08/15/2026
🚨 REORGANIZATION & RELOCATION OF ELLIS COUNTY GOVERNMENT
Ellis County taxpayers deserve to know what is being proposed for their county government.
Let me be clear:
I strongly oppose the proposed FY2027 Ellis County Budget in its current form.
This budget isn’t simply about roads, public safety, or providing essential county services. It proposes a fundamental reorganization of Ellis County government.
❌ EXPANDING UNELECTED GOVERNMENT
The proposed budget creates two brand-new departments:
County Administration — 3 new positions
County Budget Office — 2 new positions
Together, these offices represent more than $1 million in proposed FY2027 reoccurring spending.
For generations, Ellis County has been led by an elected County Judge and Commissioners Court, accountable directly to the people.
Now commissioners are being asked to create a new layer of appointed administration between the people and their elected officials.
Why? And more importantly:
Who will be accountable to the voters when these decisions are made?
❌ REDUCING THE COUNTY JUDGE’S OFFICE
At the same time the County is creating more than $1 million in new administrative structure, the budget reduces the resources available to the elected County Judge’s office.
That’s backwards.
If we’re going to spend more taxpayer money on government, it should be because we’re providing better services to the people, not because we’re creating more layers of bureaucracy.
❌ MOVING YOUR COUNTY GOVERNMENT
The proposed plan also contemplates moving Commissioners Court and county government functions away from the Historic Ellis County Courthouse.
The courthouse isn’t just another building, it’s the historic County Seat of Ellis County, Texas.
For generations, citizens have walked through those doors to participate in their government, attend Commissioners Court, and hold their elected officials accountable.
Now taxpayers are being asked to borrow more than $10 million while the County considers relocating its government to a medical office building.
Do the Citizens of Ellis County believe this is in the best interest of Ellis Counties future?
176 YEARS OF HISTORY MATTER
Ellis County has been here since 1849. For generations, our county government has been administered by elected officials who were accountable to the citizens who elected them.
We don’t need to create a bigger government bureaucracy simply because we can.
We need to make government smaller, more efficient, more transparent, and more accessible to the people.
Ellis Counties Government was created to be of, for, and by its people.
The people of Ellis County should have a voice in whether we fundamentally restructure how our county government operates and where it operates.
I believe Commissioners Court and the County Judge’s Office belong in the Historic Ellis County Courthouse. I believe the people, not unelected bureaucrats, should remain in charge of Ellis County government. And I believe Ellis County should live within its means, protect taxpayers, and focus on the services our citizens actually need.
Let your voice be heard at 2:00pm Tuesday, August 18, 2026 at Ellis County Commissioners Court.
ELLIS COUNTY FIRST.
https://www.elliscountytx.gov/DocumentCenter/View/23862/EC-FY2027-Amended-Proposed-Budget-Book-FILED-8142026?bidId=
