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Brooks County officials cite audit findings and software transition as budget concerns
Summary
During a July 10 workshop, Brooks County officials discussed three audit findings tied to a software transition and grant-related audit requirements, noting errors of approximately $1,000,000, $225,000, and $306,000, and said staff are still awaiting preliminary budget numbers.
Brooks County officials on July 10 discussed audit findings and budget preparation during a workshop session of the Commissioners Court.
County Judge Eric Ramos told the court the county is not "in the habit of overspending" but that recent findings point to errors linked to a transition from the county’s old financial software to the Tyler system and to a state-requested audit tied to grant funding. Ramos summarized three findings reported by the audit: a $1,000,000 finding; a $225,000 certificate of deposit moved from Fund 13 into Fund 12; and $306,000 that had been used from ARPA funds. "The reason for the findings was due to the State asking for a new audit due to grant funding," the transcript reports.
Higinio Garcia, the County Auditor, presented his monthly report for June during the meeting; Terri A. Silvas, Chief Deputy Tax Assessor Collector, and the judge also reviewed department-submitted monthly reports. The court approved routine monthly reports and bills by unanimous roll-call votes earlier in the meeting.
During public comments earlier in the meeting, resident Irma Menchaca asked the court to investigate what she described as about "60 or SO mansions" that she said were not being taxed. The transcript phrase is ambiguous; the court did not record verification or follow-up action on that specific claim during the meeting.
The court held a brief budget workshop for the 2025–2026 budget and reported there were no new updates; staff and commissioners said they are waiting for preliminary numbers before moving forward. The court recessed at 10:38 a.m. so Judge Ramos could attend a juvenile detention hearing and then went into executive session on personnel matters; no personnel actions were reported in open session.
The transcript does not supply further detail on audit remediation steps, timelines for correcting the findings, or whether external agencies will require additional filings. Those items were not specified in the meeting record.
