Mark Hutchins, Hunt County Commissioner Pct. 1

10/18/2025

Josh deserves many thanks for his selfless service to Merit and area community!

Meet Assistant Chief Josh Boyd

Josh has been part of the Merit Volunteer Fire Department for a little over two years. He joined to help local residents in need & maybe have a little fun along the way.

He and his wife have two kids, and he describes his family as small, mostly quiet, and God-fearing. Outside the department, Josh owns and operates Rocky Road Customs, a small fabrication company, and is currently pursuing a full-time firefighter/EMT position.

When he’s not working or on call, you can usually find him building vehicles or spending time at the range. He says he enjoys learning something new every day and soaking up as much knowledge as possible.

As for a favorite local hangout? “I hang out wherever God lands me for the day—but apparently, I end up at Mariachi’s a lot… maybe too much.”

10/08/2025

Many thanks to Chief Klein for keeping his community safe!

Meet Your Firefighters -

Chief Craig Klein III (Trey)

Trey Klein has been part of the department for over 8 years and has been serving as Fire Chief for nearly 3 years. He joined to help his community as a continuation of the values he learned in scouting. A lifelong Boy Scout, he’s an Eagle Scout and also earned the Vigil Honor in the Order of the Arrow.

He’s happily married with two boys and has lived in Merit for most of his life.
When he’s not at the station, Trey owns and operates Valkyrie Auto Parts and says “work” and all things diesel are his hobby.

If you’re looking for him around town, chances are you’ll find him at his shop or at the station.

10/04/2025

If you haven’t registered to vote yet and think it’s too late, you still have one more day!

If you are a Hunt County resident, following is a link to our Voter Administration office. They will be happy to assist you with any questions or requests.

https://www.huntcounty.net/page/hunt.election

🚨DEADLINE AHEAD🚨

Not sure if you're registered? Visit https://teamrv-mvp.sos.texas.gov/MVP/mvp.do

09/30/2025

Congratulations to Gavin McDaniel on this admirable achievement! Gavin has already done much to serve Celeste and the surrounding communities at a young age, and he’s just getting started.

If you see him around, be sure to congratulate him and give best wishes as he continues his training and education for future public service.

We want to say congratulations to Volunteer Firefighter Gavin McDaniel on graduating from Fire Academy and passing his TCFP test! We also wish him much success as he continues with his certifications and EMT School.

09/21/2025

Excellent work, Bland FFA and community! This event is always a favorite of mine to attend.

Thank you to EVERYONE that played a part in the Bland FFA Auction tonight! There was a lot of food, a lot of fun and most importantly, a lot of support for our FFA members!
Over $45,000.00 was raised tonight for this group of kids! This wouldn’t be possible without the support of our community and the generosity of our sponsors and donors!

09/18/2025

09/16/2025

09/10/2025

Please join me in praying for the family of Charlie Kirk - for their peace and comfort in this time of terrible loss - especially his wife and young children. I further pray for righteous and lawful justice to be done.

As a Christ follower, I believe even when despicable acts are committed, or trials and tribulations suffered, that “God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28

May God in His goodness bestow a peace and comfort beyond our understanding upon those who mourn, gracious correction upon those who celebrate or tolerate evil, and may His name be glorified.

May this also remind us to pray without ceasing for so many who feel the pain of evil deeds.

Sincerely,
Mark Hutchins
Hunt County Commissioner, Precinct 1

09/08/2025

IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING THE BUDGET AND TAX RATES

I apologize in advance that this is a lengthy post. If you prefer, here is short summary, followed by a more detailed explanation.

⁃ Judge Stovall is proposing a tax increase, citing future needs and comparisons to other counties.
⁃ Our goal should be to avoid tax increases, and they should only be considered after all other prudent options are attempted and with a clear capital/strategic plan in place (which we don’t yet have).
⁃ The bigger question isn’t just this year’s budget, but how we approach spending and taxation in the future.
⁃ I am advocating for the No-New-Revenue Rate (NNR), which holds taxes steady for existing taxpayers while still generating new revenue (in growth periods).
⁃ Hunt County has healthy reserves that can cover repair/maintenance needs without raising taxes or compromising the our fiscal health.
⁃ The next commissioners court meeting is 9/9/25 at 10:00 AM.

In short, I believe Hunt County can meet today’s immediate needs and prepare for tomorrow without raising taxes.

Following is a more detailed version.

Since my last post regarding the 2025/2026 budget process, the Commissioners Court has met multiple times. A final decision has not been made, but I expect the remaining items will be decided at our meeting Tuesday morning. I went into the last meeting optimistic there was momentum for an NNR budget, but I am less confident of that now.

Before going further, I want to clarify that this post is not as a criticism of differing viewpoints. People of principles and independent thought will differ on important matters. My purpose is to share my position and broad thoughts with those I represent and am accountable to. And while the views and underlying principles expressed here are my own, I believe they are overwhelmingly shared by my constituents who have elected me to represent them.

