Conly For Common Sense

09/20/2026

My mother passed away tonight at the age of 87.

God could not have given my sister and me a better mother. She loved us, supported us, and was always there for us throughout our lives.

No matter how old we get, we’re never quite ready to lose our mom. I knew this day was coming, but that doesn’t make saying goodbye any easier. I only wish we could have had more years with her.

Tonight, I’m not thinking about politics or anything else going on in the world. I’m simply grateful that God blessed us with such a wonderful mother for so many years.

I love you, Mom. I will miss you more than words can say.

09/16/2026

Tonight, the Fort Worth City Council voted 11–0 to establish the new Pavement Management Fee.

That means every single-family household will eventually see a new $3 monthly charge, collected through the water bill. The City projects the fee will generate about $27.4 million per year beginning in FY2028.

The City says the money will be dedicated to street preservation and heavy maintenance, and that better preventive maintenance could reduce much larger reconstruction costs later.

I agree that Fort Worth needs better streets.

What I continue to question is the funding approach.

Street maintenance is one of the most basic responsibilities of city government. Before creating a new recurring fee, taxpayers deserve to know why existing revenues were not sufficient, what spending was reprioritized, and what was cut before residents were asked to pay another monthly charge.

This is how the burden grows:

A few dollars here.
Another fee there.
Higher taxes somewhere else.

Each increase may sound small by itself.

Families pay all of them.

Tonight, every member of the Council voted yes.

Residents deserve to know how these decisions are made and how their representatives vote.



Political adv. paid for by Conly Brewer campaign

09/16/2026

Tonight, the Fort Worth City Council approved the FY2027 ad valorem tax rate by a 7–4 vote.

District 6 Councilmember Dr. Mia Hall voted YES.

The City’s published FY2027 proposal called for a tax rate of $0.7020 per $100 valuation, up from $0.6700 last year, and the City itself states that the proposed rate is above the no-new-revenue rate and would increase property taxes for the 2026 tax year.

The vote shown tonight:

YES: Mattie Parker, Carlos Flores, Deborah Peoples, Mia Hall, Chris Nettles, Elizabeth Beck and Jeanette Martinez
NO: Michael Crain, Charlie Lauersdorf, Macy Hill and Chris Jamieson

Fort Worth residents deserve to know exactly how their representatives vote when taxes are on the line.

I have been clear about my position: before asking residents for more, City Hall should first show what has been cut, delayed, reprioritized and made more efficient.

Tonight’s vote is part of the public record.



Political adv. paid for by Conly Brewer campaign

09/16/2026

Today's Public Comment Meeting is live on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/live/l9dgf3wtqj8 and on Fort Worth TV at https://fortworthtexas.gov/fwtv.

09/15/2026

Tarrant County College is raising its property tax rate by 6.88% for 2026, with the total levy expected to increase by nearly $19.9 million.

TCC says the average residential homestead will see only about a $5.83 annual increase.

And that is exactly how these tax increases are often presented — one government at a time, one fee at a time, one “small” increase at a time.

But families do not pay taxes that way.

They pay the City.
They pay the County.
They pay the school district.
They pay the college district.
They pay utility fees, stormwater fees, trash fees and everything else that gets added along the way.

Every government entity may be able to explain why its particular increase is “only” a few dollars.

But when you add them all together, the burden is very real.

That is why I believe every taxing entity should be asking the same question before raising rates:

What have we cut, delayed, reprioritized or done more efficiently before asking taxpayers for more?

Tonight, Fort Worth City Council will also be considering its budget, tax rate, tax revenue increase, fee changes and a new pavement management fee.

The timing could not make the point any clearer.

Taxpayers are not an unlimited source of revenue.

Government has to live within limits too.



Political adv. paid for by Conly Brewer campaign

💰 TARRANT COUNTY TAX HIKE: Tarrant County College has increased its property tax rate by 6.88% for 2026, with its total property tax levy expected to jump nearly $19.9 million.

TCC says the average residential homestead tax will rise about $5.83 annually.

09/11/2026

I’ll be speaking at the Fort Worth City Council meeting this Tuesday about something I believe deserves much more attention:

How the City is prioritizing the money it already has before asking residents to pay more.

