Housing affordability is an issue top of mind for 9 out of 10 Texans (Adams et al., 2024). Median priced, newly constructed homes are out of reach for 74% of Texas families (Zhao, 2024, p. 8). Local regulations, like restrictions on minimum lot size, account for 20.4% of Texas home prices (King, 2018, para. 8). Senate Bill (SB) 15 seeks to mitigate the soaring cost of housing by prohibiting municipalities from preventing the development of small lots on which starter homes can be built. Eliminating this aspect of municipal government interference promises to help increase the supply of housing and permit market forces to better cater to prospective homebuyers.
Taxes & Spending
These 12 Small & Mid-Sized Cities and Counties are Threatening Huge Tax Hikes
Many small and mid-sized cities and counties are right now considering tax rates that, if ultimately adopted, will result in homeowners paying higher taxes. In some cases, those threatened tax hikes are dramatic. To better understand which Texas taxpayers are in the danger zone, I recently surveyed numerous Notices of Public Hearing on Tax Increase,...
September 14, 2026