State Tax Policy: The Why & What of Econometric Models

March 1, 2002

Assessing Tax Trends in the City of Ft. Worth

Does history suggest that property taxes are too high in the city of Ft. Worth? And, if so, have local decision-makers actively helped or hurt the situation? To help answer these questions, let’s review the city’s 2024 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) and gather four types of data—i.e., tax levies, local population, total tax rates, and taxable values—over a 10-year time horizon. Using these audited estimates, we can gauge the growth of government (i.e., tax levy trends), assess its...

February 19, 2026

Taxes & Spending

Supermajority Solutions for Texas Taxpayers

Texas bond elections often pass with low voter turnout and simple majorities, driving up local debt as a result. Raising voter approval thresholds could protect taxpayers and ensure a stronger consensus for public spending. Key points: Even though tax relief has been funded at the state level, increased debt at the local level has led...

February 3, 2026

Energy & Environment

Fool Me Twice: Why the Texas Grid is Still Vulnerable to Winter Storms | Part 3: How Texas Can Solve Its Winter Reliability Problem

Part 3: How Texas Can Solve Its Winter Reliability Problem Five years after Winter Storm Uri, the ERCOT grid is still not ready for the next major winter storm. The first two installments of this series showed that demand has grown more than 20% since 2021 while firm generation capacity has barely budged, and the...

February 12, 2026

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Assessing Tax Trends in the City of Ft. Worth

Supermajority Solutions for Texas Taxpayers

Fool Me Twice: Why the Texas Grid is Still Vulnerable to Winter Storms | Part 3: How Texas Can Solve Its Winter Reliability Problem