Ellis County reviews nearly flat $34 million 2027 budget, administrators propose small cuts

County Administrator Darren Myers told the Ellis County Commission on Aug. 4 that the third draft of the 2027 budget shows only a “slight increase in the budget by $5,221,” which he said on a roughly $34,000,000 budget the county can “pretty much call that flat.”

Myers outlined several revenue and expense drivers that shaped the draft. He said state changes removing personal property from tax rolls — examples he cited included golf carts and boats — shift tax burdens to real estate and commercial properties. He also flagged a drop in oil valuation and an estimated $300,000 revenue reduction tied to interest-rate effects. Myers said step adjustments and cost-of-living adjustments for staff would be delayed (steps moved to April and COLA to October) to reduce costs and that transfers to reserves were reduced by 10% across departments.

Commissioners discussed options for trimming the draft. One commissioner suggested a targeted $5,000 cut or an adjustment to interest assumptions to reach a budget that is lower than 2026; Myers cautioned that deeper cuts could delay road and bridge work and other projects that rely on transfers or grant matches. He also noted earlier in the year-approved bond payments are not charged to property tax and are not included in the budgeted funds for 2027.

Myers outlined the next steps and deadlines: the commission aims to finalize the draft for publication authorization at the third commission meeting in August (meeting scheduled Aug. 11), and revenue-neutral rate and budget hearings and adoption are expected at the commission meeting in early September (Sept. 8 or the next Tuesday), at which point increases are limited and the budget can only be decreased.

The county administrator said staff will update commissioners later in the week with final figures and state form inputs; commissioners directed staff to continue work on targeted reductions and to report back before publication.