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Dear Friends,
Yesterday, the Tarrant County Commissioners Court made history and set an example of fiscal restraint and responsibility for local governments across the state and nation.
The Commissioners Court passed the tax rates for the County and for the Tarrant County Hospital District below the “No-New-Revenue” Rates for the first time ever. The hospital district funds the JPS Health Network including JPS Hospital. The action by the court lowers the current hospital district tax rate of 22.4429 cents per $100 valuation to 19.45, mirroring the rate the court set for the County.
The steps taken today to provide property tax relief come on the heels of last week’s preliminary approval of an $896.6 million dollar budget for the County, which is $8.1 million less than the previous budget. With a lower budget for the upcoming year, the court slashed the county tax rate on all property by 13.17% to 19.45 cents per $100 valuation.
This new tax rate is below the “No-New-Revenue” Rate, which indicates the rate where local government revenues would remain neutral year-over-year after factoring in appraisal growth. Additionally, homeowners will see even greater savings on their tax bill with the adoption of 10% homestead exemptions, which are also historic firsts for Tarrant County and JPS.
Thank you to all who emailed, called, and came to speak at the meeting. Your voices were heard loud and clear.
Last year on the campaign trail, I promised that if elected County Judge, I would make property tax relief a priority. Since the moment I walked into my office on January 1, I have worked to cut costs, institute a conservative, cost-conscious culture at the county, and steward your tax dollars with the goal of keeping as much in your pockets as possible. The tax cutting measures we passed yesterday are unprecedented in the history of our County. Reducing your property tax burden, while making sure law enforcement is fully funded, will continue to be a priority as long as I am in office.
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