Tarrant County Judge Tim O鈥橦are touted property tax cuts and expressed support for a controversial tax policy at his State of the County Address in Arlington on Friday.
O鈥橦are took office in 2023, entering on a wave of conservative support that helped him defeat fellow Republican and former Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price in the primary. In recent years, commissioners have cut county property taxes, an achievement he focused on during his remarks at the Sheraton Arlington Hotel.
鈥淲e鈥檝e reduced spending. We鈥檝e changed the culture,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd we鈥檝e provided real, significant property tax relief to our residents and our businesses.鈥�
Friday's event was hosted by Chamber board chair Kelly Curnutt asked the questions -- diving into controversial territory when he asked O鈥橦are about recent changes at the Tarrant Appraisal District.
The appraisal district is in charge of determining the value of properties, to figure out how much they should be taxed. Last summer, the district鈥檚 board decided to reappraise property values instead of annually.
This is important because property taxes are an important source of funding for schools, . Already-struggling school districts have warned that letting property values stagnate
O鈥橦are does not serve on the appraisal district鈥檚 board, but he did script the agenda items for those changes, last year.
O鈥橦are said Friday he鈥檚 not the architect of the plan, but he does support the every-two-years appraisal schedule.
鈥淚 think it鈥檒l be better that way, because you don鈥檛 get that sticker shock every single year,鈥� he said. 鈥淎re there budget adjustments? Yes. But, y鈥檏now, change happens. It鈥檚 constant.鈥�
O'Hare's children go to public schools, and his goal isn鈥檛 to weaken school districts, he said. He emphasized that lowering property taxes helps keep housing affordable.
鈥淚t鈥檚 funny, some of the same people that are talking about affordable housing are the same ones that are raising property taxes every year and putting more regulations in every year," he said.
O鈥橦are acknowledged the appraisal district鈥檚 move faces a challenge in the state Legislature. State Rep. Chris Turner, D-Grand Prairie, filed a bill this session .
鈥淭he Texas Constitution requires equal uniform appraisals with respect to taxation,鈥� Turner told the Fort Worth Report. 鈥淎nd if you have one appraisal district start to do things fundamentally differently than what is going on in other counties 鈥� it really threatens to destabilize the whole system.鈥�
County property taxes are a small slice of a homeowner鈥檚 total tax bill. Cities and school districts .
The Commissioners Court unanimously passed a new, lower tax rate last year. But Democratic County Commissioner Alisa Simmons warned at that meeting in September she wouldn鈥檛 approve another tax rate that provides no new revenue.
鈥淲e are approaching very dangerous levels of revenue, given the vital functions this county government must support in our community,鈥� she said.
Echoing last year鈥檚 State of the County Address in Arlington, O鈥橦are once again underlined the importance of drawing more businesses to Tarrant County. He expressed hope that
鈥淚 think everybody in this room knows that the Mavericks and the Stars are looking for another arena, and I'm 100% for getting whichever one of those didn't trade Luka Doncic into Tarrant County,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 can't think of a better home for the Dallas Stars than Arlington.鈥�
During his time as county judge, O鈥橦are has also used his position to advocate for conservative social causes. This month, University of Texas trustees declared drag shows were not allowed on their campuses after O鈥橦are sent them a letter asking for a ban. He also worked to end the county鈥檚 affiliation with a youth justice program whose website used the term 鈥渟ystemic racism.鈥�
The past year has been a contentious one on the Commissioners Court. At recent meetings, some members of the audience have been arrested. And there are frequent tense exchanges between O鈥橦are and County Commissioner Alisa Simmons, who represents Arlington. Some accused O鈥橦are of racism and sexism when he told Simmons, a Black woman, to 鈥渟it there and be quiet鈥� during one debate.
O鈥橦are did not address those issues at the State of the County event. The questioned focused mostly on economic development and possibilities for Tarrant County, which he called 鈥渢he most dynamic region, certainly in America, if not the world.鈥�
鈥淲e鈥檙e almost immune to when the economy is shutting down around the rest of the country. It's still going here,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here's still cranes, there's still expansion, there's people moving here.鈥�
As long as he holds his office, O鈥橦are promised to look after people鈥檚 tax dollars, he said.
"The more people we have employed here, the more people that we have employed making good money, the better it is for everybody, the safer we all are, the less governments spend," he said.
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