The Tarrant County Commissioners Court held its first meeting of 2023 Tuesday with a newly elected county judge and two new commissioners.
The midterms brought three new faces to the court, including Tim O'Hare who took over his first meeting as county judge on Tuesday. O'Hare proceeded former Tarrant County judge Glen Whitley, who served 26 years on the commissioners court.
O'Hare was sworn into office on Jan. 1.
"I think Tarrant County can set an example for other counties, municipalities, school districts to follow. You absolutely can tighten your belts. You absolutely can spend less money if you bring some strong business mindset, innovation, new ideas, ways of thinking. That's hopefully what I'll bring to the court," O'Hare told NBC 5 Tuesday.
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O'Hare said every meeting he has had thus far with a county staff member or commissioner since the November election has regarded the need to lower property tax rates. Among his top priorities, O'Hare said he is focused on how to spend taxpayer dollars more efficiently.
"I think you have to watch every tax dollar like a hawk. I think sometimes in government, is you have too many people that don't truly understand whose money it is," he said. "You can have some pretty free spending going on. In Tarrant County, specifically, over the last 4-6 years, they have spent money in county government like wildfire. We want to bring some fiscal restraint in."
The two new commissioners on the court are Alisa Simmons representing Precinct 2 and Manny Ramirez representing Precinct 4. Ramirez, who served as president of the Fort Worth Police Officers Association, said one of the issues he'd like to address immediately is how remaining American Rescue Plan dollars are spent. His ideas include projects to support public safety and the community in general.
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"We have to be laser-focused on making sure all of that money is responsibly spent. We have to be laser-focused on making sure we can bring down those tax rates and provide efficient service," Ramirez said.
Simmons will represent southeastern Tarrant County as Precinct 2 commissioner. This is her first elected office. She told NBC 5 her priorities include affordable housing, mental health services and the Tarrant County Jail.
"We do not have enough employees there. We have deaths in that jail that need to be addressed. So right off the bat, I'm interested in seeing what we can do," she said.
The make-up of the new commissioners on the court is diverse, O'Hare said. It can be a strength in their time of serving together.
"You have a mix of young and old and an in-between, probably. People from all over the county. People with different experiences, ideas, life experiences, and business experience," he said. "I think it's a strong group. People with strong ideas, strong opinions, but I think people with good healthy debate and discussion is good for any government entity."
Precinct 1 commissioner Roy Brooks has served for 19 years and said he is confident in the court's ability to work together.
"County government works," Brooks said. "But it works, because of the relationships that we have one to the other."
