Ellis County releases first draft of 2027 budget showing roughly $200,000 shortfall

County administrator Darren Myers presented the first draft of the 2027 budget, outlining projected additional revenues and expected expenses for next year and explaining the schedule for the next drafts and adoption.

Myers said staff had “projected just over 500,000 or just under $500,000 in additional revenue for 2027” while projected expenses were just over $700,000, producing a near‑term shortfall. He told the commission the current mill levy is 38.118 mills and the county’s unencumbered cash balance available for next year was about $4,580,000 per the completed audit.

The draft assumes a 7% estimated increase in health‑insurance costs, step and salary adjustments in January 2027, a continued transfer of $1.6 million to road and bridge capital (fund 78), and $500,000 set aside in the solid‑waste fund for transfer‑station planning. Myers said certain outside‑agency requests will be heard next week and that a possible change in motor‑vehicle fee structure (allowed by recent state legislation) could shift some personnel costs away from the general property tax base.

Myers laid out next steps: a second draft at the beginning of July, all‑day budget review sessions in mid‑July and final adoption in the commission’s September meeting after required notices and the revenue‑neutral hearing if the commission seeks to exceed that rate.