TARRANT COUNTY, Texas — Tarrant County Judge Tim O'Hare talked about business growth, public safety, job creation, and tax relief for Tarrant County property owners during his State of the County address on Friday.
About 200 people attended the address this afternoon at the Worthington Renaissance Hotel in Downtown Fort Worth. O'Hare gave his State of the County Address during a fireside chat in front of city, county, and business leaders.
Tarrant County commissioners are working on their fiscal 2025 budget with Judge Tim O'Hare at the helm. O'Hare successfully got elected on promises to reduce property taxes at a time when they were skyrocketing out of control.
The county judge also touched briefly on public safety for inmates and employees at the Tarrant County Jail. He also talked about working to keep police safe after the tragic traffic death of Fort Worth Officer Billy Randolph.
When it comes to growing the economy in Tarrant County, O'Hare said he is working to help recruit companies to Tarrant County. But out of caution, he didn't name the companies in order to try to keep away the competition.
Out of all the line items in the county's 2025 fiscal budget, O'Hare highlighted what he thinks is the most important.
"I think it's the tax cuts," O'Hare said. "So it's been two years in a row that we've cut tax rates for both the county and state below. No new revenue put in the homestead exemptions for the first time ever. So, there's real property tax relief and that's been part of the last two budgets. And as long as I'm here, we're going to try to make it part of every budget."
This year, Tarrant County homeowners eligible for homestead exemptions could potentially save an average of $36 per year on their property taxes if the proposed 2025 budget is adopted.