Fort Worth officials face a significant budget shortfall for fiscal year 2027 after certified property tax rolls came in lower than projected. The projected general fund gap rose from an earlier estimate of roughly $49 million to approximately $77–78 million once the rolls arrived showing only 0.89% growth.
Response to Budget Shortfall
In standard big-government fashion, the response has centered on raising the property tax rate and increasing fees. The recommended budget includes a 3.2-cent increase to 70.2 cents per $100 of valuation, along with fee hikes across multiple departments.
Texans for Fiscal Responsibility has maintained for years that when tax revenue comes up short compared to planned budgets, officials should rein in spending the same way hardworking Texas families must when times get tough. Instead, city leadership is justifying continued spending growth alongside higher taxes and fees.
Survey Results
A city survey of more than 2,000 respondents, conducted from May 12 to June 30, 2026, is being cited in the process. According to the official results, 42% preferred to maintain or improve city services even if taxes or fees needed to rise. Meanwhile, 23% preferred reducing some services to keep taxes and fees the same, 18% preferred keeping both services and taxes/fees the same, and 11% preferred reducing services to lower taxes and fees.
A majority of survey respondents preferred a solution that would NOT include raising taxes or fees.
Alternative Solutions
Tarrant County Judge Tim O’hare announced preliminary approval for a new county budget that lowers the county property tax rate and the JPS Hospital tax rate below the No New Revenue Rate, actually lowering property taxes for property owners across the county. This is the fourth straight year that Tarrant county will be lowering property taxes.
Fort Worth has an opportunity to follow the lead of Tarrant county. It can, and should, choose spending discipline over the “easier” path of asking residents to pay even more.
Original reporting: Texans for Fiscal Responsibility — read the source article.
