Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare shared important county updates at The Greater Arlington Chamber’s 14th Annual State of the County, presented by The Nehemiah Company.
Looking back on the first half of his term, O’Hare said he’s proud of how Tarrant County has brought property tax relief to residents and continues to be a safe county. For the second half of his term, he said he’ll continue maintaining law and order.
“I will always prioritize keeping people safe and putting the bad guys behind bars,” O’Hare said. “I will always prioritize lowering costs, finding efficiencies and giving people who interact with the Tarrant County government a great customer experience.”
O’Hare also wants to prioritize minimizing property taxes and making Tarrant County a destination for more corporate relocations.
“I wish things were happening on an economic development front in every city like it is in Arlington,” he said. “It’s pretty remarkable what’s going on here. Tarrant County has not capitalized on enough corporate relocations compared to our neighboring counties, and there’s more we can do.”
He said they will need to adjust the way they look at economic development and take a more collaborative approach to secure more corporate relocations.
O’Hare reiterated the importance of bringing a mental hospital to Tarrant County, something he’s advocated for the last couple years.
“Mental health is a significant problem in our country, and we know it’s a crisis here,” he said. “Our jail currently serves as the de facto mental health hospital.”
The closest facility is in Wichita Falls, which O’Hare said has a long waitlist. In Dec. 2024, they passed a resolution asking the legislature to fund a mental health hospital in the county.
“We’re the third largest county in the state, and we don’t have a dedicated mental health hospital,” he said.”We’re asking them to either build a mental health hospital, give us funding for beds or create another solution that will get people rehabilitated and back in society instead of sitting in the jail for weeks, months, maybe years at a time.”
The resolution was sent to the governor, the lieutenant governor, the Speaker of the House and the entire Tarrant County delegation.
A special thank you to sponsors!
Presenting: The Nehemiah Company
Platinum: The University of Texas at Arlington, Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, L.L.P.
Gold: City of Arlington, Ikon Technologies
The Greater Arlington Chamber’s State Legislative Agenda supports policies that promote and improve the overall vitality and prosperity of the Texas economy. We seek to continue Texas’ economic success and encourage effective policymaking that ensures we have the necessary tools, talent, infrastructure and healthcare systems for economic and community prosperity. We work diligently to amplify the voice of our members at all levels of government and come together to speak with our local legislative representatives with one voice.
