Ahead of a contentious 2024 general election, Republican candidates vying for a place on the November ballot for local, state and national offices pitched their visions for Tarrant County’s future.
The Fort Worth Report, alongside fellow nonprofit and nonpartisan organizations KERA, SteerFW and the League of Women Voters, hosted the first of two candidate debates Feb. 7 at Texas Wesleyan University. Republican primary candidates for U.S. House District 12, Texas House District 97, and Tarrant County tax-assessor collector sought to draw a distinction between themselves and their primary opponents.
The March 5 primary election will determine which Republican and Democratic candidates face each other come November. Texas primaries are open, which means residents may vote in either the Republican or Democratic primary in March, and vote for either the Republican or Democratic candidate in November, regardless of which primary they participated in.
The Fort Worth Report will have another forum at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 8. The debates will feature Democratic candidates running for the U.S. House District 12, Texas House District 97 and Tarrant County Commissioner Precinct 1.
Tarrant County Tax Assessor-Collector
Wendy Burgess has served as tax assessor-collector for the past five years. This year, she faces a challenge from former Tarrant County Republican Party Chair Rick Barnes.
The tax assessor-collector has traditionally served as a non-voting member of the Tarrant Appraisal District Board of Directors. Come summer, the position will be granted voting rights. Whoever is elected will work with the newly selected chief appraiser, Joe Don Bobbitt, and three new board members who will be elected in May.
Although she hasn’t been able to vote until now, Burgess said, that hasn’t stopped her from being a vocal participant in appraisal district discussions. When the voting members of the board were at a standstill over whether to terminate then chief appraiser Jeff Law, Burgess said she made a phone call to Law. The next day, she said, he submitted his resignation.
“Now I can say, as of Feb. 1, we do have a new chief appraiser heading up the Tarrant Appraisal District, and I will focus on working with the other board members and our new board members that will be voted on by the people of Tarrant County,” she said. “Working alongside them to move forward to the new future of the TAD board.”
Barnes, however, said Burgess hasn’t been effective on the board. As the only person on the board who is not elected by a taxing entity, Barnes said, Burgess should have pushed taxpayer interests more.
Tarrant County tax assessor-collector candidates Rick Barnes, left, and Wendy Burgess speak at a Feb. 7 candidate debate. (Camilo Diaz | Fort Worth Report)
The tax assessor-collector office does not control property tax rates. That responsibility instead falls to taxing entities like cities and school districts. In discussing concerns about rising property taxes, the candidates offered differing visions on what a solution would look like.
Burgess urged residents to speak up and attend meetings about their tax rates hosted by taxing entities.
“You can be a part of it and you can watch the process,” she said. “You can see where they’re spending the money, you can see where you agree, you can see where you disagree, and you can not only gripe but you can also offer suggestions and you can be a part of the solution.”
Barnes said, if elected, he would push the Tarrant Appraisal District to limit property value appraisals to every three years, and limit to 5% the amount a property’s value can be raised at one time.
“My house in 20 years has almost doubled in value,” he said. “That is beautiful if I want to sell it. It’s not very beautiful if I want to pay taxes on it.”
Both candidates laid out their visions for working alongside the chief appraiser if elected.
Burgess said she’ll work with the appraiser to meet tax code requirements, ensure quality work product from the appraisal district, and help residents navigate the process. Her office also takes a proactive approach to helping residents, she said.
“Working with the tax taxpayers at the front counter, we actually work with individuals when we see that they’re missing an exemption,” she said. “We make a suggestion and we say, ‘Hey, we see that you don’t have an appropriate exemption that might assist you and might lower your tax burden.’”
Barnes said he’ll work with the appraiser to have conversations with taxpayers themselves, not just taxing entities. The person in the position needs to understand what the people of Tarrant County want, he said.
“Appraisers are an important part of the conversation because that person ultimately ends up being the one deciding what our homes are worth,” he said. “I think everybody in this room ought to be concerned about who that is and what their mindset is and how they make those decisions.”
Missed the candidate forum? Here’s where to watch the recording
The forums were open to the public and livestreamed on the Fort Worth Report’s YouTube channel.
To watch the forum, click here.
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