Jim Wells County sets proposed 2025 tax rate, files 2026 budget and schedules workshops

The Jim Wells County Commissioners Court on Aug. 22 voted to adopt a proposed 2025 tax rate of 0.767802 per $100 of assessed value and filed the proposed 2026 budget, while scheduling a series of workshops to address projected gaps and mandated pay supplements.

County staff and the Jim Wells County Appraisal District presented valuation and tax-rate scenarios during the meeting. Gavin Rodriguez, chief appraiser, said taxable value for the county rose about 9% year-over-year, adding roughly $243 million in taxable value. He also presented two statutory benchmarks used for tax-setting: the no-new-revenue rate (reported in-court as about 0.725661) and the voter-approval rate (0.770108). Rodriguez told the court that staying below the voter‑approval rate avoids an automatic election and that the no-new-revenue rate produces revenue equal to last year’s collections (excluding new improvements).

County staff filed an amended proposed 2026 budget on Aug. 19 to incorporate statutory salary supplements from the 2025 legislative session for judges and other officials. The judge reported a beginning general fund balance of about $10.4 million and described an amended budget showing general‑fund revenues of about $22,053,599 and expenditures of roughly $21,426,066 (numbers reported in court). The judge said the county’s combined proposed budget and transfers showed a negative position—reported in court as roughly -$951,573—before further adjustments and potential policy choices.

Staff outlined potential additional costs the court must address in budget workshops: possible cost-of-living salary raises (a 3% raise estimated at about $399,000; a 5% raise around $600,000), jail overcrowding costs (estimated in-court at $600,000–$700,000), and additional road funding (amount to be determined). The judge and auditors emphasized that the court can lower the tax rate after today’s action but cannot raise it above the proposed rate once set; the chosen proposed rate thus serves as a planning “safety net.”

The court set calendar dates for budget work: a first budget workshop on Sept. 3 at 9 a.m., a second on Sept. 5, and a target adoption date of Sept. 26 (with Sept. 29–30 as backups). The court instructed staff to supply written documentation of state-mandated salary supplements (the transcript notes the judge agreed to provide the state letter at a later time).

Ending: With the proposed rate set and budget filed, commissioners will use the scheduled workshops to weigh raises, jail and road needs, and other department requests before final adoption. The court’s action preserves flexibility to lower the rate but requires the workshops to reconcile projected shortfalls.