Van Zandt County Commissioners Court voted to adopt the countybudget for fiscal year 2026, which begins Oct. 1, 2025 and ends Sept. 30, 2026, and separately ratified the property-tax increase reflected in that budget. The court voted to approve the budget with amendments and later approved a separate motion to ratify the increase in property-tax revenue.

The adopted budget includes an estimated shortfall shown in the materials presented to the court as roughly $179,000 and shows estimated total revenue and expenditures that the judge described in the hearing. The judge told the court that American Rescue Plan funds and other dedicated funds are available in county accounts and that those funds are not part of property-tax revenue. The court also approved a set of technical and substantive amendments to salary worksheets, increased allocations for information technology tied to sheriffs vehicle equipment, and an increase to indigent defense funding for child-protection services (CPS) cases after higher-than-expected billing this year.

Why it matters: adoption of the budget sets the countyspending plan for the coming fiscal year and, because the budget will raise more revenue from property taxes than last year, state law requires a separate ratification vote on the tax increase. The court completed both votes at the meeting, which clears the way for signing the budget and tax certification documents.

Most important facts: the judge and commissioners discussed contingency planning, a planned transfer to purchase a building described in the materials, and changes to salary worksheets. The courts presented figures included an identified contingency of $4,000,000 (noted as an amount the judge used for planning and which may be adjusted) and a separately listed permanent-improvement line item tied to a building purchase. The judge reported that American Rescue Plan funds in county accounts total multiple millions of dollars and are budgeted separately from property-tax-funded operations.

During discussion commissioners and the judge described long-term pressure on road and bridge budgets and rising materials and labor costs. One commissioner noted uncertainty about whether the budget adoption fully complies with all state-code requirements and abstained from the budget vote on that stated basis; other named members voted in favor. The ratification of the property-tax revenue increase passed on a separate vote with a single recorded dissent.

The court also approved a list of budget adjustments the judge identified as totaling $134,580 to cover corrected salary worksheet entries, IT equipment related to sheriffs vehicles, and additional indigent-defense funds for CPS cases (the judge said the CPS allocation should be increased by about $125,000, bringing that category to about $400,000 next year). The countys materials presented to the court said property-tax revenue to be raised from new property added to the tax roll this year is $1,060,009.38, and the total increase in property-tax revenue compared with last year was presented as $1,913,858 (shown in the posted notice as $1,913,000, $858). The packet also listed the estimated tax impact on a median-valued homestead property: $664.48 for the current fiscal year, $692.41 under the proposed 2026 budget, and $652.40 under a no-new-revenue tax rate.

The judge and commissioners emphasized that many departments reduced spending as part of the process and that road work remains the largest recurring cost pressure for the county. The court voted to adopt the budget, to ratify the tax increase reflected in it, and directed staff to finalize the documents for signature and posting as required by law.

The county posted the proposed budget and related notices on the county website in advance of the public hearing; one person spoke at the public hearing in favor of creating a county elections administrator (that item was considered later in the meeting). The signed budget and tax-certification documents will be filed as required by state law.