Tarrant County Commissioners Court on Thursday approved a series of routine and year-end financial measures, including payment of bills, budget transfers and a 31-page fiscal year 2024 summary that shows shrinking fund balances and growing costs tied to indigent jail health care and court-appointed defenses.

Mister Anderson, a county finance staff member, told the court the county faced significant increases in certain accounts this year, including autopsy and psychological-evaluation expenses and higher inmate-indigent health costs. "So most of that came from within the jail or within the sheriff's budget," Anderson said, describing transfers and contingency use to cover roughly $1.1 million in contingency spending tied to these overruns. The court approved the budget adjustments and transfers 5-0 after a motion by Commissioner Bertram and a second from Commissioner Williams.

Rebecca Freeman, the county treasurer, presented the November 2024 report, showing the general fund ended November with approximately $27.4 million and noting an incoming single-appraisal district payment of about $20.7 million expected in December. The court also ratified payroll and approved payment of submitted bills (excluding one AP item that will be corrected and resubmitted) by a unanimous vote.

On a separate item the court approved a second-year renewal of the Debtbook subscription for GASB lease and subscription (SBITA) valuation services. Anderson said the service cost rose to $8,000 this year from $7,600. "These valuations help us present the net present value and required footnote disclosures for leases and software subscriptions," he said. The renewal passed 5-0.

Anderson reviewed the county's FY24 highlights and shortfalls in a 31-page document the court accepted. He reported an unaudited net decrease of about $2.7 million in the general fund and a net decrease of roughly $673,000 in the road-and-bridge fund, while debt-service obligations increased. He also noted that encumbrances of roughly $2 million rolled from FY24 into FY25. "We had some large claims in health this year that paid away any reserve we had," Anderson said of the county health fund, which is still playing catch-up.

Several elected officials and staff emphasized the county has relied on contingency and encumbrances to smooth cash flow but warned that options are limited if similar pressures continue. "It kind of seems like we're hitting the end of the road on how much we can draw from fund balance to close deficits," the presiding official said during discussion about the fund-balance floor. Anderson recommended adopting a formal unreserved-fund-balance policy to guide future decisions.

Administrative matters approved without substantive debate included renewal of the district clerk's crime bond with Hartford and the routine approval of the November treasurer's report. All motions related to payments, transfers and the FY24 summary passed on unanimous voice votes recorded as 5-0.

The court said it will monitor rising indigent-related costs — including jail health and court-appointed attorney expenses that spiked this year — as staff and commissioners prepare budgets for the coming year.