Brazos County Regional Mobility Authority
The Brazos County Regional Mobility Authority was created in December 2019 (KBTX report here) following several years of local discussion and advocacy, including efforts by engineer Doug Bramwell, now a Senior Vice President with Quiddity. The purpose: "to serve as a political subdivision formed by one or more counties to finance, acquire, design, construct, operate, maintain, expand or extend transportation projects." RMAs function as regionally focused transportation development and implementation authorities with oversight from the Texas Transportation Commission (TTC). RMAs as defined in this very detailed document by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute are independent government agencies enabled by legislation (TCC, Chapter 370) and may include multiple counties.
BCRMA Leadership
They are governed by a board of directors consisting of a presiding officer that is appointed by the governor, and additional directors appointed by the county commissioner’s court or city council from the host RMA city, county, or counties. Board members are term limited and cannot be elected officials or an employee of a government entity, but may be re-appointed by commissioner courts. RMA boards may also hire an executive director to operate the RMA and carry out duties assigned by the board. Executive directors serve at the pleasure of the board of directors. Board members are not compensated. This allows flexibility for the board to be extremely creative. Also in that document is the very interesting statement of "RMA reporting requirements are minimal and may not capture detailed financial and operating data."
Hear from then-Chairman Barry Moore himself on what the BCRMA is and does in an interview with a podcast called Think Brazos in October of 2022. In a 2022 WTAW interview, then-Chairman Moore also discussed the BCRMA’s eminent-domain authority, one of the significant powers granted to regional mobility authorities under Texas law. Of course, it would mean the board members would need experience in transportation matters. For example, as a former member of the College Station City Council and the Planning & Zoning Commission, Mr. Moore has extensive experience that is very beneficial. He is also the principal of a capital investment firm and the founding partner of a commerical brokerage firm.
BCRMA Funding Attempt
As stated in the BCRMA's own publication from January of 2022, the time of their first meeting, they reported that College Station residents' primary concern was managing traffic congestion. The potential projects listed for the RMA to tackle included: East Inner Loop on the thoroughfare plan, access around RELLIS Campus, the Fitch Parkway/Arrington Road overpass and regional transit discussion. Also in that document, and on the BCRMA website, for the RMA to receive the support it needed, the voters would need to approve a $10 per vehicle fee (read about the TRIP Bond).
The RMA defined its scope of work in a document titled "Moving Forward: 2022 and Beyond." That document declared that in November 2022, the RMA would be asking Brazos County voters to approve the $10 increase in the vehicle registration fee that would later appear on the November 2022 ballot as Proposition B, alongside the TRIP bond measure in Proposition A. This document also outlines the philosophy that the RMA would follow and the specific tasks that the RMA would undertake, should the voters approve the increase in the county vehicle registration fee. Brazos County voters ultimately rejected Proposition B and the dedicated funding source proposed for the RMA.
The Inner East Loop was not merely a project that happened to cross paths with the RMA. It was expressly identified as one of three transportation projects the RMA planned to advance if voters approved Proposition B in 2022. The RMA’s “Moving Forward” plan identified three projects: a near-term project at William D. Fitch and Arrington Road, an intermediate-term project at RELLIS, and the Eastern Inner Loop as its longer-term project. In regards to the Eastern Inner Loop, it specifically said its role would include working with TxDOT to pursue adding the roadway to the state highway system, conducting public-awareness meetings, identifying constraints and potential alignments, and taking steps intended to “accelerate implementation.”
Language in this document also includes:
Initiate planning work on the eastern inner loop, including working with TxDOT to pursue adding this roadway to the state highway system. This proposed roadway connects SH 6 north of Bryan to W. D. Fitch in south College Station. The RMA role will be to conduct public awareness meetings, identify constraints to the alignment, and identify alignments warranting further study, all intended to accelerate implementation. Actions are needed to begin the planning process for this project, which is included in the MPO fiscally constrained project list. However, it is not funded until after 2030. This project will address significant safety issues associated with the SH 21 and SH 6 interchange by diverting truck traffic further to the east. This project is important for economic development on the east side of Brazos County and enhances connectivity as a new north–south corridor.
The RMA was legally created by the Texas Transportation Commission and Brazos County Commissioners Court, but it has never received voter approval for the dedicated ongoing revenue source it sought to carry out its planned work. When Brazos County voters were specifically asked in 2022 to provide the RMA with approximately $1.5 million per year through an additional vehicle-registration fee, they rejected Proposition B. Since then, the RMA has had no regular source of revenue and has operated on a very limited budget supported by occasional contributions from local governments and Texas A&M. In FY2024, the City of Bryan, City of College Station, and Texas A&M University System each contributed $10,000. In FY2025, Brazos County contributed $10,000.
