Photo: Moment RF
Texans are still eagerly awaiting major property tax relief, especially when it comes to reining in taxes that are imposed by local jurisdictions. Those local tax increases imposed by ISDs have essentially eroded any relief passed by the State.
James Quintero with the Texas Public Policy Foundation says that thankfully, this is something that the state legislature is aware of and working to solve. He said, "This has really prompted lawmakers to reconsider how and why local governments ought to be raising property taxes on the average person."
He went on to say that the root issue here is the constant overspending by these local jurisdictions, necessitating more bonds and tax increases. He said, "We need to stop tinkering around the edges and impose a comprehensive spending limit on our cities, counties, and school districts."
Quintero says that until that spending is under control, anything the legislature does will only have a partial effect. Thankfully, Quintero says there’s still plenty of time to pass a bill that would do just that.
HB 2736, which was authored by State Rep. Briscoe Cain (R-HD128), would do just that. On top of limiting how much local governments can spend, it would also require a supermajority of voters to approve things like new bonds.