Tarrant County commissioners are set to vote on a lower tax rate and smaller budget next month, with almost 70 county positions eliminated and changes in the way the county offers funding for people in need.<\/p>\n
Commissioners are in charge of the county budget and property tax rate, and they heard proposals for both at a hearing Thursday morning. The county has focused on property tax relief in the past few budget cycles and have continued in this one.<\/p>\n
The property tax rate<\/p>\n
The county is suggesting a property tax rate of 0.1862 cents per $100 valuation. That means the tax bill for the average home in Tarrant County \u2014 with a taxable value of about $277,000 \u2014 is expected to be about $516 a year.<\/p>\n
Last year, it was a few dollars higher, at about $519, according to county data.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
A chart showing the relationship between the Tarrant County property tax rate and property tax bills over the past decade. Commissioners have prioritized lowering people’s bills in recent years.<\/p>\n
This is Republican Commissioner Matt Krause\u2019s first budget cycle with the county, though he went through the process several times as a state legislator. He congratulated county staff for their work on the tax rate and the budget.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes I think when the numbers are smaller, it\u2019s actually harder to do,\u201d he said. \u201cI think y\u2019all have done a yeoman\u2019s effort to take care of the county\u2019s needs.\u201d<\/p>\n
County property taxes make up a small chunk of a homeowner\u2019s bill. Most property taxes go to cities and school districts.<\/a><\/p>\n Tarrant County has focused on relief to homeowners with property tax cuts and increased homestead exemptions,<\/a> which are a tax break people can get on their primary residences.<\/p>\n The budget<\/p>\n Commissioners also heard the proposed budget for next fiscal year, which includes county departments like the sheriff\u2019s office, the DA\u2019s office, public health and the courts.<\/p>\n The fiscal year 2026 budget would total about $825 million \u2014 $21.5 million less than the previous budget, according to county budget documents.<\/p>\n The proposed budget eliminates 67 county positions, including 24 jobs in the county\u2019s rental and utility assistance department, which commissioners have already voted to shut down<\/a> due to criticisms the department was inefficient.<\/p>\n Not all of the 67 positions are currently filled, though budget chief Helen Giese didn\u2019t know the exact number of people who would lose their jobs when asked Thursday. People who could get laid off may be able to find other jobs within the county, she said.<\/p>\n The proposed budget earmarks $2.3 million for local nonprofits to do the same work as the rental assistance office, Giese said. Critics of the department shutdown have said there isn\u2019t enough time to find a nonprofit to take over the work \u2013 if there even is a local nonprofit capable of taking it on.<\/p>\n In another change, some outside public assistance organizations that have received steady funding from the county each year will have to reapply to get funding again, Giese said.<\/p>\n Instead of a donation each year, organizations will have to submit for reimbursements and explain what they\u2019re using county money for, Giese said.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it’s much more transparent in how we’re giving money out and how it’s being utilized,” she said.<\/p>\n The organizations that have received yearly funding in the past include Youth Recovery Campus and Downtown Fort Worth Inc., according to budget documents.<\/p>\n The proposed budget would also put a staffing cap on each commissioner\u2019s office, meaning some commissioners would have to eliminate positions.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not one to mince words, and this whole thing feels like a backroom deal, cooked up without all of us at the table,\u201d Simmons said.<\/p>\n Commissioner Manny Ramirez said the plan has been discussed before and wasn\u2019t \u201chatched and schemed.\u201d Commissioners\u2019 offices should be standardized, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe all represent roughly the same exact amount of citizens,\u201d Ramirez said.<\/p>\n Simmons accused her colleagues of targeting her politically. County Judge Tim O\u2019Hare \u2014 who frequently clashes with Simmons during meetings \u2014 said her precinct was gaining more than a dozen jobs, because the recently redrawn county commissioners map<\/a> gave her Precinct 2 more roads to maintain.<\/p>\n \u201cIs that political too?\u201d O\u2019Hare said.<\/p>\n Road maintenance workers are different from her office staff, who she needs to communicate with constituents and put on events like town halls, Simmons said.<\/p>\n The budget and tax rate aren\u2019t final yet. Commissioners are scheduled to vote on both on September 16.<\/p>\n Some residents who came to Thursday\u2019s hearing criticized the county for giving them little time to review budget documents and comment on them. The budget will be on every commissioners court agenda between now and the budget\u2019s approval date, Giese said.<\/p>\n Got a tip? Email Miranda Suarez at msuarez@kera.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n