16, Leon Pope publicly announced that he would not seek another term. The other three incumbents have not yet disclosed their intentions regarding re-election. Former mayor and councilman Tom Hesse has filed to run for one of the At-Large positions.
The City of Meadow has three At-Large Council Member seats available for filing. The current incumbents—Everette McArthur, Kandace Keesee-Welch, and Nettie Ticer—hold these three seats, all of which will be up for election. Each incumbent is eligible for re-election, and McArthur has already filed for re-election. The other two incumbents have not disclosed their intentions regarding the upcoming election.
The City of Wellman has the mayoral position, along with Places 2 and 4 up for election. The current incumbents are Mayor Eddie Garza, Place 2 member Rachel Escobar, and Place 4 member Seth Hollowell. All three incumbents are eligible for re-election, but none have publicly announced their intentions.
On the ballot for the City of Brownfield, residents will vote on changing the Brownfield Industrial Development Corporation (BIDCorp) designation from a “Type A” economic development corporation (EDC) to a “Type B” EDC. Currently, BIDCorp operates as a Type A EDC. According to the Texas Comptroller and the Texas Attorney General, sales tax revenues for Type A economic development can only be used for manufacturing and industrial projects that are expected to create job opportunities.
In recent years, there have been discussions about transitioning BIDCorp from a Type A to a Type B economic development corporation. The sales tax for a Type B EDC can be used for projects eligible under Type A, as well as for quality of life improvement initiatives. Type B corporations can fund various projects, including land acquisition, buildings, equipment, facilities, targeted infrastructure, and improvements.
- sports and athletic facilities, tourism and entertainment facilities, convention facilities and public parks;
- related store, restaurant, concession, parking and transportation facilities;
- related street, water and sewer facilities; and
- affordable housing.
Plus Type B can be used for:
- public safety facilities;
- recycling facilities;
- streets, roads, drainage and related improvements;
- demolition of existing structures;
- general municipally owned improvements; and
- maintenance and operating costs associated with projects.
Type B EDCs also may seek voter approval for a water supply or water conservation programs or cleanup of contaminated property.
During the City Council meeting on November 7, 2024, the Council approved a change from a Type A EDC to a Type B EDC. In a subsequent meeting on Thursday, December 5, 2024, the Council discussed and considered a resolution to create a Brownfield Type B Economic Development Corporation. This included approving a certificate of formation and authorizing the preparation and execution of all necessary documents to establish the corporation. Both items passed unanimously.
Additionally, during the same meeting, the Council called for a special election to be held on May 3, 2025. This election will ask voters to decide whether to abolish the Type A corporation and redirect the sales tax collected for use in funding projects for the Type B corporation. It was emphasized that there would be no changes to the current sales tax rate; the same rate utilized by the existing BIDCorp would continue to apply to the Type B corporation. It was also clarified that this transition would not alter the sales tax rate. Furthermore, it was reiterated that funding for EDCs comes solely from sales tax, not property tax.
The change from a Type A EDC to a Type B EDC will be placed on the May 3rd, 2025, ballot. This is how it will be written:
Filing dates to secure a place on the ballot will be from January 15, 2025, to February 14, 2025. The filing location is 507-A W. Main, Brownfield, TX. Early voting will occur from April 21, 2025, to April 29, 2025, at the same location: 507-A W. Main, Brownfield, TX. Election Day is scheduled for May 3, 2025.
