Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare recently touted his accomplishments over the past two years while laying the foundation for reelection.
O’Hare told WFAA that he intends to run again for County Judge in 2026. He highlighted how he has lowered the county’s property tax rates while cutting $58 million from the county budget without layoffs.
O’Hare mentioned how some positions, such as those in IT, were eliminated as they couldn’t be filled.
“So, we just eliminated them, the positions. Didn’t lay off anyone. That savings alone was about $30 Million,” the O’Hare told WFAA. “And since we did that in October, or I guess that was September of ’23, we haven’t had one complaint from anyone in the county, elected official, staff member, not one saying we don’t have enough IT support.”
O’Hare mentioned how he was surprised with how many government employees had positions they were not qualified for.
“So, we’ve had to make some changes, and we’ve replaced some folks,” O’Hare explained. “We’ve got some really good folks in. Some people, they had just, maybe, lost their passion for the job, or their desire to do the job. We had some people here in the county that were coming in sometimes four hours a day, working from home all the time. That’s just not the way to get stuff done and the way to handle things.”
O’Hare did mention how the media has mischaracterized him as some “evil” person and pointed out how he can work with anyone regardless of political background.
O’Hares leadership, especially in lowering the tax rate below the no-new revenue rate, has been met with praise from some county leaders.
“I am very proud of our County Judge Tim O’Hare and the Commissioners for taking bold steps for the citizens of Tarrant County. This is an example of actions that need to be taken to help the taxpayers. As a nominee for Tax Assessor, it is my vision for Tarrant County that all tax entities work to do the same,” Tax Assessor-Collector of Tarrant County Rick Barnes said in a statement to DX.
O’Hare said earlier this year that the 2024 property tax relief was a win for taxpayers.
“By increasing the Homestead Exemptions to the maximum allowed by state law, we are ensuring that homeowners will keep more of their hard-earned money. Setting both Homestead Exemptions at 20% for the first time in Tarrant County is not only historic but also responsible government,” O’Hare said in a statement, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.