Property tax relief and the rapid growth of data centers took center stage at a Senate District 22 Republican candidate forum hosted by the Erath County Republican Party, as contenders David Cook, Jon Gimble and Rena Schroeder laid out competing approaches for cutting school-related taxes, tightening rules on large-scale development and responding to what they described as mounting pressure on water, roads and public services.
The open seat follows Sen. Brian Birdwell’s decision not to seek reelection, and voters across the district are weighing how the next senator will address rising tax bills and infrastructure strain in smaller and rural communities. Gimble joined the forum on Zoom for the early portion before arriving later and continuing his answers in person, while Schroeder arrived late and missed the first few questions.
Cook, a sitting state representative who previously served as mayor of Mansfield, presented himself as the most experienced candidate in the field and argued that familiarity with the legislative process matters when a district is trying to move quickly on issues like tax relief, water and growth.
“I can step in on day one, and we’ll be able to file bills and get them through the process quickly, because that’s what I’ve done in the house. I’ve been able to take the steps necessary to get bills passed in this race. I’m endorsed by President Trump, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, who is the presiding officer of the Texas Senate, and our governor, Greg Abbott,” Cook said.
Gimble leaned on his record in county government, pointing to modernization efforts in the courts and what he described as a long track record of fiscal restraint. He said he is running without “top down” endorsements and framed his candidacy around bringing local perspectives to Austin instead of the other way around.
“So fiscal conservatism is something that I’ve worked on promoting most of my life,”Gimble said. “My goal is to be a representative of our districts to Austin and bring our guidance and views back to Austin so that we can have effective representation and a seat at the table.”
Schroeder introduced herself as a mother, business owner and nonprofit leader who works with foster children, veterans and people with mental health needs. She tied her campaign to rural identity, water concerns and a promise to be an aggressive advocate on what she sees as threats to land, family and local resources.
“I’m fighting for land, family, Texas values and our Constitution. I will make sure that your voice is heard, that I can promise, because I want my voice heard too,” Schroeder said.
With appraisals continuing to rise across Texas, the forum’s first major policy discussion centered on property taxes and how much of the burden is driven by school district taxes. Candidates described property taxes as a constant pressure point for homeowners, and both Cook and Gimble argued the state should buy down the school portion of the tax bill to deliver the largest and fastest relief.
“That’s certainly the number one topic on people’s minds, because even though we may own our homes, we’re still paying property taxes over and over and over again,” Cook said.
Cook outlined two competing proposals he said were being discussed by state leaders — one that expands homestead exemptions and another that slows the appraisal cycle from annual to once every five years. He said the state has to address appraisals directly and suggested replacing local appraisal districts with the comptroller’s office.
“And, so we do need to take steps to halt the appraisal process. I’m in favor of getting rid of all the appraisal districts and letting the comptroller’s office take on that responsibility, because they’re already doing it currently,” Cook said.
Gimble focused his property tax message on the school portion of the bill, calling it the biggest lever for long-term reform and tying it to the “Robinhood system” recapture structure that redistributes school revenue across districts. He said reform will require coordination instead of state and local officials blaming each other.
“I tend to favor aggressive buying down of the dividend taxes on the school property taxes. The reason for that is at the heart of that. We’ve got a 30 plus-year-old decision called the Robinhood system that’s unpopular almost everywhere you go in the state of Texas,” Gimble said.
He said local governments often describe their responsibilities as unfunded mandates, and he argued that cooperation and efficiency can reduce costs while increasing capacity. Gimble pointed to his experience working with multiple county offices as an example of how he would approach tax relief and spending decisions in Austin.
“But if we can work together at both the state and local level and partner with each other instead of blaming each other, we can come up with solutions that would work better for the taxpayer, which ultimately, should be our goal,” Gimble said.
He also emphasized education spending decisions and public safety, arguing Texas should fund education wisely while maintaining strong support for law enforcement and first responders.
“I would start off with property tax relief that we talked about earlier, in order to have that property tax relief, in order to move that financial burden from the local taxpayers to Austin, that’s going to tremendously impact the state budget,” Cook said.
Gimble described tax relief as the top budget priority as well, even if it is not typically framed as “spending.” He also argued that water infrastructure should be near the top and warned that state spending growth has outpaced inflation and typical wage growth.
“Similar to Cook, I would put property tax relief at the top. And that may not sound like a spending priority, but the way it’s counted in the budget, any dollars we use to buy down local taxes and county spending, and that’s, to me, the number one critical thing we can prioritize over the next several sessions,” Gimble said.