On the agenda is more than $22 million in unrestricted surplus interest and investment income that the City plans to allocate to several different uses. The same meeting also includes consideration of a property tax revenue increase, a new pavement management fee, and other higher charges.

I will also be speaking about the proposed new pavement fee, which would charge single-family households $3 per month and is expected to generate about $27.4 million annually beginning in FY2028. The City’s own documents acknowledge that years of underfunded maintenance have contributed to deteriorating street conditions.

My question is simple:

Before creating new fees and increasing the burden on taxpayers, has City Hall truly exhausted every reasonable opportunity to reprioritize spending and better use the dollars it already collects?

Good streets matter.

Public safety matters.

Core city services matter.

But Fort Worth families are already paying property taxes, water bills, trash fees, stormwater fees, and countless other costs.

At some point, government has to do what families do every day:

Set priorities.

Delay what can wait.

Cut what is unnecessary.

And live within its means.

I’ll be there Tuesday asking those questions publicly.

That is what accountability looks like.



Political adv. paid for by Conly Brewer campaign

09/07/2026

Happy Labor Day, Fort Worth! 🇺🇸

Today is a day to recognize the men and women whose hard work keeps our city, our state, and our country moving.

The teachers, first responders, tradespeople, healthcare workers, small business owners, railroaders, construction crews, utility workers, service employees, and countless others who get up every day and do the work that our communities depend on deserve our respect and appreciation.

I’ve always believed there is dignity in an honest day’s work. Strong communities are built by people who show up, work hard, take care of their families, and look out for their neighbors.

So whether you’re enjoying a well-earned day off or you’re one of the many people working today, thank you for what you do.

Happy Labor Day from our family to yours.

🇺🇸 Conly Brewer

09/03/2026

Purpose Driven Ministries website claim versus Everman ISD statement to Fort Worth Report, Sept. 2026: 57 current students.

09/02/2026

Fort Worth’s proposed property tax rate is moving higher again.

The City Manager originally proposed increasing the rate from 67 cents to 70.2 cents per $100 of taxable value.

Now, after Council members pushed to restore approximately $4.09 million in proposed cuts, staff says the rate could rise to 70.565 cents.

I understand why Council wants to restore some of these services.

Libraries matter. Parks matter. Animal services matter. Maintaining our neighborhoods matters. And our city employees deserve competitive compensation.

But here is the question I continue to ask:

Why does restoring $4 million in services automatically lead us back to taxpayers instead of forcing a deeper examination of spending priorities throughout a $1.1 BILLION General Fund?

Four million dollars represents less than four-tenths of one percent of that General Fund.

Surely, before increasing the tax rate again, we can ask whether $4 million can be found elsewhere through reprioritization, delayed discretionary spending, administrative savings, contracts, travel, or other non-core expenditures.

And we should remember something important:

City Hall may say the “average homeowner” will pay slightly less because average taxable property values declined.

But that does not change the fact that the tax RATE is being increased from 67 cents to potentially 70.565 cents.

If your taxable value does not fall by the amount assumed in the City’s average, your experience may be very different from the hypothetical average homeowner.

I don’t want Fort Worth cutting police, fire, libraries, parks, basic maintenance or other core services simply to make a political point about taxes.

But I also don’t believe the only choices should be:

Cut services — or raise taxes.

There is a third option:

Prioritize.

Before asking residents for another penny, nickel or dollar, let’s make sure we’re spending the dollars they already send us as carefully as possible.

Fort Worth is growing rapidly. We need a city government capable of supporting that growth.

But growth should demand better budgeting, not simply a larger bill for taxpayers.

That’s common sense.

08/31/2026

The public records I raised at Tuesday’s Fort Worth City Council meeting are now receiving independent media scrutiny.

The Dallas Express reviewed the court filings, TDA records, City information, and the questions I raised regarding Councilmember Chris Nettles and Purpose Driven Ministries.

My position remains the same: I am not asking anyone to presume guilt. I am asking for transparency, clarification, and appropriate review when public records raise serious questions.

I encourage everyone to read the reporting and review the records for themselves.

Texas seeks $787,872.77 from a ministry led by Fort Worth Councilmember Chris Nettles over expenses TDA disallowed in a federal food program.