Ellis County Budget: 2006/2007 Fiscal Year
The Ellis County budget was provided to me by County Auditor Mike Navarro; this blog post is huge, just due to the fact that I've got specific departments listed - the budgets from 2004-05, 2005-06 are also included.

I'll include notes on some of these department listings, but what do I consider fun you might ask?

Sifting through 92 pages worth of the entire budget. It truly is a living, breathing document. But I will say this: the commissioners' court needs to look at Galveston County and how they cut their Social Security and retirement benefits. Galveston County commissioners privatized both; the Social Security/retirement benefits are absolutely killing us. I've already made it a campaign plank that when I run for countywide office (not a question of if, just when), I will not accept SS/retirement benefits. I just won't. Government exists for the protection of rights and to provide very basic services, not serve as a career for public officials.

So with that said, here are the budgets that our Republican-dominated county government has approved.

2005/06 Budget: $38,928,742
06/07 Budget: $40,597,313 @ $0.349 per $100 valuation

County Judge - Chad Adams (R)
04/05 Budget - $160,810
05/06 - $163,011
06/07 - $180,215

County Attorney - Joe Grubbs (R)
04/05 - $1,590,254
05/06 - $1,864,436
06/07 - $2,096,645
Note: Capital Expenditures increased from 04/05 $441, 05/06 $500, to a whopping 06/07 $17,000 this year. To be fair, it should be noted that the CA's budget decreased in drug forfeiture and check processing line items; but from $500 to $17,000? That's a huge increase.

Sheriff - Ray Stewart (R)
04/05 - $5,260,457
05/06 - $5,720,585
06/07 - $6,569,527

Jail - Ray Stewart (R)
04/05 - $5,785,795
05/06 - $6,575,104
06/07 - $7,131,468
Note: How much of these costs go towards repairs and maintenance on the jail addition that was built with the Justice Center tax note? Please recall that it wasn't just the Justice Center - the govt center voters told commissioners in 1999 not to build, but was built anyway - that suffered massive building errors. The admin. part of the new addition floods water when it rains.

Auditor - Mike Navarro (appointed)
04/05 - $264,341
05/06 - $268,106
06/07 - $305,162
Note: Navarro, who was on the verge of running for county judge in the March GOP primary, is appointed by a three-person panel that includes the county judge, 40th District Judge Gene Knize and 378th District Judge Al Scoggins.

40th District Judge Gene Knize (R)
04/05 - $129,446
05/06 - $146,465
06/07 - $152,781
Note: Knize is paid by the state.

378th District Judge Al Scoggins (R)
04/05 - $58,455
05/06 - $72,120
06/07 - $74,653
Note: Scoggins also paid by the state. Hardly a peep out of anyone regarding this judge in a negative light.

Ag Extension Service - Can't we privatize this department?

Commissioners (4)
04/05 - $357,603
05/06 - $369,560
06/07 - $428,092
Note: Can we privatize our commissioners' court? :)

Indigent Health
04/05 - $686,398
05/06 - $1,663,089
06/07 - $1,679,712
Note: Health care for the poor is killing us. We need to lobby against state mandates.

Non-Departmental
04/05 - $2,272,176
05/06 - $1,808,923
06/07 - $1,737,281
Note: Worker's Comp, tax appraisal fees, comprehensive insurance, postmortem exams ($90K), and a $25,000 lawsuit settlement are listed in this budget. Question: What cost us $25,000?

Human Resources
04/05 - $67,781
05/06 - $82,790
06/07 - $108,071
Note: This is by far the worst performing office in terms of funding. Why the huge increases?

Homeland Security
04/05 - $281,572
05/06 - $79,967
06/07 - $105,497
Note: This is typical government: every crisis is a reason and excuse to increase government. HS should be abolished, or filtered into the sheriff's office.

County Clerk - Cindy Polley (R)
04/05 - $
05/06 -
06/07 -

District Clerk - Billie Fuller (R)
04/05 - $414,238
05/06 - $513,188
06/07 - $546,361
Note: Melanie Price Reed takes over this office in January. I hope she's as conservative as she is nice. This office, I will say, under Fuller is by far the most responsive. It's my second-favorite government department. The first:

Elections Department - Jane Anderson (appointed)
04/05 - $240,428
05/06 - $265,391
06/07 - $292,547
Note: By far my favorite department. I've worked several elections inside this office and would not have any other group of people count the votes. Of course, there's the issue of having all of those Satanic voting machines...

Highway Patrol
04/05 - $84,754
05/06 - $87,189
06/07 - $90,377
Note: Why isn't the state paying for HP? Another county budget we could do without.

County Treasurer - Ron Langenheder (R)
04/05 - $119,676
05/06 - $122,260
06/07 - $136,876
Note: Greg Wilhelm, a Chad Adams ally, will take over in January after defeating Langenheder - elected in 2002 - in the GOP primary.

Tax Collector - John Bridges (R)
04/05 - $744,990
05/06 - $795,893
06/07 - $845,877
Note: Ammo for Bridges' opponent in 2008.

Court at Law #1 - Bob Carroll (R)
04/05 - $238,940
05/06 - $274,604
06/07 - $287,831
Note: Carroll is by far my favorite judge. However, I'm pretty ticked that every Republican in office has increased the budget year after year. Arrrrrgh!

Court at Law #2 - Gene Calvert (R)
04/05 - $256,518
05/06 - $265,685
06/07 - $283,876
Note: Calvert recently won re-election to this new office that saw five Republicans vye for it in 2002.

Justice of the Peace Pct. 1 - Bill Woody (R)
04/05 - $181,442
05/06 - $194,259
06/07 - $217,254
Note: Woody should have had a primary opponent this year. I'll make a note of that next midterm.

JP Pct. 2 - Jackie Miller Jr. (R)
04/05 - $174,582
05/06 - $215,884
06/07 - $249,199
Note: Miller is my favorite JP, but his precinct is also the biggest size-wise.

JP Pct. 3 - Curtis Polk (D)
04/05 - $134,879
05/06 - $140,980
06/07 - $156,815
Note: One of only two elected Democrats in the county. His constable, Jimmie Ray, is the other.

JP Pct. 4 - Linda Sibley (R)
04/05 - $155,049
05/06 - $172,677
06/07 - $192,329
Note: The caseload is so high, according to Sibley, that another Pct. 4 JP could be needed for the Red Oak area.

Constable Pct. 1 - Ben Fry (R)
04/05 - $128,322
05/06 - $125,076
06/07 - $140,658
Note: Constables and JPs represent the same precinct, but they are two separate officials, two separate budgets. JPs are elected in midterm years, constables are elected in presidential election years.

Constable Pct. 2 - Terry Nay (R)
04/05 - $130,031
05/06 - $125,597
06/07 - $143,373
Note: Check out www.elliscountyconstable.org - it's a very informative site that features information on all of the constables, including the Democrat.

Constable Pct. 3 - Jimmie Ray (D)
04/05 - $92,374
05/06 - $106,004
06/07 - $133,828
Note: Constable budgets actually decreased in 2005/06. Proof that there is a God.

Constable Pct. 4 - Bubba Curry (R)
04/05 - $129,742
05/06 - $127,746
06/07 - $143,474
Note: Curry has resigned and a replacement will be appointed by the commissioners' court, or a special election will be held to fill it.

--End--

Where are the conservatives? If I have to run in a primary in 2008, I will, just to hit home the point that budgets should be decreasing, not increasing...