Developing a new county budget each year takes more time and consideration than many realize.
Beginning in January, department heads and elected officials begin the process of planning expenses for the upcoming fiscal year that begins 10 months away. Counties operate on a fiscal year budget calendar from Oct. 1 to Sept. 31, the same as the state.
Counties act as a local arm of the state and, therefore, the functions we provide are outlined in the State Constitution and by state legislation.
Our process requires each department leader to project staffing needs, supplies, function-related costs, needed capital items (items over $50,000), and training as well as any programs needed to improve efficiency. All budget submissions must have documentation explaining the reason for requesting them.
The Budget Office reviews each budget carefully, looking at justifications with a keen eye toward being conservative.
Our goal as a Commissioners Court is to keep lowering our portion of the property taxes as much as we can despite increasing costs and a fast-growing population that requires more services.
Though our portion only accounts for 10 percent of your total property tax bill, we aim to be as conservative with your dollars as possible.
While our population is expanding by an estimated 90 people every day, we are keeping our costs down for overall employment by adding as few people as possible. If compared with other counties our size, we have the second lowest number of employees per capita at 1.83. Tarrant County has 1.93 per capita, Dallas County has 2.49 per capita, and Travis County has 4.50 employees per capita.
With an annual budget of $495,100,302, around 84 percent of our budget is either for essential services such as purchasing, budget, technology, and other similar departments or mandated services such as our Courts and the sheriff’s office and jail, among others.
While our budget may seem large, it breaks down to $447 per capita, which is the lowest among counties of our size. Tarrant County spends $678 per capita, Dallas County spends $640, and Travis County spends $1,643 per capita. Harris County spends an estimated $2,869 per capita.
Once the Budget Office presents the proposed budget and the Auditor’s Office provides updates on anticipated revenues, we hear from department heads and elected officials if they choose to appeal the recommendations. As a Court member, I can say that we carefully consider each appeal, weighing the cost against the need. We have approved of some, but we’ve also denied others.
It is a critical part of our job on Commissioners Court as we must not only think of our immediate needs but also plan ahead to ensure we are fiscally responsible with your tax dollars.
After working through it all, I’m proud to say we have proposed another tax rate reduction to 18.339 cents per $100 valuation, the lowest county-wide tax rate of any large county in Texas.
I welcome your presence at our upcoming Sept. 22 Commissioners Court meeting. We will consider approving the final budget and tax rate. It is an opportunity to learn more about how your county government works. The meeting begins at 9 a.m. with the public hearing on the budget and tax rate beginning at 10 a.m. at the Administrative Courthouse at 1 Courthouse Drive in Denton.
Feel free to reach out to me at [email protected] or call my office at 972-434-7140.
