Last week, Central Health, Travis County’s hospital district, presented its Fiscal Year 2024 budget to the Travis County Commissioners Court. Under the proposed budget, the health care district would spend $744 million in total, “an increase from 2023’s $628.5 million.” That’s nearly a 20% increase year-over-year. To support all the new spending, it’s seeking a...
UPDATE: The city of Austin has announced it will postpone the tree’s removal while it “reviews additional considerations.” The Celebration of Life has also been postponed. Every once in a while, the city of Austin does something so batty that you have to do a double take. Like the time its Equity Office proposed renaming...
Dallas County, the second most populous county in Texas, is threatening taxpayers with a double-digit tax hike. On Sept. 12, county commissioners will convene a special meeting to discuss next year’s tax rate, which is proposed at $0.215718 per $100 of value. If adopted, the proposed rate would mark a very minor decrease of 1%...
The city of Bryan looks like it will soon hammer homeowners and businesses with a major tax increase. On Tuesday, the Bryan City Council gave its unanimous approval to a $503.7 million budget for fiscal year 2024, which begins on Oct. 1. To support all of this spending, city council also considered and preliminarily approved...
On Sept. 12, the Kerrville City Council is expected to meet and consider adopting a tax rate for the upcoming fiscal year. And if city hall decides to move forward with what’s been proposed, then the average homeowner could see an almost double-digit increase in city taxes. According to its Notice of Public Hearing on...
Earlier today, a Travis County district court judge found in favor of several left-leaning cities and deemed unconstitutional House Bill 2127, an ambitious new law aimed at stopping the progressive agenda using a concept known as “field preemption.” While the court’s rationale was not entirely clear, the judge was seemingly persuaded by the city of...
The city of Fort Worth may soon raise taxes on residents, despite just publishing a study aimed at tackling its brewing affordability crisis. According to the city’s Notice of Public Hearing on Tax Increase, a public hearing is set for Tuesday, September 19, 2023 to discuss its proposed tax rate for the upcoming fiscal year....
The city of Killeen may soon hit homeowners with a double-digit tax increase. According to the city’s Notice of Public Hearing on Tax Increase, if the proposed tax rate is adopted, then the owner of an approximately $200,000 could see their city taxes rise from $1,122 per year to $1,254 per year. If it happens,...
Is the city of Denton preparing to hit homeowners with a big-time tax increase? It certainly looks that way. According to the city’s recently-published Notice of Public Hearing on Tax Increase, councilmembers will soon consider the adoption of a tax rate set at $0.565682 per $100 of value, which is a slight increase over last...
Central Texas taxpayers may be funding far-left political causes, whether they like it or not. Earlier this month, officials at Austin ISD, a large-but-shrinking public school district in Texas’ capital city, invited staff, students, and families “to represent Austin ISD in the annual Austin Pride Parade.” And to help get revelers to and from the...
Public school districts in Texas are home to some of the most expensive and extravagant stadiums in the nation. In fact, many have spared no expense to construct publicly-funded palaces. And now, one media outlet is cataloguing exactly where these facilities are located and what they cost to build. They also make an interesting observation...
On Monday, trustees at Prosper ISD, a relatively small but growing school district north of Dallas, agreed to present voters with a massive new bond package in November. The district’s proposal is so large, in fact, that it practically dwarfs all others this election cycle. In total, Prosper ISD officials want voters to approve four...