Tim O鈥橦are emphasized the county鈥檚 tax relief efforts and economic successes in his first State of the County address on Thursday.
The State of the County address is an annual tradition, held by the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce. In front of a crowd of elected officials, county employees and business leaders at the Fort Worth Convention Center, O鈥橦are said he fulfilled his campaign promise to significantly lower property taxes.
This month, the county adopted lower property tax rates, including
Homeowners will see savings even if their property values go up, which is rare these days, O鈥橦are said.
鈥淎 lot of times, people talk about tax cuts, and then when you get your bill, you actually look at it, and your tax bill is higher than it was before, which doesn鈥檛 seem a whole lot like a tax cut,鈥� he said.
The county judge is a county鈥檚 top elected official. He represents the entire county on the Commissioners Court, alongside four other members who represent specific precincts. With O鈥橦are, the Republicans outnumber Democrats 3-2.
O鈥橦are, a lawyer, took office in January, succeeding longtime county judge and fellow Republican Glen Whitley. He brought previous experience in government into the role, as well as controversy.
He served his hometown of Farmers Branch as both a City Council member and mayor from 2005 to 2011. During his tenure, he tried to ban landlords from renting to undocumented immigrants. The city lost a legal battle over the rule and had to pay millions in legal fees, according to .
O鈥橦are then moved to Southlake, where he . Those events were scrutinized in .
In his first eight months as Tarrant County judge, O鈥橦are made more national headlines. In February, he announced the formation of an Election Integrity Task Force, even though election crimes are rare. Then the county鈥檚 elections chief 鈥� who had not been consulted for that task force 鈥� quit, citing conflict with O鈥橦are.
His relationship with his fellow county commissioners is strong, O鈥橦are said during his address Thursday. He brought his colleagues onstage and said it was an honor to work with them.
鈥淲hen we have a disagreement, we air out our views, we talk about how we feel, and then we put it behind us and we move on to the next thing,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 hold grudges.鈥�
For his next year in office, O鈥橦are promised to work on job growth. Tarrant County is lagging in attracting corporate relocations, he said.
鈥淔ar too often, we see them ,鈥� O鈥橦are said. 鈥淭his is the best place to live in the Metroplex.鈥�
Fort Worth鈥檚 explosive growth, and new development projects, make Tarrant County a good place for companies to move, O鈥橦are said. He pointed to in downtown Fort Worth, which drew a few excited whoops from the audience.
鈥淲e have a lot to sell, and this Texas A&M expansion is going to be remarkable,鈥� O鈥橦are said.
People who come to Tarrant County can also benefit from the culture: the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo, concerts at Dickies Arena, and all the big cities and small towns to explore.
鈥淲e just have a culture here, with the people, that is different than you see in a lot of places,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 friendly. It鈥檚 warm. It鈥檚 can-do. It鈥檚 big. It鈥檚 Texas.鈥�
Got a tip? Email Miranda Suarez at msuarez@kera.org. You can follow Miranda on Twitter @MirandaRSuarez.
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