Arlington Mayor Jim Ross has publicly acknowledged his financial troubles after The Dallas Express reported that the IRS had begun garnishing his salary over unpaid taxes.
Documents from the Tarrant County Tax Assessor-Collector, dated June 2025, show that Ross owes significant back taxes. One filing lists $940.39 in penalties and interest, while another shows a total outstanding tax debt of $174,945.93.
Ross addressed the issue in a recent interview with KERA News.
“It is not anything that I am proud of,” he said. “It is not that I hang a sign on me saying, ‘Look at this. I am having financial troubles.’ But it comes when you are a full-time volunteer, and you get paid $250 a month to do what I do. I knew I was only going to get $250 a month when I took it. And I took it anyway.”
Ross suggested the unpaid taxes were not intentional, attributing them to shifting priorities and a lack of administrative support.
“It has just been overlooked, to be honest,” he said. “I used to have a team that does this for me, and I no longer do. I just realized that the property taxes had not been taken care of. I am expecting the money to come in this month so that I can take care of those, and I will take care of them as soon as that money comes in.”
Some members of the Arlington City Council have defended Ross in light of the controversy.
“If anything, I think the only thing that he can be accused of is caring too much about the people of Arlington,” Councilmember Andrew Piel told KERA. “…to the point where sometimes he puts his own interests last behind all the commitments he has to being mayor and the people of Arlington.”
Ross has previously faced public criticism for supporting events some residents called inappropriate. In 2023, he praised a Pride event that drew backlash after reports emerged that it promoted sexually explicit content at a venue open to minors, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
While Ross’s situation has drawn scrutiny, it is not uncommon for public officials — particularly those with low or symbolic salaries — to encounter tax issues. Unlike more serious cases involving criminal intent, such as former state Rep. Ron Wilson’s concealment of nearly $800,000 from the IRS over nearly a decade, Ross has acknowledged the debt and pledged to resolve it.
The Dallas Express reached out to Mayor Ross for comment but did not receive a response as of the time of publication.