Tarrant County Commissioner Alisa Simmons on Tax Cuts vs. Essential Services

Property Tax Debate

• 💡 Homeowners absolutely deserve a tax cut, and the tax rate for fiscal year 2025 will be lower than last year's.
• 🎯 The current tax rate is set at 0.1875, which will automatically drop to 0.0866 for fiscal year 2026, a rate below the "no new revenue" threshold.
• 🔑 Commissioner Simmons has a record of voting in favor of tax rates below the no new revenue rate and initiated the first 10% homestead exemption.

Impact of Lower Tax Rates on Services

• ⚠️ Republicans aim for an even lower tax rate, which Commissioner Simmons argues is more devastating than necessary.
• ✂️ This proposed lower rate would lead to the elimination of essential services, including the county's Human Services department, which has provided rental and utility assistance for over 40 years.
• 📉 Critical public health positions are also at risk, alongside programs like the refugee immunization program, which Tarrant County declined to continue funding.

Retaliation and Staffing Concerns

• ⚖️ Commissioner Simmons views the Judge's proposed budget amendment to cut her staff and limit her travel budget as a retaliatory move for her absence from a previous meeting.
• 💔 The amendment directly impacts her constituents by threatening the livelihoods of her staff and road and bridge crews, especially after redistricting increased her road mileage by 800%.
• 🚫 Simmons states she will not be attending the upcoming Monday meeting due to her aunt's funeral, implying her staff's positions may be eliminated.

Commissioner's Core Stance

• 💖 Commissioner Simmons emphasizes that her stance is about people and protecting the vulnerable.
• 🛠️ Her focus is on addressing behavioral and mental health, homelessness, ensuring elderly residents have heating, and maintaining roads and bridges.
• 📣 She criticizes the leadership style as "petulant" and "petty," advocating for responsible leadership over punitive measures.