Schroeder said the state is underfunding key needs and argued that lawmakers should redirect money toward foster care, veterans, rural health and mental health. She framed the budget conversation as an accountability problem, saying residents are told money is being spent to improve services, but they do not see results.
“What’s underfunded? Our vets, homelessness, our schools, our foster care. Those are the first things that I would do, because those are really big on my campaign,” Schroeder said.
On the question of how Texas should use budget surpluses, candidates again returned to tax relief but also raised additional priorities. Gimble said the state should eventually look beyond property taxes and reduce other business taxes that raise costs for consumers.
“But if we end up after we get rid of the annual property tax, the next tier we should look at phasing out the Franchise Tax, because every business passes it on to their customers, and it makes goods and services and taxes more expensive,” Gimble said.
Cook said surpluses should be used to “buy down” rates and shift more of the tax burden from local governments to the state, while still maintaining a strong focus on water quantity and water quality. He cited recent state action to create a water fund and said continued investment is necessary.
“But yes, budget surpluses should be utilized to buy down the rates. It’s basically what we’ve been doing, but we need to do it in a much larger way, so that the burden is shifted from the local taxpayers to the state as a whole,” Cook said.
Schroeder said surpluses and tax relief are ultimately tied to accountability, arguing that residents keep hearing about available money while seeing problems persist in foster care, schools and veteran services. She said the public wants clearer answers on where the money is going and what it is improving.
“Money, we keep talking about all this money we have. Well, where is it? I’m not seeing anything changing. I’m not seeing anything get better,” Schroeder said.
The most sustained and emotional discussion of the night centered on water use and the growth of data centers in and around Senate District 22, with candidates split between an outright rejection of further development and a regulatory approach focused on local control, permitting and resource protections.
Schroeder took a hardline stance, saying she does not believe data centers can be regulated effectively and urging voters to oppose them outright. She repeatedly returned to the impact on water and the idea that rural communities are being asked to sacrifice essential resources.
“We cannot regulate. We have to fight. We have to hold the line. No data centers. There’s no excuse for them. You can’t have them,” Schroeder said.
Cook said data centers are already operating across the state and argued the district’s challenge is deciding where they go and what rules they must meet. He said development outside city limits often lacks the same oversight cities require and that counties need more tools to force adequate planning.
“We need to make sure that sufficient resources and infrastructure are included in the planning stages for development, outside the city limits,” Cook said.
Cook emphasized water protection, saying closed-loop systems should be required so facilities are not drawing heavily on local supplies, and he added that the state should also consider grid impacts. He said the issue is no longer hypothetical and argued the state must act quickly with clearer standards.
Gimble argued that a total ban is unrealistic given technology demands, but he said regulation has to happen quickly and should include a public permitting process and more authority for counties outside city limits. He said waiting longer will make the disruption worse, and he called for state action that gives communities meaningful input.
“Currently under state law, there’s no ability for local input, and we’ve got to change that,” Gimble said.
He framed the issue as a property rights question for rural landowners who moved to the country expecting quiet, open space rather than industrial-scale facilities nearby. Gimble said the state has to balance development interests with the right of communities to protect their quality of life.
“Most people that buy property in the country didn’t buy it because they’re going to be next to a large-scale industrial project,” Gimble said.
On immigration-related proposals, candidates generally supported limiting benefits and services for people in the country illegally, while emphasizing different rationales. Gimble centered his response on healthcare strain and emergency room delays, saying rural systems are already fragile and taxpayers deserve clarity on costs.
“So, our health care system is stressed. We’re surrounded in these counties, rural healthcare has gotten some great relief from the state, but still many of them are limping along,” Gimble said.
Cook said he would support proposals that limit services outside emergency care and said enforcement should prioritize people committing crimes. He framed the issue around deciding what services are provided beyond lifestabilizing measures.
“In the absence of an emergency, yeah, absolutely. I would support those,” Cook said.
Schroeder framed the issue as prioritizing Texans for state-funded services and said she supports deportation efforts. She said families are frustrated by long waits for care and rising costs and believes benefits should go to citizens first.
“Texans and Americans first. First, end of story. If you’re illegal, you don’t get any benefits. It comes to us first,” Schroeder said.
In closing, candidates returned to their central themes: experience and relationships in Austin for Cook, a local-government efficiency perspective for Gimble and a promise of vocal advocacy for Schroeder. Each asked voters to trust them as the best messenger for District 22’s priorities.
Early voting for the Republican primary began Feb. 17 and runs through Feb. 27. Election Day is March 3. Early voting will be held at the Erath County Annex II, 222 E. College St. in Stephenville, and at the Dublin Annex, 219 S. Grafton St. in Dublin.