Tarrant County homeowners are seeing another modest but meaningful victory in the fight against rising property taxes.
For the third consecutive year, the county’s Commissioners Court has voted to cut both the county and hospital district tax rates, continuing a recent local trend of fiscal restraint that is a stark contrast to the statewide pattern of local government growth.
At its September 22nd meeting,1 commissioners approved a combined county property tax rate of $0.1862 per $100 of valuation, down slightly from last year’s rate of $0.1875. The new rate includes $0.1730 for maintenance and operations and $0.0132 for debt service, a 0.69% reduction from the previous year. The adopted rate is actually below the no-new-revenue tax rate, meaning the county will collect slightly less tax from existing properties than it did last year, an extremely rare occurrence among Texas counties.
The rate will generate roughly $524.8 million in net property tax revenue, including about $18 million in new revenue from properties added to the tax rolls. For the average homeowner, county taxes will decrease slightly to around $516. The median-valued homestead is expected to see a near-flat change of just a few dollars, a small shift, but symbolically significant in a time when most local governments continue to increase spending and property tax revenue.
The JPS Hospital District, overseen by the same Commissioners Court, will also see a substantial 9.6 percent tax rate cut, from $0.1825 to $0.1650 per $100 of valuation. That reduction is expected to save homeowners about $50 on the hospital portion of their tax bill.
Commissioners Matt Krause and Manny Ramirez, along with County Judge Tim O’Hare, voted in favor of the lower rates, arguing that the county has successfully reduced taxes while maintaining, and in some areas improving, essential services.
“From the day I took office, I have fought to lower taxes, cut spending, reduce waste, and prioritize public safety. That’s exactly what we’ve accomplished in Tarrant County for the last three years, all while increasing the quality and quantity of county services.” O’Hare said in a statement2 after the vote. “This is what responsible, efficient government looks like.”
Commissioners Roderick Miles and Alisa Simmons opposed the reductions. Simmons refused to attend the meeting in protest, temporarily blocking approval since state law requires a four-member quorum for tax votes. Miles later voted against the cuts.
Still, the final outcome reflects the county’s ongoing commitment to hold the line on taxation, an increasingly rare stance as many local governments across Texas continue to grow budgets and revenue faster than population and inflation growth, including some disturbing examples like the City of Whitesboro’s 51% tax hike.3
In addition to lowering tax rates, the Commissioners Court last year approved a 20 percent homestead exemption, further easing the burden on homeowners.
While the savings for individual taxpayers may appear modest, the broader fiscal message is clear: Tarrant County is signaling that meaningful tax relief begins with discipline at the local level. While state lawmakers continue to debate long-term reforms, and the state’s property tax “relief” efforts often fail to translate into smaller tax bills, Tarrant County has shown that relief doesn’t necessarily have to wait for Austin.
Tarrant County’s example offers a glimpse of what fiscal restraint and accountability can look like in practice: It can start right at home, through consistent, responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars.
- https://s3.us-west-004.backblazeb2.com/agendalink-pdf/tarrantcountytx/pdfs/packets/68c9b883d5c282004911774b/CommissionersCourt-09-22-2025-packet
- https://b2161369.smushcdn.com/2161369/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/tarrant-tax-cut-2025-ohare-scaled.png?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1
- https://texastaxpayers.com/ag-paxton-probes-whitesboros-51-tax-hike/
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