Ellis County’s Fitch rating score upgraded by 2

WAXAHACHIE – Ellis County Judge Todd Little announced on Aug. 30, the county’s Fitch rating out of New York was upgraded by two levels.

“We went from an AA- to an AA+, and what we call instead of a neutral look at the county – the county of Ellis is now in the positive criteria.”

Ellis County has recently been nationally named as the 8th fastest growing county in the United States.

Little said, “I want to mention the fact it doesn’t happen without hard work and dedication from you as the commissioners.”

Little read a report highlighting the highest rating of Triple A and how the county was just one shy of that rating and why it was not achieved.

“One of the reasons we did not get Triple A officially, but the AA+ was because based on the growth demands of our county absent of the material increase of long-term liabilities, they don’t think we can sustain to operate this budget on cash basis like we have been doing the last five years,” Little said.

“We have been building and remodeling facilities up to $25 million and we are paying cash for those facilities because you have given us the taxes to build our reserve so we can pay cash for those items. 

“Because our growth rate is accelerating so fast Fitch believes we are going to have to borrow more money in the future. 

“I beg to differ unless and until we build a county jail.”

Ellis County is currently in the process of implementing its strategic facilities plan that is a 30-year plan that will take Ellis County into 2050 “so this body is implementing projects that are in the que on the 2050 plan.

“We are currently building two of those today with $8 million in our permanent improvement fund this year that will be used for those items, maybe slightly more,” Little concluded.