Hays County delays FY2026 budget adoption two weeks after auditor requests more time

At a special called meeting of the Hays County Commissioners Court, the court approved moving the fiscal year 2026 budget adoption timeline from May 23 to June 6 after the county auditor said additional reconciliations were needed.

Hays County Auditor Marisol Gabriel Alonso told the court that when she reviewed the budget modules in the New World financial system several items had not been calculated or entered, including position budgeting, capital equipment schedules, rollovers of grant budgets, special revenue fund expenditures and debt expenditures. She asked the court for two additional weeks to complete calculations, reconcile entries and ensure the requested budget is entered accurately into New World.

Alonso said the time extension would allow staff to perform necessary reconciliations and data entry so the budget presented to the court reflected accurate expenditures and balances. The court approved the calendar amendment on a roll-call vote: Commissioners Cohen, Hammer, Inglesby and Smith and County Judge Becerra all voted yes.

The motion to amend the FY2026 budget calendar was presented as a short timing adjustment to the adoption schedule to allow staff to finish work in the financial system; no changes to the substance of budget workshop presentations were made at the meeting.

Court action and next steps: the court recorded the roll-call approval of the amended calendar; the auditor and department staff will complete the reconciliations and return to the schedule set by the court.