State of the County – End of an Era

By Gloria Way

  Hundreds of people gathered at White’s Park community building to hear Chambers County Judge Jimmy Sylvia deliver his final State of the County speech to his constituents. The Mont Belvieu Area Chamber of Commerce hosted the luncheon. Sylvia is the longest serving county judge in the state with 28 years of service. He announced last spring that he would not be seeking reelection in 2026 and that he is retiring from politics. Pct 4 Commissioner Ryan Dagley is the heir apparent as Dagley is running unopposed for the county judge seat.

  “We are the sixth fastest growing county in the country,” stated Judge Sylvia. “Please note that I said in the country. People ask me why is little Chambers County growing so fast? And I say location.” He continued, “We are located between two major ports with a third one on its way thanks to TGS Cedar Port Industrial Park, which is in West Chambers County. It is the largest master-planned, rail-and-barge-served industrial park in the U.S.”

  “I have always said that God did a good job with our natural resources,” continued Sylvia. “We have an abundance of hunting, fishing, and birding. I’m a birder and we have birders visit us from all over.”

  “Our county has always been a pro-business county. We have always had a partnership between business and industry, and residential growth,” he added. “So, it is also the quality of life issues that attract growth in Chambers County. We have fully funded law enforcement. Our schools are top notch, and we have invested in our parks and recreation areas with boat ramps, pickleball courts, baseball complexes, etc. Our community buildings are built to house residents in the event of natural disasters. We have 350 miles of county roads, and we are continually making road and bridge improvements while maintaining 700 miles of ditches to help the drainage issues in the county.” And we are building a new jail/justice center of which I am most proud of.”

  “Over the last three decades, Chambers County’s population has grown from 26,000 to 60,000. The county’s budget has increased over three decades from $11million to $110 million. We have grown from 298 county employees to over 675 county employees. With the health services tax passed in 2001, Chambers County now funds five Emergency Medical Services”, Sylvia continued. “The Gross Domestic Product of Chambers County is $3.84 billion.”

  The crowd was very enthusiastic and showed their appreciation of Judge Sylvia’s service to Chambers County. Lanie Brown and Will Cain presented the Judge with a flag flown over the US Capitol building on behalf of US Representative Brian Babin and Susan Leblanc presented a certificate of appreciation and recognition from the Texas State House of Representatives on behalf of State Representative Terri Leo Wilson.

  The fajita lunch was catered by Floyd’s/Café Julia.