A short, new video is making the rounds online, highlighting a troubling situation in Amarillo, Texas. Recall that in May, Amarillo city councilmembers voted 4-1 “to approve an ordinance authorizing and issuing $260 million in tax and revenue notes to fund the Amarillo Civic Center project.” City hall’s decision sparked outrage because just a short...
Partisans across the nation denounced Republicans during the 2021 debate over election integrity measures for “waging a nationwide assault on voting rights,” and dreaming up policies that were “Jim Crow in a tuxedo.” Unfortunately for the left’s narrative, if there was a vast rightwing conspiracy to suppress votes, then it’s doing a pretty awful job...
Despite assurances from progressive government officials, inflation is and will likely remain America’s most pressing economic issue. Not only has inflation reached a 40 year high of 8.6%, but it is causing the average American household to have to pay $450 dollars more per month for the same goods as last year. To pay for...
American households are under pressure like never before. Thanks to spendthrift politicians in Washington D.C. and unelected central bankers prone to mistakes, the average American is paying more for food, gas, rent, and clothing. In fact, it’s estimated that “the average US household is now paying $450 more per month for the same goods as...
The Harris County Commissioners Court is considering whether to put a $1 billion bond measure on the November ballot to fund a variety of public safety, transportation, and flood control initiatives. This comes on the heels of the Court passing a $2.5 billion bond in 2018 for flood control, and an $850 million bond in...
Local government budgeting season is underway in most areas, which means that it’s time for Texas taxpayers to tell their city, county, and school board officials to adopt lower property tax rates. Much lower, in fact. There are several reasons to press for radically reduced tax rates this year. The most obvious is that people...
Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman once famously derided the idea that government can spend money at nobody’s expense. He cheekily called it: “the free lunch myth.” That’s true even in Tyler, Texas. Friedman’s point—which remains as true today as it was back then—is that government doesn’t have any money of its own, and so every...
Public school superintendents are some of the highest paid public employees in Texas, with some raking in more than $400,000 annually, excluding benefits. Among those at the top end of the pay scale is Arlington ISD’s superintendent who, thanks to a recent contract renewal, saw his annual salary grow from $334,318 in the 2020-21 school...
Soaring property valuations have long been a feature of Texas’ tax landscape. However, this year’s level of increase may be unlike anything we’ve seen before—at least in the Bayou City. On Friday, the Houston Chronicle reported that the average home value had risen by 21% while the average apartment value had grown by 24%. Such...
We should be able keep what we purchase outright. But that’s not the case with real estate in Texas. Even if a mortgage is paid, many homeowners struggle to afford their yearly local property tax bill. This forces too many Texans to lose their homes. And renters who pay more because of skyrocketing property taxes...
What’s the purpose of city government? Most people would probably say that cities exist to police the roads, to fill the potholes, and to put out house fires. But at least some Austin bureaucrats also believe that it’s the city’s role to also teach your kids about sex. Over the weekend, the Austin Public Library...
Earlier this month, the Texas Public Policy Foundation published a new report looking at the heavy burden of property taxes in Texas’ major urban areas. In the report, the authors compare the growth of property tax levies with population and inflation increases in the top 10 most populous cities, counties, and school districts. The facts...