Burnet County faces tough budget calls

Burnet County budget requests for the coming fiscal year are $14.3 million more than last year’s total budget, but the county is expecting only about $2.8 million more than last year’s revenues.

County Judge James Oakley briefed the Commissioners Court on the budget. 

“There is some prioritizing to do,” he said during the July 9 meeting.

The numbers are based on an assumed 3.5 percent tax increase as allowed by Texas Senate Bill 2, which is the maximum allowable tax increase from year to year, plus taxes on new construction, Oakley said. SB2 was approved by the Texas Legislature in 2019. 

The county should receive its certified property appraisals by July 25, which will be used to determine the tax rate and incoming revenue. The deadline for submitting a preliminary budget is Aug. 15. The Commissioners Court must hold public hearings on the proposed final budget and tax rate by Aug. 27.

“We’re trying to go through (the budget requests) and make sure that everybody gets what they absolutely need, and trying to establish the difference between want and need, and to keep equity among all the elected officials and departments,” Oakley said.

The Burnet County Sheriff’s Office alone requested nearly $3.5 million in budget increases for new personnel and equipment and to cover general increases in the costs of goods and services.

Oakley also noted that certain expenses, like $900,000 for state-mandated voting equipment, had to be paid, which also cut into the budget. According to the judge, this unfunded mandate will have to be spread over multiple years.

“I’m very confident in the fiscally conservative approach that I take, but in this case alone, the maximum amount of (new revenue) available doesn’t even fund the Sheriff’s Office request,” Oakley said. “We try to be efficient in our spending, but there are some things you just don’t have control over.”

dakota@thepicayune.com