Tim O’Hare emphasized the county’s tax relief efforts and economic successes in his first State of the County address on Thursday.
The State of the County address is an annual tradition, held by the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce. In front of a crowd of elected officials, county employees and business leaders at the Fort Worth Convention Center, O’Hare said he fulfilled his campaign promise to significantly lower property taxes.
This month, the county adopted lower property tax rates, including a cut to the property tax that funds the county’s public medical center, John Peter Smith Hospital.
Homeowners will see savings even if their property values go up, which is rare these days, O’Hare said.
“A lot of times, people talk about tax cuts, and then when you get your bill, you actually look at it, and your tax bill is higher than it was before, which doesn’t seem a whole lot like a tax cut,” he said.
The county judge is a county’s top elected official. He represents the entire county on the Commissioners Court, alongside four other members who represent specific precincts. With O’Hare, the Republicans outnumber Democrats 3-2.
O’Hare, a lawyer, took office in January, succeeding longtime county judge and fellow Republican Glen Whitley. He brought previous experience in government into the role, as well as controversy.
He served his hometown of Farmers Branch as both a City Council member and mayor from 2005 to 2011. During his tenure, he tried to ban landlords from renting to undocumented immigrants. The city lost a legal battle over the rule and had to pay millions in legal fees, according to The Dallas Morning News.
O’Hare then moved to Southlake, where he helped lead a fight against diversity and inclusion efforts in Southlake public schools. Those events were scrutinized in an NBC podcast.
In his first eight months as Tarrant County judge, O’Hare made more national headlines. In February, he announced the formation of an Election Integrity Task Force, even though election crimes are rare. Then the county’s elections chief – who had not been consulted for that task force – quit, citing conflict with O’Hare.
His relationship with his fellow county commissioners is strong, O’Hare said during his address Thursday. He brought his colleagues onstage and said it was an honor to work with them.
“When we have a disagreement, we air out our views, we talk about how we feel, and then we put it behind us and we move on to the next thing,” he said. “We don’t hold grudges.”
For his next year in office, O’Hare promised to work on job growth. Tarrant County is lagging in attracting corporate relocations, he said.
“Far too often, we see them going to Dallas County or Collin County,” O’Hare said. “This is the best place to live in the Metroplex.”
Fort Worth’s explosive growth, and new development projects, make Tarrant County a good place for companies to move, O’Hare said. He pointed to Texas A&M’s plans to build a new campus in downtown Fort Worth, which drew a few excited whoops from the audience.
“We have a lot to sell, and this Texas A&M expansion is going to be remarkable,” O’Hare said.
People who come to Tarrant County can also benefit from the culture: the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo, concerts at Dickies Arena, and all the big cities and small towns to explore.
“We just have a culture here, with the people, that is different than you see in a lot of places,” he said. “It’s friendly. It’s warm. It’s can-do. It’s big. It’s Texas.”
Got a tip? Email Miranda Suarez at msuarez@kera.org. You can follow Miranda on Twitter @MirandaRSuarez.
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