Victoria County budget heads toward September vote

Victoria County's proposed 2027 budget is moving toward a September adoption vote as officials weigh rising health insurance costs and employee raises against concerns about increasing the burden on taxpayers.

County Judge Ben Zeller said the budget filed with the Victoria County Clerk this week remains largely unchanged from the proposal commissioners reviewed during budget workshops.

"No huge changes," Zeller said. "There were several items that were cleaned up, some tweaks here and there, but by and large, what I initially proposed on Monday is what was filed."

The proposed budget totals about $61.6 million in the general fund and $92 million across all county funds. It calls for using nearly $2 million from the county's fund balance, or "rainy day fund," while providing employee raises and directing additional funding toward health insurance and several county departments.

A public hearing is scheduled for Sept. 8, when Commissioners Court is also expected to consider adopting the budget.

Health insurance drives costs

Zeller has identified employee health insurance as the largest financial challenge facing the county in the coming year.

The county expects to direct about $2.8 million in additional recurring funding toward its health insurance fund. When combined with a one-time contribution, the additional funding in 2027 would exceed $3.5 million.

The proposal relies on a combination of increased employee premiums, fund balance and additional tax revenue to address the rising costs.

"Rather than kicking that can down the road, the goal is to face it head-on in 2027 and to fix the problem in 2027," Zeller said.

Employee premium increases have not been finalized. Zeller said monthly premiums could increase by about $100 and potentially approach $200, depending on the plan selected.

The budget also proposes a 5% cost-of-living adjustment for employees who did not receive a raise during the previous budget cycle and 2% for law enforcement and public safety employees. Law enforcement employees received an 8% increase last year, meaning the additional raise would complete a two-year goal of increasing compensation by 10%.

Martin opposes proposed tax increase

Precinct 3 Commissioner Shannon Martin continues to oppose the proposal, citing concerns about a potential tax increase.

Martin initially voiced his opposition during this week's budget workshop, pointing to higher property valuations and the recently approved Victoria ISD bond package as additional financial pressures facing residents.

"You couple the appraisals along with the recent school bond and then us raising the tax rate," Martin said. "That's something that I'd like to try to avoid."

Martin said commissioners should continue scrutinizing county spending to determine which expenses are necessary.

"I want to make sure that I'm doing my due diligence as an elected official to go through the budget and look for things that we can live with and things that we can live without," Martin said.

Asked whether potential reductions could include eliminating vacant positions, Martin said decisions should be made on a case-by-case basis and that "nothing is off the table for consideration."

Zeller said he remains open to alternatives before the final vote but believes the current proposal represents the best approach to addressing the county's financial needs.

Precinct 2 Commissioner Jason Ohrt described the process as a balancing act between protecting taxpayers and maintaining county services.

"You always want to be careful with the taxpayers' funds," Ohrt said. "It's always kind of a balancing act when you want to be able to maintain and keep services going that people rely on for the county."

Ohrt said he respects Martin's position and called him a valued member of the court.

County makes organizational changes

The proposal also includes organizational changes intended to reduce costs while directing resources toward priority areas.

Zeller said the vacant Facilities Department director position would be eliminated and the department consolidated with the Engineering and Development Department.

The Sheriff's Office also identified a vacant position that could be eliminated, with the savings redirected toward other funding requests.

Zeller said the Sheriff's Office, court system, Juvenile Detention Center and Animal Services are among the departments receiving the largest year-over-year funding increases.

The proposed budget can still be amended before commissioners consider final adoption Sept. 8.

"Looking at 2027, the challenges we're facing, the options available to us, I think this is the right approach," Zeller said.

Jakob Gurley is a multimedia journalist with the Victoria Advocate. He can be reached at jakob.gurley@vicad.com.