Can a county carry over unexpended budget funds or transfer budget funds? MAIN REFERENCE POINTS Local Government Code Section 111.004 Local Government Code Section 111.010 TALKING POINTS: Section 111.004, Local Government Code states that a county budget must include a financial statement of the county that shows:\the outstanding obligations of the … [Read more...] about Budget Funds
Feature Story
Resolution Spotlight: Mentally Incompetent Inmates
In many Texas counties, the county jail has become a de facto mental institution housing mentally ill inmates awaiting due process without their medications and/or life-sustaining therapies. Texas Health and Human Services (HHS) operates nine state hospitals and one residential youth center, all located across the state, for people with mental health issues. If a judge … [Read more...] about Resolution Spotlight: Mentally Incompetent Inmates
Waller County Courthouse
Waller County celebrated the completion and grand opening of its new $43 million, four-story courthouse on Nov. 8, 2025. Historical elements of the county’s 1894 Victorian-style courthouse were incorporated into the modern design, fulfilling the vision of embracing the future while honoring the past. Waller County broke ground on the new state-of-the-art courthouse in March … [Read more...] about Waller County Courthouse
Key Concept: Posting Commissioners Court Agenda Items
According to CJCAT Senior General Counsel Jim Allison, AG Opinion JM-63 held that “the Commissioners Court controls the preparation of the agenda.” However, AG Opinion DM-473 affirmed that “each member of a County Commissioners Court may place items on the agenda...” Regarding deadlines for submitting agenda items for consideration, Allison offered the following: “Although … [Read more...] about Key Concept: Posting Commissioners Court Agenda Items
Resolution Spotlight: Juvenile Funding
County governments provided approximately 73 percent of the total funding for juvenile probation departments in FY 2024, according to the 2025 Texas Juvenile Justice Department (TJJD) Rider Report to the Governor and Legislative Budget Board. This percentage has historically been as high as 75 percent, confirmed Windy Johnson, program manager for the Conference of Urban … [Read more...] about Resolution Spotlight: Juvenile Funding