Records obtained by the Dallas Express show the Internal Revenue Service has begun withholding funds from the wages of Arlington Mayor Jim Ross to cover more than $174,000 of personal federal tax debt.
Arlington taxpayers are questioning whether Ross can effectively lead the city, with its nearly three-quarters of a billion dollar budget, because of the precariousness of his personal finances.
Tax listings obtained from June 2025 showed that Ross owed $174,945.93 in back taxes.
While running for re-election in 2023, records show that he owed $7,463.62 in overdue property taxes, although he immediately took care of the unpaid balance as soon as he was made aware of it.
The Dallas Express also reports that earlier this year, Ross led the city council in passing a $722 million operating budget, one of the largest in the city’s history.
That is one of several decisions criticized by some conservative activists, as Ross also used taxpayer funds to investigate the legality and ethics of Tarrant County’s efforts to revise the commissioners court precincts to increase Republican representation.
In June 2023, Ross publicly praised a drag show held in Arlington celebrating LGBT “pride” month, where sexually explicit content was prevalent and children were present in the audience.
Recently, during Arlington Pride’s drag show, Ross presented a signed proclamation recognizing and celebrating June as LGBT “pride” month.
Ross was first elected as the city’s mayor in 2021 and was re-elected in 2023. In 2022, a city charter amendment was passed that moved the terms of the mayor and city council members from a two-year term to a three-year term.
The next mayoral election for Arlington will take place on May 2, 2026.
The mayor’s office declined to comment.
