Of late, several Texas cities and counties have established guaranteed income programs (GIPs), which employ redistributive means to provide regular cash payments to select members of a community,
with no strings attached and no work requirement. These publicly-administered programs tend to be “organized around the principles of collectivism, social justice, and government control” (Quintero & Kirwin, 2024, p. 2). Despite certain constitutional and statutory limitations, numerous Texas cities and counties have attempted to establish these types of programs, including the cities of Austin and San Antonio, as well as El Paso and Harris counties.
Assessing Tax Trends in Denton County
Does history suggest that property taxes are too high in Denton County? And, if so, have local decision-makers actively helped or hurt the situation? To help answer these questions, let’s review the county’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....