Wichita County held a public hearing Thursday on a proposed $84,700,000 budget for fiscal 2026 and a proposed tax rate of 0.521303 per $100 of valuation, county officials said. The county judge opened the hearing and described the proposal as the penultimate step before the court considers final adoption at its next meeting.

The county judge said, “This proposed budget is an $84,700,000 budget across all funds.” He also described the proposed tax rate as “0.521303, dollars per $100,” noting that the rate is lower than last year’s 0.523894 but that “rising values across the county mean that even though that is a rate decrease, average taxes will increase as part of this budget.”

Why it matters: The hearing summarized several headline figures county officials said matter to residents: 45% of the general fund would go to public safety; $5,100,000 is projected for employee health insurance premiums; the county maintains 390.61 road miles with a mileage-based maintenance allocation; $1,340,000 is budgeted for software, cybersecurity and hardware; $3,400,000 for permanent improvement projects; and the average county tax increase is about $13 per $100,000 of home value above the no-new-revenue rate.

County officials emphasized financial stability and fund balances. The judge said the county is in “great shape from a fund balance standpoint,” and described the budget as continuing a multiyear pattern of fiscal stability. Officials noted that including debt-service payments would push the share of tax revenue going to public safety above half.

Officials also highlighted cost pressures that shaped the budget. The judge noted health insurance and jail medical contracts together represent a substantial expense, and that property and liability insurance costs have risen (property insurance from about $425,000 last year to $485,000 projected this year, and liability projected at $350,000). The judge said, “What people don't realize is the county is not exempt from insurance cost inflation,” and compared county cost pressures to those faced by local businesses and residents.

Pay and retention were discussed as a driver of payroll increases. One commissioner asked how the $5.1 million health premium figure relates to the general fund; staff and the judge explained the figure is paid from the general fund and represents roughly 7% of the general fund budget. Commissioners and staff said pay adjustments had been made to address turnover and to stay competitive with peer counties and private employers.

Infrastructure and growth were also part of the discussion. The judge and other officials pointed to recent and planned projects—including work funded by American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) allocations—and said investments had been targeted to projects that build the tax base. A member of the public told the court Wichita County received $25,600,000 in ARPA funds; county leaders said most of that money was placed into projects intended to produce future revenue or avoid borrowing for necessary construction or renovation.

Road maintenance and traffic were raised as local priorities. The county uses a mileage formula to allocate general fund contributions to road maintenance in addition to a special road-and-bridge tax. Officials said most unpaved roads are on ranch or oil field parcels and that residential growth in some county areas has increased traffic and maintenance needs.

There were no formal votes or motions during the hearing; the county judge and commissioners framed the session as an informational public hearing and invited public comment. The county judge said the court will consider formal adoption of the tax rate and budget at the next Commissioners Court meeting scheduled for Tuesday.

The public hearing lasted about 26 minutes. No members of the public attended in person beyond one commenter who spoke about ARPA funds; officials noted multiple prior public budget sessions and thanked staff for preparing the proposed budget and supporting materials.