08/13/2026
🚨 Tarrant County Provides Property Tax Relief for Fourth Year in a Row 🚨
Tarrant County Judge O'Hare Delivers Fourth Straight Tax Cut for Tarrant County with Law Enforcement and County Employee Raises in County Budget; Backs Governor Abbott's Property Tax Reform Plan
FORT WORTH- Today, County Judge Tim O’Hare gave preliminary approval for a new budget for next year, cutting the county tax rate below the no-new revenue rate for the fourth consecutive year while fully funding public safety and raising pay for county employees and law enforcement. Within this press release is a statement from Judge O’Hare and details on what was included in this year’s budget.
Statement from County Judge Tim O'Hare:
"Four years ago, we made a promise to the taxpayers of Tarrant County that we would stop treating their money as ours to spend. This budget is the fourth consecutive year we have kept that promise.
We did it responsibly while maintaining essential services. Public safety is fully funded. Our law enforcement officers are getting a raise. Every county employee is eligible for a merit pay increase for the fourth consecutive year. We put serious money into mental health because the alternative is paying for it later in our jails and our emergency rooms. And at JPS Hospital, not one patient sees less support than they did last year.
Anyone who tells you that cutting taxes means gutting services has not looked at what we just did. We proved the opposite. You cut waste, you set priorities, and you fund the things that government actually exists to do.
However, there is a limit to what a county can do alone. County taxes are one line on a homeowner's bill, and it is not the biggest one. That is why I am proud to stand with Governor Greg Abbott and support his Property Tax Reform Plan. Capping appraisal growth and delivering appraisal predictability for homeowners would deliver the kind of lasting relief no single county can deliver by itself.
Tarrant County has shown it can be done. I look forward to working with the Governor and the Legislature to deliver that same relief to every homeowner in Texas."
Topline Facts on Budget:
- Puts the Tarrant County tax rate at $0.1860 and the JPS Hospital rate at $0.1590. Both rates are below the No-New-Revenue Rate for the fourth straight year
- Continues the maximum homestead exemption allowed by law for both Tarrant County and JPS, for the third straight year
- Over the last 4 years, the property tax rate for the county is down 17%, and the JPS rate is down 29.2%
- Fully funds public safety
- Raises law enforcement pay 4%, confinement pay 2.5%, and continues the existing step plan, totaling a 25% law enforcement raise and 14.5% confinement raise over four years
- Provides a 3% merit increase for all non-law-enforcement county employees
- Directs considerable funding to mental health
- Funds reserves at 15%, which complies with the Tarrant County Reserves Policy
- Maintains JPS support for patients with no decrease
