Samuel Baxter

The meeting included welcoming new attendees and provided updates and goals from various working groups. The Substance Use Group met in December 2025. The Community Education group is finalizing topic interviews with a goal of one certified Mental Health First Aider among fifteen individuals and is merging with the Unite Ellis Mental Health Meeting. The Housing Support group did not meet in December but discussed current barriers like a new city ordinance and waitlists, and potential solutions such as corporate sponsorships requiring accountability monitoring. The Justice Involved group also did not meet in December. NTBHA updates provided statistics for Ellis County for September, October, and November 2025 across total service numbers (Child, Adult, Total), Mobile Crisis Outreach Team (MCOT) calls, Hotline Encounters, and The Living Room utilization metrics. Upcoming community events discussed included a Prom Pop Up in February, a Children's Advocacy Center fundraiser in March, the Ellis County Dancing With the Stars event, the April Mental Health Summit, and the Ellis County Check In in May 2026.

The budget includes sections for General Fund Revenues, covering Non-Departmental items, County Development, Elections, District Clerk, County Clerk, Sheriff, County Attorney, Tax Collector, County Courts at Law, Justice of the Peace, and Constable offices. It also details General Fund Expenses for various departments such as the Sheriff, Jail, Courthouse, Auditor, Texas Agrilife Extension Service, Department of Development, Service Officer, Commissioners, Court Reporter, and others. Additional sections cover revenues and expenses for Road and Bridge Precincts, Farm to Market Precincts, Lateral Roads, and various special funds like County & District Court Tech, Justice Court Technology, District Clerk Archives, Jury, Permanent Improvement, and more.

The budget includes revenue projections from various sources such as ad valorem taxes, interest, reimbursements, and fees from county development, elections, and clerk services. Expenses cover a wide range of county departments including the Sheriff's Office, Jail, Courthouse, Auditor, IT, Agrilife Extension Service, Department of Development, and various judicial and law enforcement functions. It also details budget comparisons between the fiscal years 2014/2015 and 2015/2016, along with tax rates required to fund the 2015/2016 fiscal year budget.

The budget includes legislative notices for the 2019 budget, indicating an increase in total property taxes compared to the previous year. The tax rate required to fund the budget is also a key focus. The budget covers various funds including the General Fund, Road Improvement, Road & Bridge Funds, Farm to Market Funds, and others. It details anticipated fund balances, property tax allocation, and revenue and expenditure summaries for different departments such as the Sheriff, Jail, Maintenance, County Auditor, Information Technology, and others.

The meeting included introductions and a welcome by the LEPC Chairman. Nominations and elections were held for the positions of Chairman, Vice-Chairman, and Secretary/Treasurer. An annual public notice regarding access to SARA Tier II reports was discussed. The status of TIER II reports for Ellis County was reviewed. A guest speaker, David Gonyea, presented on the CHEMLOCK Security Program and offered assistance with chemical assessments, exercises, and drills. Opportunities for future presentations at LEPC meetings and an upcoming emergency tablet top exercise were announced.