Overseeing Commissioners Court after the exit of Todd Little,
John Wray says he is ready for budget season
By Rita Cook
Correspondent
Texas Metro News
ELLIS COUNTY – Former State Representative John Wray was chosen to take over the Ellis County Judge seat for the remainder of the term in May.
The opening came when former Judge Todd Little left the seat to take the Executive Director role at the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG).
Wray will complete Judge Little’s term through November 2026, which is the next scheduled election for Ellis County Judge.
In addition to being a State Representative in the past, Wray also served on the Waxahachie City Council from 2008 – 2014 and was elected Waxahachie Mayor in 2013. He was elected to represent District 10 in the Texas House of Representatives in 2015, where he served on the Ways & Means, Public Health, Calendars, Transportation and Homeland Security & Public Safety committees.
With this experience he said, “There was not a lot of time for on the job training and I am not going to tell you I know everything about county government, but I thought that I had a really strong background to jump right in and hit the ground running.”
He took the judge’s seat last month just as budget season 2026 was beginning.
Wray said “We are working really hard to put together a good budget, a conservative responsible budget for the citizens of Ellis County. Next year I will have to do the budget again too.”
One of the top focuses for Wray as county judge is the growth Ellis County is expected to see in the next 25 years.
“The county as it is today has a population that is estimated to be 240,000. By 2050, which is a short 25 years from now, it is supposed to be double that and right at 500,000,” he explained.
Putting that into perspective, he used the new District Criminal County that was approved in Austin this session that will be added in September. Currently Ellis County has four District Courts and three County Courts at Law. By the time the population doubles, Wray suggested the county could need six or seven more courts.
He also added that jail space and a need for more administrative space will be needed with the growing population.
Wray said he was talking to a resident recently who used an analogy regarding Ellis County’s growth referring to trying to build the track while the train is bearing down.
“Judge Little came up with a great comprehensive plan that envisioned the year 2050 horizon.” Wray said. “It identified quite a few facility and infrastructure needs for the county and I want to keep on that path over the next 18 months and keep preparing for the population growth in the county.”
Wray said he was surprised when the county judge position came open for the unexpired term.
“I think Judge Little had a great opportunity and I wish him the best,” Wray said. “When the job came open I realized I had a good amount of life experience and skills to help me jump right in to finish the unexpired term and I was aware the county was right on the verge of budget season so I immediately began studying the existing budget and was ready to jump in.”
Rita Cook is a world traveler and writer/editor who specializes in writing on travel, auto, crime and politics. A correspondent for Texas Metro News, she has published 11 books and has also produced low-budget films.
