Fort Bend County Treasurer Bill Rickert, the Republican incumbent, and Democratic challenger Jeffrey L. Boney faced questions about investment strategy, financial transparency, technology and public engagement during a forum hosted by Pillar PAC.
The two candidates are competing in the November election for an office responsible for managing and investing county funds, overseeing cash flow and providing financial reporting to the public.
Rickert is seeking another term after nearly eight years in the treasurer’s office. Boney is seeking his first countywide elected office after serving eight years on the Missouri City City Council and unsuccessfully running for Missouri City mayor in 2025.
Boney brings a background in banking, business development, education and local government to the race. He is a graduate of Texas Southern University, where he earned a degree in business management, and has taught as an adjunct professor at Houston Community College. He spent more than 11 years in banking before becoming president and CEO of the Greater Houston Black Chamber and later founding the Texas Business Alliance. He also served eight years on the Missouri City City Council, including several years as chairman of the city’s Finance and Services Committee.
Rickert’s professional background includes executive positions in the oil and gas and technology industries. His campaign biography also cites an MBA certificate from Tulane University’s A.B. Freeman School of Business, previous service on a municipal utility district board and leadership with the Rosenberg Railroad Museum.
At the forum, Rickert emphasized his experience managing complex financial and technology operations, while Boney emphasized the combination of his banking experience and years working with municipal budgets.
The candidates have also assembled distinctly different coalitions of endorsements. Boney’s endorsements include the Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation, AFL-CIO; Communication Workers of America Local 6222; the A. Philip Randolph Institute; Tidelands Labor Assembly; the Texas Coalition of Black Democrats-Fort Bend Chapter; Black Rosenberg Richmond Area Democrats; Invisible Fort Bend County; and the Moms Demand Action 2026 Gun Sense Candidate designation. Rickert’s endorsements include the Council of Progressive Pakistani Americans-Texas, Muslim Americans of Texas United, the Fort Bend Business Coalition, Katy Christian Magazine, and Texas Latino Conservatives.
Managing county money
The first substantive question asked the candidates how they would respond if county revenue came in below projections and whether they would seek additional interest income to make up the difference.
Rickert first challenged the premise of the question, saying county figures presented in May 2025 showed 14.32% certified growth for tax year 2024 and 1.84% preliminary growth for tax year 2025.
He said the treasurer cannot invest the county out of a structural budget shortfall and described his first priority as cash management.
Rickert said the office must maintain enough cash for payroll, vendors, debt service and emergencies while investing available funds in authorized investments based on the county’s cash needs.
“Safety or liquidity” were the lines he said he would not cross in pursuit of higher yields.
Boney agreed that the figures were preliminary and said actual collections can be affected by exemptions, tax deferrals and residents who do not pay their taxes on time.
He also said he would not sacrifice safety or liquidity to pursue higher investment returns.
The agreement highlighted one of the less political aspects of the race: Both candidates said protecting taxpayer money and maintaining access to cash should take precedence over chasing investment returns.
What they learned from past mistakes
Candidates were then asked to describe a financial decision they would handle differently in hindsight.
Boney discussed his experience building the Texas Business Alliance. He said he expanded the organization quickly because of his desire to help minority- and women-owned businesses, but eventually realized the organization’s growth had outpaced its financial resources.
He said the experience taught him to establish a financial foundation and business plan before expanding.
Rickert described a problem involving the timing of county investments.
An outside investment firm had helped the county with investments, but Rickert said the initial process created confusion when investment maturities did not line up with the dates the county needed the money. For example, money identified as being needed “in June,” might be required on June 1, while an investment might not mature until June 30.
He also discussed pre-funding bond projects, which can require the county to have money available before bond proceeds are received.
Rickert said the county ultimately created a $50 million liquid pool to handle those situations.
His lesson was that liquidity is not simply having enough money. The money must be available when it is needed.
What does transparency actually look like?
The candidates were then challenged to move beyond the word “transparency” and identify specific financial information residents should be able to see.
Boney proposed a quarterly precinct-level spending report showing how much money is being spent in each of the county’s four precincts and what those expenditures are funding.
He said the county already publishes substantial financial information but that many residents may not understand the data.
