Rockwall County court sets FY2026 budget baseline, approves pay-scale shift and dispatch hires

Rockwall County Commissioners Court on Thursday set baseline budget changes for fiscal year 2026, approving reductions and transfers intended to preserve contingency, shift pay scales for county clerks and add personnel in the sheriff’s communications center and information technology staff.

The court voted 5-0 to lower the proposed legal-services allocation from about $425,000 to $355,000 and to fix the general-fund contingency at $600,000, moves commissioners said were intended to create a stable starting point for remaining budget decisions. Commissioner Lichty made the motion and Commissioner Galana seconded it; the court recorded the vote as 5-0.

Why it matters

The motions affect the size of the budget the court will consider alongside an expected decision on the tax rate. Commissioners repeatedly said they wanted to avoid setting a tax rate so low that the county would face sharp revenue shortfalls later; public comment at the meeting urged caution on premature rate cuts.

Public comment

Resident Bob Wacker, of 309 Featherstone Drive, used his public-forum time to criticize what he called prematurely low tax-rate planning by local governments. “I was surprised that you set a rate...you gave yourselves no opportunity to consider needing more revenue,” Wacker said, warning that cutting rates too aggressively could force shortfalls later.

Key votes and staffing moves

- Legal services and contingency: The court approved Commissioner Lichty’s compound motion to reduce the legal budget to $355,000 and set contingency at $600,000. Commissioners said the changes produce modest net savings that they can reallocate as discussions continue.

- Clerk pay-scale shift and use of records fund 57: The court voted 5-0 to shift the county’s pay ranges to a 5.7% scale and to move all county clerks to pay grade 2. Commissioners amended the motion to direct the auditor to fund those changes from Fund 57 (the records-management and preservation fund). During discussion, commissioners and staff said Fund 57 contains recurring revenue and roughly $1.8 million in balance; presenters said roughly $200,000–$225,000 regenerates each year and can be used to offset clerk personnel costs without transferring ongoing costs to the general fund.

- Dispatch (communications officers): The court approved funding three additional communications officers and the requested grade increases for the sheriff’s dispatch staff. The court’s budget impact calculation discussed at the meeting showed an estimated combined cost of about $319,739 for the three hires plus the grade/scale adjustments; the motion passed 5-0 after commissioners identified offsetting reductions found elsewhere in the draft budget.

- IT technician (contingent hire): Commissioners authorized adding one IT technician to assist the county’s expanding IT workload, contingent on legal review of fund sources. The implementation cost was presented as a loaded salary estimate of about $73,440.

- District attorney headcount (unfunded): The court approved adding an unfunded vacant position to the district attorney’s authorized headcount so the office can hire if and when grant funding (for example, SB 22) or other revenue becomes available. That vote passed 5-0.

Other procedural and financial items

The court also approved unpaid claims totaling $1,214,261.71 and a payroll register for the pay period ending Aug. 30, 2025, of $1,093,240.40, each by 5-0 votes. Commissioners directed the auditor to incorporate the approved changes into a revised cumulative budget worksheet and to post the revision online for public review.

Discussion and next steps

Commissioners asked the county’s financial advisor and bond counsel for updated financing scenarios tied to a possible road bond issuance; the court expects timeline and CIP information from Hilltop Securities this week. Commissioners said first debt-service impacts would appear in FY27 if bonds were issued this year. The court scheduled continued budget work and public hearings in the coming days and said a revised budget with the 5.7 pay-scale impacts would be circulated to the court for review prior to further votes.

Ending

The court adjourned after completing the votes described above and several other housekeeping motions. Commissioners said the revised documents will be posted and that they expect further discussion at follow-up meetings later this week.