The Wichita County Commissioners Court on Aug. 19 voted to propose a tax rate of $0.521303 per $100 valuation as the county moves through the 2026 budget process. The vote to set the proposed rate passed unanimously.

County leaders said the proposed rate is intended to allow the county to address rising costs in public safety, personnel and infrastructure while remaining below the voter-approval threshold that would require an election. The county’s presentation compared three reference points: the “no new revenue” rate, the proposed budget rate and the voter-approval rate. The county estimated taxable revenue at about $54,400,000 under the no-new-revenue scenario, $55,800,000 under the proposed budget rate and $56,200,000 at the voter-approval rate.

The county judge explained that setting a proposed rate at this stage is procedural: it enables required public notices and does not bind the court to a final figure. The judge said staff will publish the proposed budget and supporting charts and that the court will continue budget workshops and public hearings, including a workshop later in the week and a public hearing on Sept. 4.

Officials said the proposed rate sits below the voter-approval tax rate (0.525064) and above the no-new-revenue rate (0.508054). County priorities cited for the funding include law-enforcement salaries, IT infrastructure, vehicles and heavy equipment, health insurance costs and general inflationary pressures on county operations.

A motion by the county judge to propose the 0.521303 rate was seconded by Commissioner Pincannon and approved by the court; the motion passed by a 5–0 voice vote. The court emphasized that it may adjust the rate during the remaining budget process prior to final adoption.

Members of the public are encouraged to review the proposed budget documents posted on the county home page and to attend the scheduled public hearings and workshops if they wish to comment.