It’s Budget Time in the County …

By Gloria Way

 As Chambers County grows, so does its annual budget. According to the official U.S. Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate, the population was 57,594 residents, compared with 46,571 in the 2020 Census—an increase of about 11,023 people in five years.

  The estimated population of the county in 2000 was 26,031. So, Chambers County population has more than doubled in 25 years. The biggest growth appears to be concentrated around the Mont Belvieu/Barbers Hill area. For example, Chambers County’s own 2024 Hazard Mitigation Plan showed Mont Belvieu growing from 7,654 residents in 2020 to 8,547 in 2022, an 11.7% increase in only two years.

 This is important because population growth is closely tied to these important issues – the county budgets, property-tax revenues, school districts, infrastructure, roads, water, emergency services, law enforcement, and development.

  The estimated General Fund county ad valorem revenue for 2026 is $51.48 billion compared to the ad valorem revenue predicted for 2027 which is $60.4 billion. This is an increase of over $9 million. The proposed tax rate for 2026 is 0.439726/$100, the same as 2025. So, is the county cutting the tax rate while collecting substantially more money because of increased valuations?

  The proposed 2027 Chambers County budget is posted on the County Auditor’s page. But, there will be changes to it before it is formally adopted by Commissioners Court. And, the budget can be amended as the court sees fit.

  A large part of the expenditures of the budget go to debt service. The county has taken out $50 million in Certificates of Obligation this year and is indebted to the tune of $153 million for the new jail/justice center. More recent reporting describes the completed/near-completed complex as approximately a $176 million project, financed through a public-private partnership with costs spread over roughly 30 years.

  As of December 31, 2024, Chambers County reported that existing tax-supported bonds/COs amount to $176 million with the jail/justice center lease-revenue bonds total $153 million, with a total of $329 million in outstanding debt.

  County reported tax supported debt per capita is $5,926. If the new jail/justice center lease-revenue bonds are included, the debt per capita is $8,582.

  Chambers County’s $2,590 Certificates of Obligation (CO) debt per capita is exceptionally higher than 11times the Texas county average. The Texas Bond Review Board ranks Chambers County 9th among the 20 largest Texas county CO issuers by dollar amount, but its per-capita burden is the highest among those 20 counties.

  A public hearing on the 2027 budget will be held in Anahuac in Chambers County Commissioners Court on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, at 10am.