Hidalgo County presents $344 million 2026 general fund; 5% COLA accounts for $16 million in salary increases

Hidalgo County officials reviewed net changes to the proposed 2026 budget at a workshop, where staff said the county’s proposed general fund operating budget is $344 million, including a proposed 5% cost-of-living adjustment that accounts for roughly $16 million in additional salary costs.

“This is more of a recap of, summary of, of the 2026 budget,” Budget Officer Dabo Sotto said at the start of the workshop. He said staff sent supporting detail to commissioners over the weekend and were presenting only net changes at the session.

The recap shows current revenues of $344,000,000 matching proposed day-to-day expenditures: $222,000,000 for salaries and $122,000,000 for operating costs. Staff identified a net salary increase of $16,000,000—about half of which is attributable to a proposed 5% COLA—and net operating increases of about $12,000,000 compared with last year.

County staff told commissioners…