HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) — A new 13 Investigates look at county spending reveals one Harris County commissioner spent more than $220,000 on billboards, while her colleagues spent nothing on signs.
While Harris County residents’ property taxes are increasing, some county commissioners blame unfunded state mandates for pushing the budget to the brink. But some critics say local elected officials have a spending problem.
13 Investigates dug into county records to see where your money is actually going and found hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars ending up on the side of the highway.
This summer alone, billboards were placed in 10 locations across Harris County Precinct 4, represented by Commissioner Lesley Briones.
The billboards were described as “hurricane preparedness” and featured the words “We are here to serve you!” prominently across the middle,” according to documents provided by Briones’ office.
Above that saying were the words “before,” “during,” and “after” with weather symbols near them.
The left side of the billboard had a photo of Briones with her name in uppercase letters underneath it. They included contact information for Precinct 4.
“They want to make this relatable. They want to make people feel comfortable reaching out to the office,” Emilio Longoria, an assistant professor at South Texas College of Law, said.
13 Investigates obtained records from the Harris County Auditor’s Office that show Briones spent $100,000 on those billboards this year.
Between Jan.1, 2024, and Aug. 26, 2026, Precinct 4 spent $223,000 of taxpayer money on advertising, with every dollar paid to a billboard company.
“That’s horrible,” Kimber Becker, who lives in Briones’ precinct, said. “It raised my property taxes. Why do I have to pay for that?”
While it may frustrate taxpayers watching their bills go up, experts say it is legal.
“Local government rules give a lot of discretion to elected officials,” Longoria said.
13 Investigates reached out to Briones’ office about the spending, and a spokesperson focused their statement on hurricane preparedness.
“Harris County has experienced some of the nation’s most devastating natural disasters. We know it’s not a matter of if the next big storm will hit, but when. Ensuring residents are informed and prepared for hurricane season is a non-negotiable, especially in the fastest-growing area in Harris County, with many newcomers who’ve never faced a Gulf storm,” a spokesperson for Briones’ office said in a statement to 13 Investigates.
While legal, data from the Harris County Auditor’s Office shows Briones’ spending under the county’s contract for advertising services is significantly higher than that of her colleagues.
Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia spent less than $1,200 in the same timeframe, with his office saying it was for local newspaper subscriptions.
Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis’s office also spent around $300 under the county’s advertising contract, and records from the Auditor’s Office show it was also related to the newspaper.
Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey spent $0 on advertising services through the county’s contract for those services, telling 13 Investigates that tax dollars should be reserved strictly for core county services.
To be clear, the spending is strictly related to advertising, such as billboards, and not marketing, which would include items like mailers or newsletters sent directly to residents’ homes. The county auditor’s office notes that there’s a distinction between the two.
“That’s why who we elect is super important because we want to be able to trust that they’re going to make the decision in the right way,” Longoria said.
In a county staring down a $181 million budget deficit, Briones’ advertising spending is a small fraction of the total budget.
She also isn’t the first commissioner to spend taxpayer funds on a billboard for her office.
Her predecessor, former Commissioner Jack Cagle, used county funds for billboards in 2022. The billboard also had a photo of him with the words “Hello Neighbors, I’m your new county commissioner!” It included his name and contact information for his precinct.
Cagle told 13 Investigates there was a need for community outreach after redistricting expanded his boundaries.
At the time Cagle put up the billboards, the county was not dealing with a budget deficit. Taxpayers say context matters, and right now, the county is facing difficult financial circumstances.
“If we were experiencing better times, then, I’ll say, you know, just billboards away. But, you know, obviously that is not the case,” Randal Stewart, who lives in Briones’ precinct, said.
13 Investigates sent the numbers comparing advertising spending between commissioners to Briones’ office and asked if it was a necessary expense during a time when the county was in a deficit and what benefit the signs provided the public.
A spokesperson for her office didn’t address the spending directly, but said “the public readiness educational campaign is an investment in our families’ safety; nothing matters more.”
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