CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Two significant proposals on the November Texas ballot could directly impact public safety in Nueces County — bail reform and property tax measures that would affect how the county funds essential services.
The bail reform proposal would require judges to deny bail in certain cases involving serious felonies, including murder, aggravated assault, aggravated sexual assault, indecency with a child, and human trafficking. Currently, even serious felonies often qualify for bail unless there are specific disqualifying factors.
Nueces County District Attorney James Granberry said the change could help keep violent offenders off the streets while they await trial, potentially reducing repeat offenses.
"Unfortunately, there have been times in the past and there will be in the future where people facing their fellow citizens' judgment go out and reoffend," Granberry said.
The proposal would also give prosecutors and judges more tools to review evidence and examine past behavior, including signs of violence or patterns of risk. However, Granberry acknowledged the measure comes with financial implications.
"It costs the community about 85 dollars a day for everyone that's incarcerated in Nueces County Jail. We're almost at capacity," Granberry said.
When the jail reaches capacity, the county must pay to transport inmates to other facilities, adding to taxpayer costs.
"We have to be aware that when we have people in jail, it's an expense to the taxpayer. We try to move them through the system as fast as we can," Granberry said.
The district attorney's office has faced staffing challenges that have slowed case processing. In March, Granberry reported having 82 murder cases pending trial due to a prosecutor shortage. Since then, the office has made progress in addressing staffing needs.
"We managed to hire five young lawyers straight out of law school," Granberry said.
However, retaining qualified prosecutors requires competitive compensation, which depends on property tax funding that supports county services, including the DA's office.
"Nobody likes paying their property taxes. I don't like paying my property taxes," Granberry said. "If you want safe streets, if you want good prosecution, if you want us to have the capacity to do the things we need to do."
The district attorney said his office will continue working with existing resources regardless of the ballot outcomes.
"If neither of them passes, then we'll keep doing what we're doing now — just battling a little harder," Granberry said.
But he believes passage of both measures could significantly benefit public safety efforts.
"This isn't an easy job, and so we have to pay them what they're worth. So I guess it comes down to — how bad do you want to be safe?" Granberry said.
Early voting runs from October 20 through October 31, with Election Day on Tuesday, November 4.
"This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy."
For the latest local news updates, click here, or download the KRIS 6 News App.
