Jim Wells County commissioners and department heads continued work on the county's 2026 budget at a Sept. 3 workshop, with the county judge and auditor presenting a proposed budget that, for now, holds the tax rate at the current level of 0.767.

County Judge (addressing the court) said the proposed budget was approved "with the current tax rate, which is 0.767," and county auditor Cindy Garcia told commissioners she would prepare summaries of requests and alternative tax-rate scenarios for consideration by the end of the week. The court set additional workshop dates and directed staff to prepare final numbers for the next hearings.

The court also discussed salary changes mandated by the state for judges. The county judge said he had included statutory judicial salary increases for district and appellate judges in the amended proposed budget based on a notice from the Office of Court Administration that takes effect Sept. 1. "I've included them in the budget," he said. The court confirmed the increases are state-mandated and must be included.

Several elected officials from county offices urged commissioners to consider across-the-board pay increases for county employees. County Clerk, District Clerk and other elected officials said salary increases would help recruitment and retention. The commissioners asked the auditor to model a 5 percent across-the-board raise for projection purposes; the judge said that modeling does not commit the court to the increase but will provide a benchmark for discussion.

The court left final tax-rate and salary decisions for later budget sessions, with staff directed to provide comparative scenarios and the county's total request tallies. No tax increase or final budget adoption occurred on Sept. 3.

Ending: Commissioners scheduled follow-up workshops to consider final tax-rate decisions and a potential across-the-board pay adjustment; staff will deliver modeling and summary sheets before the final decision.