Tarrant County’s Democratic commissioners skip meeting to prevent vote on tax rate cut

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Tarrant County’s two Democratic commissioners didn’t show up at Tuesday’s commissioners court meeting, blocking the passage of a new tax rate and leading to retaliation from the Republican majority.

Democratic Commissioner Roderick Miles Jr. has criticized the proposed tax rate, saying it’s so low that it threatens funding for county services — particularly his employees, who he relies on to serve his constituents. The proposed budget limits the size of each commissioner’s staff, meaning Miles and his fellow Democratic commissioner Alisa Simmons would have to lay people off.

Only three commissioners came to Tuesday’s meeting, and four are required to pass a new tax rate. Republican County Judge Tim O’Hare proposed an amendment to the fiscal year 2026 budget to slash the Democrats’ staffs to one person, limit their travel budgets to $1,000 and eliminate road and bridge crew jobs.

O’Hare said he’d go back to what he called a “more reasonable” budget “when one of the two of our colleagues shows up to vote for the tax rates.”

Republican Commissioner Matt Krause’s office would also have to eliminate one position, according to county budget documents.

While they couldn’t approve the tax rate, the three Republicans present voted to approve the budget with the punitive amendment. Before the amendment, the proposed budget totaled about $825 million — $21.5 million less than the previous budget.

O’Hare said he plans to call a special meeting Monday to retry the vote.

In a press release, Miles said the proposed tax rate will not raise enough money to keep up with the growing county’s needs.

“Lowering taxes can be a worthy goal, but it cannot come at the expense of neglecting our obligations,” Miles said.

The proposed tax rate is 18.62 cents per $100 valuation. The average home in Tarrant County has a taxable value of about $277,000, so its county tax bill would be about $516 a year – about three dollars lower than the year prior, according to county data.

County taxes take up a relatively small chunk of a homeowner's property tax bill. City and school district taxes are more expensive.

If commissioners do not pass a new tax rate before the deadline, it reverts to the previously approved tax rate or the no-new-revenue rate, whichever is lower, according to the Texas Comptroller’s Office. The no-new-revenue rate is the tax rate that will generate about the same amount of revenue as the previous year, from properties taxed in both years.

In this case, the county would end up with the no-new-revenue rate, which is 18.66 cents per $100 valuation, Simmons said in a press release. That’s a fraction of a cent higher than Republicans’ favored rate.

Simmons argued it’s still lower than the current tax rate — 18.75 cents — and will be better for county services.

“My absence from Commissioners Court today is not a political ploy: It is a legal and necessary act of conscience,” she said. “It is a step to protect Tarrant County residents and defend our fundamental values of caring for our neighbors and ensuring basic human dignity.”

Simmons’ preferred rate would only generate about a million more dollars in revenue, county budget chief Helen Giese said.

It’s unclear whether Miles or Simmons will return for a vote. A member of Miles’ staff said Miles will have to consider. Simmons’ spokesperson referred back to her press release, which does not say.

Breaking quorum is sometimes a minority party’s only way to prevent something from passing. Democrats in the state Legislature fled Texas this summer to try and block a new, more Republican-friendly Congressional map, which later got signed into law.

Tarrant County’s Democrats won't change the proposed budget, even if they get the tax rate they want, Republican County Commissioner Manny Ramirez said.

"I don’t understand the purpose of not being here, to not pass the tax rate,” he said. “We’re still going to pass this budget nonetheless.”

Before O’Hare’s amendment, Tarrant County's FY26 budget cut about 70 county positions, not all of which are currently filled.

That includes the entire Tarrant County Department of Human Services, which provides rental, utility and hygiene assistance.

Miles voted alongside his Republican colleagues to close the department and redirect the money to outside organizations, after the county budget office said the department was not using its aid money efficiently.

Opponents of the closure criticized commissioners for not giving the department a chance to improve and deciding to shutter it with no outside organization lined up to take over the work.

The Department of Human Services was a victim of the “unreasonable” proposed tax rate, Simmons said in her press release.

Commissioners are set to vote on contracts to replace the department on Oct. 14, according to a county press release. The county expects to give out $2.3 million in the first year, with the opportunity for two one-year extensions.

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