MIDLAND COUNTY, Texas — With the new fiscal year just weeks away, Midland County commissioners have approved a new budget and tax rate. There were a few last-minute adjustments to the budget, ultimately leading to a tax rate increase.
After more than an hour of discussion, including staffing changes and infrastructure updates, Midland County’s 2024-25 budget and tax rate were finalized.
"A lot it work went into cutting back where we could,” said County Judge Terry Johnson. “Nobody wants to, but we have to do what we have to do. We have to be fiscally responsible, so the budget was tough.”
Judge Johnson and the commissioners debated several last-minute additions and subtractions from the budget. For example, the Midland County Sheriff’s Office requested more paid positions.
Johnson suggested a different approach.
“You have roughly 48 positions that haven't been filled and are sitting vacant. Can we repurpose some of those positions to accommodate the new ones you’re wanting to create?” Johnson said.
In the end, the sheriff’s office gave up four vacant positions in exchange for two new ones.
A $2.5 million addition to the budget, supported by two commissioners, will fund an engineering study for a proposed golf course.
“That is for an engineering and architectural study for a golf course to be located on our property out in Greenwood, where we’re building the jail and have a lot of leftover acreage,” Johnson said.
According to the judge, there was significant public interest in the golf course, and while it did increase the proposed tax rate, the budget could still accommodate a last-minute update.
As for the tax rate, the commissioners all agreed on a slight increase.
The approved rate is 0.13157964, generating $75,958,855 in property tax revenue for this year’s budget.
Last year’s tax rate was 0.120430. Despite the increase, Midland County’s rate remains well below the state average of 1.6%.
“Your taxes are going to go up because the value of your properties went up. We don’t control that – that’s MCAD,” Johnson said, referring to the Midland Central Appraisal District. “Even if our tax rate stayed the same, your property taxes would likely increase because of higher property values. With what we did, it went up literally 0.0023%. That’s a very small amount, so I don’t think it will impact the average homeowner.”