According to the Housing Reports conducted by the Texas Comptroller’s Office, one of the leading causes of the housing affordability crisis is a matter of supply. Zoning regulations in many major metropolitan areas
have created an artificial scarcity of houses, which in turn drives up the costs of housing. With this in mind, in order to solve the housing affordability crisis without pouring billions of dollars into subsidized housing, unnecessary zoning restrictions must be removed. Eliminating these restrictions will create opportunities for developers to respond to the real demand of consumers. SB 854 is one of a series of bills filed in the 89th legislative session aimed at prohibiting municipalities from
adopting zoning regulations that would throttle the development of housing. Specifically, SB 854 would prohibit cities from adopting ordinances that would prohibit the development of housing on religious land.
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