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2d ago

Tarrant County Democrats Deny Quorum, Tax Rate Defaults as GOP Passes Punitive Budget

The county will use the no-new-revenue rate pending a Monday special meeting on the levy.

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Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare listens to comments over the electronic pollbook system in place during a Commissioners Court meeting in Fort Worth on April 18, 2023.

Overview

  • Democratic Commissioners Alisa Simmons and Roderick Miles Jr. skipped Tuesday’s meeting, preventing a quorum and blocking a vote on a lower Republican-backed tax rate.
  • The rate now defaults to the no-new-revenue level of 18.66 cents per $100 valuation, compared with the proposed 18.62 cents and the current 18.75 cents, a change worth roughly $3 a year for the average home.
  • With only Republicans present, the court approved the FY26 budget and added amendments cutting each Democrat’s staff to one, capping their travel at $1,000, and eliminating planned road and bridge roles.
  • Judge Tim O’Hare said those resources could be restored if the Democrats attend a special meeting for a tax vote Monday, while Simmons and Miles argued the proposed rate would underfund county services.
  • Before these amendments, the $825 million budget was already $21.5 million lower than last year and cut about 70 positions, including closing the Department of Human Services, with replacement contracts slated for an Oct. 14 vote and an initial $2.3 million allocation.