Rickert proposed a one-page cash and investment dashboard showing operating cash, restricted funds, bond proceeds, monthly and year-to-date interest earnings compared with the budget, weighted average yield and the amount of money available within 30, 60 and 90 days.
Rickert also pointed to improvements already made to the treasurer’s reports and investment reporting and said the county’s ongoing ERP, or enterprise resource planning, system should make it easier to automate and extract financial information.
Rickert challenged on campaign promises
The forum’s candidate-specific question put Rickert on the defensive over technology and payment-system changes listed as goals when he first sought office.
The moderator asked about an ERP upgrade and the elimination of paper checks, questioning why those goals had not been completed during his tenure.
Rickert said the treasurer does not control every aspect of county government. He described county government as a “highly matrixed corporation with no CEO,” saying major changes require cooperation and funding from multiple departments and officials.
Rickert pointed to the implementation of positive pay, a banking fraud-control system, as an early accomplishment of his administration. He said the system became particularly important during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the county experienced increased attempts at check fraud.
He said the county has continued moving vendors and employees from paper checks to electronic payments, although verification of ACH transactions remains a challenge.
Boney’s banking background questioned
Boney was asked whether commercial banking experience translates directly to a county treasurer’s office, where investments are governed by public-funds laws and the county cannot operate like a commercial bank.
Boney said his banking background is complemented by his experience in municipal government.
He pointed to his eight years on Missouri City City Council and his service as finance chairman, saying he worked with the city’s budget, vendors, fund balances and capital expenditures.
He also cited his experience with financial compliance through his insurance business.
Boney said he does not view his banking background as a hindrance and argued that it complements his local government experience.
Tax abatements and Elon Musk
Audience questions moved beyond the mechanics of the treasurer’s office.
Asked about a potential tax abatement involving Elon Musk, Boney said he was not opposed to tax abatements when they make sense but said he needed more information about the specific proposal.
Rickert said he generally does not favor removing property from the tax rolls because doing so can increase the burden on other taxpayers. But he said tax incentives can be justified if there are clear measurements showing a return on the public investment.
Taking the treasurer’s office to the public
Both candidates said residents need more than financial reports. They need help understanding them.
Rickert said he regularly speaks to civic groups, homeowners associations and other organizations about the treasurer’s office. He also said he has developed presentations explaining property taxes using examples from individual neighborhoods.
Boney proposed a program called TOTAL, or Treasurer’s Outreach for Transparency, Accountability and Learning.
Under his proposal, the treasurer would conduct community outreach and establish an advisory council with representatives from all four precincts.
Boney said the treasurer’s office should be visible throughout the county and accessible to residents regardless of their political affiliation or ZIP code.
Politics enters the race
The final questions brought the candidates’ political affiliations more directly into the discussion.
Boney was asked how he would work with residents who disagree with him politically if elected as a Democrat while Republicans control offices at other levels of government.
He said the basic responsibilities of the treasurer are not partisan: safeguarding county funds, ensuring payroll and vendors are paid and working with the county auditor, budget office, commissioners and other departments.
Rickert was then asked why Muslim voters should support him amid anti-Muslim rhetoric in parts of the Republican Party.
Rickert said he believes no group should be targeted. He discussed his family’s history as Italian and German immigrants and his experience working internationally with people from countries including Malaysia, Egypt and Kazakhstan
A forum built around accountability
The event was organized by Pillar PAC, which organizers described as a nonpartisan political action committee focused on inclusive leadership, inclusive legislation and accountability.
The forum’s format reflected that stated mission. Candidates were given three general questions in advance, followed by candidate-specific questions that were not provided beforehand. Audience members also submitted written questions.
The candidates were given 90 seconds for opening statements and 60 seconds for closing statements.
Boney used his closing remarks to argue that the election is about more than competence, saying voters should consider which candidate values all Fort Bend residents and is prepared to bring new ideas to the office.
Rickert pointed to his record in office and argued that his experience gives voters an opportunity to judge him on results rather than promises.
The race now moves from the forum to the November ballot, where voters will decide whether to give Rickert another term or elect Boney as the county’s next treasurer.