Frio County auditor opens budget workshop, outlines revenue adjustments and department requests

Frio County Auditor Crystal Marquez presented a day-two budget workshop on July 15, outlining proposed adjustments to next fiscal year’s operating budgets and revenue estimates as Commissioners Court moved through department requests.

Marquez told the court she began by updating the county’s projected tax and fee revenues, noting that several one-time grants closed this year and that the county has started to invest $15 million, which has raised interest income. She said those interest receipts and a number of conservative downward edits to departmental revenue estimates shaped a starting proposed revenue figure listed in the workshop as $90,709.62.

The auditor said three grants have been closed and removed from next year’s revenue lines: the Operation Stone Garden equipment grant, a Justice Assistance Grant tied to a sheriff’s vehicle, and a regional solid waste grant. She also said an EMS contract previously budgeted at $250,000 has been broken and removed from the revenue forecast.

Marquez walked the court through targeted changes in department budgets rather than across-the-board raises. Examples she named:

- County court: increases to court-appointed legal fees (from $25,000 to $50,000) and interpreter/court costs to reflect actual year-to-date spending. - District court/district clerk: awaiting final numbers from the district attorney and public defender; a vendor quote to bind historical birth records (about $14,220) is pending and may be handled via a reserve transfer if commissioners approve. - Justice of the Peace offices (JP1–JP4): one-time imaging/setup costs and scanners; Marquez detailed a $6,400 software/setup and roughly $12,225 equipment request for each of the JP offices that requested the service. - Elections: the elections office requested multiple increases tied to anticipated elections (ballots, site support and training). Marquez reported the office requested higher poll-worker payments (an estimated incremental $8,000 plus fringe), larger site-support and extended-warranty contracts (site support requested to rise to $24,500 and ESS extended-warranty to $12,000) and a larger elections-supplies line (requested up to $50,000) to cover possible additional elections and higher ballot costs. - Building maintenance and facilities: multiple increases to custodial supplies, air‑conditioning repairs and for new buildings (including the Camino Real and the Dilley resilience hub), and a new line item for batteries/tires/tubes to maintain a small fleet; Marquez noted the county has added more buildings and facilities, which is driving that demand.

Marquez also reviewed reserve and contingency strategy: she left contingency at $300,000 and said she would use contingencies where necessary (for example, to cover court-appointed counsel that has exceeded prior budgets). She said a number of line-item increases were offset by revenue reductions or transfers so the proposed operating budget could remain balanced within the constraints she described.

Why this matters: the workshop is the stage where department requests are reconciled against certified values and reserves before a proposed budget is published. Marquez repeatedly emphasized conservative revenue recognition (not budgeting more than her office expects to collect) and said there is time to adjust figures through September before final adoption.

Ending: Marquez closed the hour-long presentation by asking commissioners to flag items that need follow-up (pending vendor quotes, signed interlocal EMS agreements, and final DA/public defender budget numbers). The court did not adopt final salaries or a final budget at the July 15 workshop; commissioners instructed staff to return with certified numbers and follow-up information so the court can finalize the proposed budget and, if needed, the schedule for any subsequent budget workshops.