Tarrant County commissioners approved an $834 million budget Tuesday, lowering the county tax rate for the fourth consecutive year.<\/p>\n
Commissioners adopted a property tax rate of 18.6 cents per $100 valuation, a decrease from last year\u2019s tax rate of 18.62 cents. The tax rate is below the no-new-revenue rate, meaning it should generate about the same amount of revenue as last year from the same properties.<\/p>\n
Budget director Helen Giese said the lowered tax rate would save the average homeowner about $1 on their tax bills next year. The average taxable value will amount to nearly $278,000 and the tax bill for the average home in Tarrant County will be about $516.<\/p>\n
Next year\u2019s budget, which goes into effect Oct. 1, reflects a roughly $10.6 million increase over last year\u2019s. The budget allocates 4% pay raises for law enforcement, 3% merit-based salary increases for county employees who are not law enforcement, and 3% raises for the elected county commissioners.<\/p>\n
\u201cFour years ago, we made a promise to the taxpayers of Tarrant County that we would stop treating their money as ours to spend,\u201d County Judge Tim O\u2019Hare said in a statement<\/a> last month. \u201cThis budget is the fourth consecutive year we have kept that promise.\u201d<\/p>\n O\u2019Hare, who is seeking reelection, has made the county\u2019s property tax rate a key focus of his campaign, promising to cut wasteful spending and continue delivering \u201chistoric\u201d property tax cuts. His opponent on the November ballot<\/a>, Democratic commissioner Alisa Simmons, has said she wants to provide \u201cmeaningful\u201d tax relief without dipping into county reserves or cutting services.<\/p>\n Simmons and her fellow Democrat on the court, Roderick Miles Jr., voted against the adopted budget and tax rate. O\u2019Hare and Republican commissioners Matt Krause and Manny Ramirez were the \u201cyes\u201d votes.<\/p>\n Commissioners faced a range of feedback from meeting attendees, including praise for the tax cuts, criticism of law enforcement funding and threats that commissioners would be \u201cvoted out\u201d in November.<\/p>\n \u201cI appreciate that you\u2019ve cut the budget, that my taxes are down,\u201d said Fran Rhodes, president of the grassroots conservative activist group True Texas Project. \u201cFor all these people who think you should be collecting more money for more services, they are welcome to write a check to the county at any time.\u201d Rhodes argued it\u2019s not the government\u2019s job to provide services beyond safety, roads and other \u201cbasic services.\u201d However, other speakers said the budget dedicates too many dollars to the sheriff\u2019s office and county jail.<\/p>\n Public safety receives nearly $19 million more than last year, with a total of roughly $273 million, according to the approved budget.<\/p>\n \u201cYou spend more on two weeks of jail funding than on everything meant to keep people out of it,\u201d speaker Mendi Tackett said. \u201cThat isn\u2019t an accident. You\u2019ve chosen jail over people, and punishment over care.\u201d<\/p>\n Texas counties with a population of more than 1 million cannot decrease or reallocate funding for law enforcement without voter approval,according to Senate Bill 23 passed in 2021<\/a>. Tarrant County\u2019s population surpasses 2 million.<\/a><\/p>\n Property tax revenue would be frozen for any applicable counties that lower law enforcement\u2019s budget without voter approval.<\/p>\n More than $200 million would go toward expenses within the sheriff\u2019s office, with $130 million going toward sheriff confinement, the division that oversees the county jail.<\/p>\n Community services will be cut or allocated by $3.5 million, including more than $456,000 in human services. Funding of $2.8 million for community outreach, or rent and utility assistance, was approved separately on a special purpose budget. That money will go toward the Center for Transforming Lives<\/a> \u2014 the nonprofit group that replaced the county\u2019s rental and utility assistance department last year.<\/p>\n When the budget takes effect next month, commissioners\u2019 salaries will increase to $227,234.80. The county judge makes $237,234.60 per year.<\/p>\n Penelope Rivera is KERA\u2019s Tarrant County accountability reporter. Got a tip? Email Penelope Rivera at privera@kera.org<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Cecilia Lenzen is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at cecilia.lenzen@fortworthreport.org<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n