Fiscal Year 2025 begins with better resources for Law Enforcement and Road and Bridge Funding

Cass County Judge Travis Ransom

Fiscal Year 2025 begins with better resources for Law Enforcement and Road and Bridge Funding

October 1st marks the beginning of a new fiscal year for Cass County. Our adopted county tax rate has been reduced from .506 to .4630 over the past three budget cycles, a decrease of 8.5%. Conservative budgeting, successful grant awards, and a significant amount of new construction has improved revenue and placed the county in a more stable financial position.

We now have a 10-month cash reserve on hand and have established a County Transportation Trust Fund with $4-million dollars invested for road and bridge funding. That fund will generate interest annually, a portion of which will increase revenue for road and bridge projects. The remaining portion will be reinvested to grow the fund.

Additionally, we made structural changes to the way road and bridge funds were allocated and absorbed more cost in the general fund. These changes increase funding to the road and bridge fund by 20% going forward without raising the tax rate. TxDOT was also very generous this year with their road milling allocation and we were able to receive almost nine times our regular allocation this year.

Law enforcement in Cass County was the beneficiary of significant grant funding through Senate Bill 22 last legislative session. This improved pay for both the Sheriff ’s Office, Jail Staff, and District Attorney’s office. Grant funds also allowed us to significantly update and upgrade the Sheriff ’s Office Patrol Fleet.

We now have seven new Dodge Durango Patrol Units and two new Ford F-150 trucks for investigators. This will ensure better reliability, a critical component when responding to 911 calls. It should also lower maintenance costs for the foreseeable future.

Cass County was the recipient of a $300,000 Texas Veterans Commission Grant for the second year in a row. This grant allowed us to hire a new employee to assist veterans in our county with financial hardships through direct support with utility, rent, and other financial hardships. Our Cass County AgriLife Extension Office continues to thrive and has both a full time Community Health Agent and Agriculture Agent. They have re-introduced a wild hog abatement program that has two traps up and running with plans to expand the program next year.

Cass County, along with the Cities of Atlanta, Avinger, Queen City, Linden, and Hughes Springs continued an economic development consortium that meets monthly. Cass County is now an active voting member of Tex-21, a transportation advocacy group focused on leveraging and prioritizing transportation funding in Texas. Cass County also appointed a new representative to serve on the Northeast Texas Regional Mobility Authority (NETRMA). Cass County continues to stay active in the I-69 Alliance to stay informed of the development of future interstate 69/I-369 in the future.

Employees remain a top priority for the Commissioners Court and this year we entered into an academic agreement with Texas A&M University-Texarkana (TAMUT) to provide a 33% discount in tuition for Cass County full time employees enrolled in classes at TAMUT.

The county received state recognition with two Transparency Stars from the Texas State Comptroller’s office this year, recognizing Cass County for its financial transparency. Cass County is now one of only 15 counties in the state to receive a financial Transparency Star award. Additionally, the county also received a clean audit with no findings from our external audit firm.

This year we also celebrated a groundbreaking as the county approved over 150 applications to dig in county rights-of-way for the installation of broadband fiber through the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF). These significant accomplishments demonstrate a level of commitment towards our shared Cass County Vision. That Cass County strives to be the example rural Texas County for innovation, transparency, and accessibility. Cass County has a rich heritage and a bright future!

#EndTheStreakTX Campaign an important reminder to be safe on Texas Roads TxDOT created #EndTheStreakTX in an effort to raise awareness about the long streak of traffic deaths in Texas and how this is an issue that impacts every Texan.

The reality is this: Texas has lost at least one person every day on Texas roads since Nov. 7, 2000. We need to end the streak of daily deaths on Texas roads!

This goal is big, but it is possible. It will take every single driver to do their part behind the wheel.

Lithium in Cass County Cass County is at ground zero for a potential boom in lithium extraction as new technology on the horizon called direct lithium extraction (DLE) is improving the way battery grade lithium is produced. DLE extracts lithium from saltwater brine found within the Smackover formation thousands of feet below the surface of Southwest Arkansas and Northeast Texas. Several companies are approaching land owners with offers to lease their land for both oil and gas as well as lithium brine. I encourage you to seek expert advice and representation so that you fully understand this new developing industry and how it may impact our community. Texas Monthly recently published an article on this subject that provides a good overview of the situation in Cass County. Check out Texas Monthly’s article by clicking on the picture below:

Upcoming Events

Early Voting October 21st to November 1st Election Day, Tuesday November 5th Saturday November 23rd, Gobble Wobble 5K & Drumstick Dash in Atlanta, details at https://runsignup.com/ Race/TX/Atlanta/GobbleWobble5KDrumstickDash