Following weeks of workshops and one-on-one budget meetings, Victoria County Judge Ben Zeller has filed a proposed 2027 annual County budget with the Victoria County Clerk.

This proposed balanced budget of $61.6 million in the general fund and $92 million across all County funds was created based on a variety of financial resources, considerations, and priorities. This proposed budget will strengthen the County’s health insurance and invest in County employees and strategic initiatives while continuing to improve services for residents. In addition to committing a majority of new revenue to public safety, juvenile services, information technology, and Victoria County Animal Services, the proposed budget includes over $2.8 million to pay down Certificates of Obligation (CO) issued to fund major County projects.

As part of the County’s commitment to transparency, the proposed budget was filed ahead of the deadline set by state law. Judge Zeller serves as Chief Budget Officer for Victoria County, and Commissioners Court will host public budget hearings in the coming weeks with a focus on adopting a 2027 budget on September 8. That budget will be in effect from January 1 to December 2027.  Key highlights of the proposed balanced budget for 2027 include:

• Utilizes nearly $2,000,000 from the County’s rainy-day fund to avoid passing on costs to taxpayers.

• Provides significant funding to handle escalating costs in the County health insurance fund, supported by both County contributions and employee-paid insurance premiums.

• Invests in a cost-of-living adjustment to give many County employees their first cost-of-living raise in years.

• Completes the two-year goal of a 10% first responder pay scale increase, helping to achieve approximately 90% employment levels at the Sheriff’s Office.

• Eliminates vacant positions and consolidates County departments as part of ongoing efforts to cut costs and increase efficiency.

To view the County’s 2027 proposed budget, visit: vctx.org