Back to the budget…

Judge Stovall, as Chief Budget Officer of the County, continues to advocate for a tax increase, pointing to other counties with higher rates and arguing that we should move closer to their levels to ensure future services. I respect his concern, but believe a tax increase should only be considered after other prudent options are exhausted and with a clear capital and strategic plan in place to project future needs and costs. Hunt County does not currently have such a plan, and creating one should be a priority. This naturally falls to the Chief Budget Officer, but I am happy to take on whatever role is needed to facilitate the process.

While this year’s budget details matter, the bigger issue is how Hunt County approaches spending and taxation long term. That, more than anything, is what I am focused on.

My position remains that the NNR best balances our competing needs: it allows Hunt County to generate new revenue from growth while holding the line on existing taxpayers. Though maintaining the NNR in this year’s budget is difficult due to a substantial deficit from last year and some tightening of ad valorem tax revenues collections, I believe it is attainable. And if accomplished, we will have the full use of any new revenue next year.

The County also has healthy cash reserves, not designated for a specific purpose, that can cover non-reoccurring repairs and maintenance without raising taxes or weakening our fiscal position.

I understand not all members of the Court agree, and these are difficult decisions. But government, including County government, must have limiting principles to guard against unchecked growth at taxpayer expense. Exceptions may be necessary for major capital/infrastructure projects or emergencies, but the general rule should be to restrain growth and protect taxpayers from a wasteful and overly burdensome government.

Attached are screenshots of important information regarding the proposed tax rate and its impact on taxpayers. I hope it is helpful for your consideration and information. Additional information can be found by going to the “financial transparency” page on the Hunt County website and following the prompts to find current and past budgets, or viewing the archive of court meetings on the Hunt County YouTube channel.

As always, I welcome your feedback and am happy to answer questions as able. I can be reached by messaging me on this page, by emailing [email protected], or via my cell phone at (903) 456-7088.

Respectfully,
Mark Hutchins
Hunt County Commissioner, Precinct 1

08/17/2025

IMPORTANT BUDGET INFORMATION

The Commissioner’s Court is reaching the final weeks and months of the budget process for the 2025/2026 Fiscal Year, and a proposed budget has been filed by the Hunt County Judge (linked below). Of note, the proposed budget would generate $6,431,713 more in revenue than last year’s budget, an increase of 12%. It would also increase the tax rate from .323328 to .339824 per hundred-dollar-valuation if adopted as filed.

The Commissioners received the proposed budget Friday afternoon so are just now able to thoroughly review and evaluate it with hard numbers and information. There are many questions to be asked and much discussion to be had before a final version is adopted, and I am sure we will see significant revisions.

Here is a link to the proposed budget:https://www.huntcounty.net/upload/page/8961/docs/Proposed%20Budget%20for%20FY2025-2026.pdf

Of note, in preliminary discussions regarding this year’s priorities, the commissioners identified elimination of the current budget’s deficit as a high priority. To that I would add, and believe the rest of the court agrees, that funding additional deputies is a high priority as the Sheriff’s current ranks are stretched very thin. Doing these things without raising taxes will require tough decisions. But, I believe it is possible and should certainly be the goal.

I look forward to working with the Court to adopt a budget that will accomplish these things without adding further burden to our taxpayers.

My position on tax rates is well documented and includes my own posts on the subject during last year’s budget process (see my FB posts beginning approximately August 22, 2024). I strongly believe it is incumbent upon the Commissioners’ Court to ensure both that essential services are provided and the growth of government is carefully controlled. To accomplish this, I have and will continue to advocate for the No-New-Revenue tax rate (“NNR”) for a baseline as it helps balance the competing priorities of providing sufficient services to County residents while also checking the rate of governmental growth and taxes which fund it.

As an annual reminder of the Commissioners role in the budget process: the County Commissioners job is to examine the proposed budget prepared by the County Judge (who serves as the Chief Budget Office for the County per Texas Law) and make any desired or necessary revisions before adopting a final budget and setting a tax rate to fund it.

I’m honored to represent Precinct 1 in this process and want to be maximally available to any of you with questions or comments on the budget. I can be reached by email at [email protected] or phone at (903) 456-7088. I am also happy to set up in person meetings to discuss this or any other county matter.

The Commissioner Court’s next meeting is tomorrow (Monday) afternoon at 3:00 PM and the budget is included as an agenda item. Any future meetings to address the budget or any other matter will be posted online at least 72 hours in advance.

If you share this post to pass information to your friends, but sure to hit the "include original post" button so all the information is conveyed.

Sincerely,
Mark Hutchins
Hunt County Commissioner, Precinct 1

08/01/2025

We are excited to announce our partnership with Wolfe City ISD starting next week! Deputy Justin Whitley will be the new, full-time, School Resource Deputy for the district. Deputy Whitley brings nearly seven years of law enforcement experience with the Sheriff's Office and is a member of our SWAT team.