The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - August 17, 2026

Episode Date: August 17, 2026

The Texan’s Daily Rundown brings you a quick recap of the latest stories in Texas politics so you can stay informed with news you can trust.Want more resources? Visit The Texan for complete access to our in-depth articles, newsletters, videos, podcasts, and more.Enjoy what you hear? Be sure to follow us and leave a review!

Well, howdy folks, today is Monday, August 17th, and you're listening to The Texans Daily Rundown. I'm the Texan senior editor Rob Lauchess, and here is the rundown of today's news in Texas politics. First up, the Texans reporter Isaiah Mitchell sat down with Dr. Lindsay Hendren, senior research analyst for recon MR, to discuss the August 7th Texas pulse poll on statewide races in Texas, including for U.S. Senate, Governor, and Attorney General. Hendren breaks down the data from how respondents feel about the candidate's strengths and weaknesses to their overall opinion on the state of the country. Visit the texan.News or wherever you get podcasts to listen now.

In other news, both Tarrant County and Fort Worth released details about their fiscal year 27 budgets last week, but while Tarrant County Judge Tim O'Hare's proposal came in below the no new revenue rate, Fort Worth City Manager Jay Chappah proposed a property tax rate increase. O'Hare said that if adopted, the county's property tax rate of 18.6 per $100 valuation would be the fourth straight year in a row that the county has adopted a rate below the no new revenue rate. According to a press release shared with the Texan, the fiscal year 2026 property tax rate was 18.62. cents. The no new revenue rate, according to the Texas comptroller of public accounts, is the tax rate that would produce the same amount of taxes if applied to the same properties taxed in both years. According to O'Hare,

the county lowered the tax rate, quote, responsibly while maintaining essential services. End quote. The Tarrant County Commissioner's Court will set the proposed tax rate at its September 1st meeting and will hold a public hearing on the budget and tax rate on September 15th. According to the to the Tarrant County Budget Office. On Tuesday, August 11th, Chappa presented the proposed fiscal year 27 budget to the Fort Worth City Council, which would increase the general fund budget by 4.6% to $1.156 billion. Budget items Chappa highlighted included police and firefighter pay increases, new police patrol positions, and full funding for new 911 technology. The proposed budget also includes eliminating some vacant positions, cutting non-essential contracts, reducing economic incentives,

and reducing merit-based pay increases for employees. Chapa is proposing a 3.2 cent increase to the city's property tax rate from 67 cents to 70.2 cents per $100 valuation. Due to falling taxable home values, the average Fort Worth homeowner will still see a decrease in their property tax bill, paying an estimated $16.69. Less per year compared to fiscal year 20206. Last but not least, Harris County property owners may pay higher tax bills next year to cover a proposed $3.1 billion budget

and bridge a projected $181 million shortfall. Management and budget executive director Daniel Ramos presented the fiscal year 27 proposal to the Harris County Commissioners Court on Monday, with a plan to cover. the shortfall with cost savings, land sales, and other new revenues. And by adopting the voter approval rate, the maximum rate increase allowed under Texas law without voter approval, should commissioners approve the VAR next month, the overall property tax rate, which includes the Harris County flood control district, the Harris Health Hospital District, the Port of Houston, and the county's

General Fund will increase from 62.41 cents to about 68 cents per $100 of appraised value. Compared to the no new revenue rate, the VAR is projected to bring in an additional $218 million. The budget also anticipates $25 million in interest transfers, $25 million in property sale proceeds, $23 million in costs recovered from the toll road authority, and other revenue sources, and depends on another $76 million in cost savings to cover expenditures. The county will also tap a $16 million surplus from 2025. Ramos stressed that the budget would, quote, generate roughly $21.7 million worth of surpluses,

which could again either be used to invest in priorities of the court or to reduce the tax rate, end quote, if and only if the proposed budget was fully implemented. He also stated that rising health care costs, increased pay for law enforcement and inflation were significant drivers of the cost increases over last year's budget of $2.8 billion. Thanks for listening. To support the Texan, please be sure to visit the texan.News to get full access to all of our articles, newsletters, and podcasts.