Tarrant County court approves FY2026 budget with targeted amendments; tax-rate vote deferred

Tarrant County Commissioners Court on Sept. 16 approved the county'wide fiscal year 2026 budget as amended but did not set the county'wide tax rate because state law requires four commissioners present to adopt a rate. The court adopted three targeted amendments to the proposed budget that cut administrative positions, reduced commissioner travel budgets and eliminated planned new road-and-bridge hires for Precinct 2.

The amendments approved by the court reduced the number of administrative positions to one for each office of the commissioners in Precincts 1 and 2 and capped salary and benefits for each position at $100,000; reduced the travel budget for those two commissioner offices to $1,000 each; and removed the 20 road-and-bridge crew positions that had been proposed for Precinct 2 and prohibited transferring positions from Precinct 1 into Precinct 2. The court recorded the budget adoption as approved (tally: 3 yes, 0 no).

The vote to adopt the tax rate was not taken because court members said state law requires four commissioners to be present to adopt a tax rate. Commissioners said they plan to convene again as soon as a fourth member is available so the court can set the rate; one commissioner announced intent to call a special meeting for that purpose. The Tarrant County Hospital District tax rate was likewise proposed but not finally adopted at this session because of the same quorum requirement for that separate rate vote.

Public commenters urged greater transparency in the budget process. Bishop Kirkland said he had long raised concerns about trust and transparency in county budgeting. Dr. Harriet Harrell, who addressed the court during the public hearing, praised an earlier town hall and urged more formal opportunities for citizen input, writing that "a budget is a moral document" and recommending a strategic planning process that includes stakeholders such as the Tarrant County Hospital District.

Court members and county staff said the adopted budget supports key county operations and noted the fiscal work behind the package. Commissioners emphasized the importance of moving forward to avoid delaying departments that rely on an adopted budget, and one commissioner noted the budget contains pay increases and other measures to support law-enforcement recruitment and retention.

The court instructed staff to prepare for a special meeting to finalize the tax rates once a fourth commissioner is present and to continue posting budget materials and anticipated changes in compliance with statutory timelines.

The court'approved amendments and the decision to defer tax-rate adoption were made during the Sept. 16 Commissioners Court meeting; additional votes and any rate-setting will occur at a later public session when a full quorum is present.