Harris County officials seem to have developed a bad habit of violating state law. After launching a likely unconstitutional welfare program last month, county officials this month could be in hot water for politicking on the public dime. According to sources online, the Harris County Clerk’s office has been circulating the image below, which at...
The city of Garland’s property tax is skyrocketing, especially as compared to basic economic measures, like population and inflation. According to its latest available Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR), the city’s property tax levy rose from $70,801,851 in 2013 to $138,853,429 in 2022, equating to a 96.1% spike in monies to the government (see pg....
The city of Irving’s property tax is growing quickly, causing some observers to wonder why. According to its latest available Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR), the city’s property tax levy rose from $103,633,782 in 2013 to $187,488,649 in 2022, representing an 80.9% spike over 10 years (see pg. 186 of the ACFR). That high rate...
A city manager in Bozeman, Montana is in hot water after publicly slamming the city of Austin and the prospect of taking a job there. Perhaps most shocking of all, the now-suspended city manager claimed that the position came with a base salary of $475,000 plus “ the car allowance, the housing allowance, all the...
Property taxes imposed by the city of Laredo are growing faster than many people would consider reasonable. According to its latest available Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR), the amount of property tax monies sought by the city rose from $67,621,015 in 2013 to $99,359,198 in 2022, representing a 46.9% hike in the levy (see pg....
Last year, the Texas Legislature passed a limited disannexation measure, House Bill 3053, that allows people unfairly captured by large cities during a particular time period to hold an election on the question of staying or leaving municipal control. The law was passed after concerns were raised that some cities had accelerated their involuntary annexation...
Pilot basic income programs in the forms of UBI (Universal Basic Income) and guaranteed income are popping up all around the country, including Texas. It is generally assumed that these programs are used as tests to determine whether governments should implement permanent UBI programs. Advocates for UBI often use pilot programs to back their claim...
A controversial new video is making the rounds online, arousing anger from many Texas taxpayers who can’t seem to keep up with the cost of government. In the nearly 20-minute long clip, the now-suspended city manager for Bozeman, Montana discusses “a potential job opportunity in Austin” as its next city manager. But he apparently didn’t...
No matter what the corporate media says, it’s a fact that many Americans are hanging on by a thread today. And it’s no wonder why. Under the Biden administration, the cost of gas, groceries, and rent has soared. Mass layoffs have become increasingly common. And high rates of inflation continue to erode savings, disposable income,...
The city of Austin once again made national news for all the wrong reasons. On Monday, Fox News reported that the city’s Parks and Recreation Department (PARD) “invited employees to racially segregated ‘anti-racist’ meetings where ‘white folks’ were asked not to attend a meeting that was only for ‘people of color.’” Soon after Austin’s race-based...
The environmental activists are at it again. On Monday, a group of anti-growth activists, known as Rethink I-35, filed a lawsuit seeking to stop the Texas Department of Transportation’s “planned expansion of Interstate 35 through central Austin,” which is intended to help alleviate massive traffic congestion. According to the Texas A&M’s Transportation Institute (TTI), “the...
During last year’s parental empowerment debate, many Texas ISDs got politically active and used government resources to rally the public against legislative proposals, going so far as to say: “We must let our legislators know that we stand behind them and expect them to vote NO on vouchers.” “…fund public schools fully before diverting dollars...