Tarrant, Dallas County judges discuss priorities for 2023
NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) – On Tarrant County Judge Tim O'Hare's first day in office, he told us one of his top priorities this year is to cut property taxes at the county level. "It's watching every dime like a hawk. It's eliminating wasteful spending, abusive spending."
He said he's leading by example, by not filling a fifth position in the County Judge's office. "What government does so often is somebody leaves, it's just a mad-dash to go fill the position, nobody stops to ask, do we really need this? Can we combine duties with another position, and we'll be doing a lot of that."
O'Hare, a Republican, succeeds Glen Whitley, who retired after serving as Judge since 2007.
Tarrant County is the third largest county in Texas and 15th largest in the nation.
O'Hare said he wants it to be the safest large county. "We do not want a reputation in Tarrant County of being lenient on crime. We want a reputation in Tarrant County that we're tough on crime. We want everyone to feel safe in their homes, their businesses, and on the streets, regardless of the city they live in or what their neighborhood is like."
In Dallas, long-time County Judge Clay Jenkins said he agrees property taxes in Texas are too high.
He discussed his priorities Tuesday. "I think one of the best ways to keep our economy strong and our property taxes low is to focus on keeping families safe and healthy."
Jenkins, a Democrat, is now serving on the court with four other Democrats for the first time in recent memory.
He said his three major policy goals are to work with school districts, cities, and health organizations to have visiting nurses help at-risk mothers of newborns and expand mental health care.
Jenkins said he also wants to expand quality child-care. "Getting more kids in pre-k at [ages] 3 and 4. That not only puts the kids on a great path to success, it allows young parents to re-enter the work force and we need them in the work force."
He also said the county needs to reform its criminal justice system. "We're about 1,000 to 1,500 people higher in jail population than we were pre-COVID. That limits the ability to hold the most dangerous suspects in jail for as long as we'd like to hold them."
Both Judge Jenkins and Judge O'Hare said during the upcoming state legislative session, lawmakers must not shift costs onto local taxpayers.