Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare has given preliminary approval to a Fiscal Year 2027 budget that sets the county rate at $0.1860 per $100 of valuation and the JPS Hospital District rate at $0.1590. Both rates are below the no-new-revenue rate, which means property taxes for property owners in Tarrant County are actually going down.

Fourth Year of Tax Cuts

This is the fourth year in a row that Tarrant County has cut property taxes. The official recommended budget document states that the plan will raise $6,378,418 less in property tax revenue than the current year, resulting in a 1.19% drop. Over the past four years, the county rate has fallen 17 percent and the hospital rate 29.2 percent, with cumulative taxpayer savings of roughly $1.2 billion.

O’Hare commented, “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.” Public safety is fully funded, with law enforcement officers receiving a 4 percent raise and confinement staff receiving a 2.5 percent raise.

Contrast with Nearby Governments

This move stands in contrast to nearby governments, such as the City of Fort Worth, which is considering a property tax rate hike above its no-new-revenue rate. Tarrant County College has also discussed raising its rate. The county’s approach is seen as a model for other governments, which often respond to revenue shortfalls by raising property taxes or proposing new bonds.

Original reporting: Texans for Fiscal Responsibility — read the source article.