Trinity County adopts FY2026 budget and sets tax rate amid revenue assumption debate

Trinity County Commissioners Court adopted the fiscal year 2026 budget and moved to set an associated tax rate after a public hearing that included citizen comment and internal debate about revenue assumptions.

The treasurer (S9) presented the county’s August financial report and told the court that tax collections were running at roughly 92% and overall revenue at about 90%, with expenses at 79%. During the budget hearing the treasurer cautioned that not all August interest and revenue had been posted and explained that certain transfers are budgeted to Road and Bridge funds. “Our percentage of collections and revenue on taxes is at 92%,” the treasurer said.

A member of the public, Michael Jack (S10), used the hearing to press the court on economic development and hiring practices, saying Trinity’s population growth was only about 1.6% and urging outreach to attract business.

Commissioners debated how to set realistic revenue projections. One commissioner noted that staff were using a 99% collections assumption in some budget materials, and the treasurer advised that anticipated revenue should be realistic and based on historical collection rates. After discussion an unidentified commissioner (S6) moved to approve the FY2026 budget; the court approved the budget by voice vote.

The court also set and then adopted a proposed tax rate discussed in the meeting as 0.0539 (spoken and recorded in the minutes as '0539'). Commissioners described the additional revenue as resulting from valuation increases rather than a tax-rate increase; the motion to adopt the rate passed by voice vote with no roll-call tally recorded.

Next steps noted in the meeting record include follow-up reconciliation of ARPA and savings accounts and preparation of documentation for commissioners to review collection assumptions before finalizing budget implementation.