Overview

• Commissioners Adrian Garcia and Lesley Briones joined Republican Tom Ramsey to approve the budget, with County Judge Lina Hidalgo and Commissioner Rodney Ellis dissenting after a tense meeting.
• The county did not pursue a major tax hike, yet court documents show the tax rate will increase by about two cents per $100 of assessed value next year, leading to a small uptick for homeowners.
• Savings include a $101 million reduction to previously approved law-enforcement pay raises, which officials attribute to a clerical error, leaving $41 million for the raises.
• The plan enacts a one-year hiring freeze projected to save $25 million and eliminates 110 positions that had been vacant for more than six months, with most departments asked to trim roughly 10%.
• Officials say reallocations and efficiencies total $202 million, including $21 million in unspent ARPA funds, while Hidalgo warns of impacts such as less air testing, fewer library staff and cuts to jail-diversion programs.