Citing a need to lower the county's debt, a lawyer from Wimberley has announced he plans to run for Precinct 3 commissioner in Hays County as a Republican. Colin McFerrin, who owns a law firm in Kyle, said this is his first time running for office. McFerrin said Thursday he had a desire to run after seeing how high his property taxes were. "My property taxes are going up, our spending is through the roof," he said, adding Hays County has one of the highest debt-to-capita ratios in Texas according to the Texas Comptroller's office. Before getting his law degree from Texas Wesleyan School of Law, McFerrin served in the U.S. Air Force from 1993-97. McFerrin is also a member of the Kyle Chamber of Commerce board. Lon Shell currently holds the position of Precinct 3 commissioner. He was appointed to the seat by Judge Bert Cobb in October after Will Conley stepped down to run for judge. A special election will be held in 2018 as Conley's time on the court was slated to end in 2020. Shell said he also plans to run for the seat in 2018.