Historical Tax Revenue Variances and Prospective Audit
Summary
Ellis County is looking to bump up property taxes by 12% to fund a larger government footprint. It’s a controversial move, and officials are asking residents to weigh in before the budget is locked in.
At a glance
- Total mentions
- 8
- Last 30 days
- 0
Discussed at 2 meetings in the last 60 days; most recently Sep 1, 2026.
Impact analysis
Generates $90,239,349 in total revenue, reflecting a $7 million revenue increase from growth.
County residents and property owners, who will see no increase in the county's tax rate while funding county services and road maintenance.
Taxpayers face higher total tax bills due to rising property values despite a flat tax rate.
Mentions & discussions (9)
Commissioners Court - Sep 1, 2026
County officials discussed findings that past budgets underestimated tax revenues by millions and reviewed plans to hire an outside firm for a forensic audit.
Commissioners Court - Aug 18, 2026
The county is investigating potential accounting errors after discovering millions in unaccounted-for tax revenue. The Judge is pushing for a deep-dive audit to ensure taxpayer money is tracked correctly.
Ellis County Commissioners Court Agenda - Sep 16, 2025
The county adopted a $199 million budget and kept the tax rate flat at $0.273992, balancing public needs with property tax concerns while accounting for building project overages.
Ellis County Commissioners Court Agenda - Sep 2, 2025
The county set the mandatory payment rate at 6% for local hospitals participating in the healthcare funding program that brings in federal Medicaid matching dollars for uncompensated care.
Special Commissioners Court - Aug 25, 2025
The county is proposing to keep the property tax rate flat at roughly 27.4 cents per $100 of value, which will bring in about $90.2 million in total revenue—over $7 million more than last year due to property value growth.
Ellis County Commissioners Court Agenda - Aug 5, 2025
County officials reviewed ongoing budget preparations for fiscal year 2026, working to balance increased service demands with conservative property tax rates. A proposed budget will be posted online for public review on August 11.
Ellis County Commissioners Court Agenda - Jul 22, 2025
The county proposed a 3% cost-of-living raise for elected officials and staff, alongside state-mandated judicial pay increases and sheriff salary adjustments.
Ellis County Commissioners Court Agenda - Jun 24, 2025
The county is facing $15.7 million in new spending requests but only expects about $8.4 million in new revenue. This means commissioners will have to make some tough choices before the budget is finalized in August.
ELLIS COUNTY’S BUDGET: More money, more government, more questions | Ellis County Press
WAXAHACHIE – Strong opinions have been voiced over the past few weeks regarding Ellis’s County’s recently released proposed new fiscal year budget. The county says growth requires more spending; critics say the budget creates more government than necessary. Ellis County GOP held a special meeting this past Saturday discussing the proposed county budget and tax implications. While the county commissioners could not be in attendance due to potential violation of the Texas Open Meetings Act, Ellis County Judge John Wray was in attendance.
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