Now officially running for a 4th term, Governor Greg Abbott says that cutting property taxes is his top priority. It's a multi-pronged approach, but what exactly can he get done?
"The biggest is a push to eliminate property taxes over a certain period of time" said James Quintero, policy director with the Texas Public Policy Foundation.
The Governor wants a constitutional amendment to officially eliminate local school property taxes, while also requiring two thirds of voters to approve any tax increases.
"What appears likely is that the next Texas legislature will focus on imposing strict fiscal rules on cities, counties, and school districts" Quintero told KTRH, which is something that is long overdue, and really at the heart of the problem.
"The Governor is all in on tax relief" noted Quintero, "And the goal is to make sure that when the legislature cuts taxes, local governments don't immediately erode that tax relief through rate hikes and bond elections."
During his re-election kick off in Houston, Abbott told the crowd, “Voters in Texas should have the ability to vote on a constitutional amendment abolishing the school district property tax in Texas,” while also adding that homes should be appraised every five years instead of annually. Abbott also said he wants to cap property value appraisals.
Photo: Brandon Bell / Getty Images News / Getty Images