Local governments appealed to Texas voters seeking lots of new debt this election cycle. According to The Texan: “Eighty-one localities have placed 149 different bond issues before their constituents on ballots across Texas, totaling nearly $11 billion.” For better or worse, voters approved a great deal of it. But not every bond proposition passed. In...
This November, Texas voters will be asked to make up their minds about 8 constitutional amendments that cover a wide range of issues, including: religious freedom, running for office, property taxes, and more. Here’s a little more detail on each. Proposition 1 (HJR 143): The constitutional amendment authorizing the professional sports team charitable foundations of...
On Monday, Dripping Springs ISD, a small school district just west of Austin, formally adopted its tax rate and set in motion a major tax increase. On a vote of 6-1, the DSISD board approved a total tax rate of $1.3103 per $100 of assessed value (M&O rate: $0.9603 per $100 of value/I&S rate: $0.35...
The Texas Association of School Boards (TASB), a publicly-funded pro education establishment group, made an unusual change to its mission statement that raises an interesting question. Over the weekend, TASB added a new charge to its statement of beliefs, according to Austin ISD trustee Lynn Boswell, that targets the latest cause de jour: systemic racism....
“That government is best which governs least.” If we as conservatives believe this, then we should all be watching closely what happens in the Woodlands, a vibrant, growing township near Houston, Texas. With a population of more than 100,000 now, the Woodlands began as a master-planned community envisioned by Texas magnate George P. Mitchell. Much...
Public school superintendents are some of the highest paid government employees in Texas, oftentimes raking in several times what other top officials earn, like the governor. Their enormous pay is outsized when compared to national standards too. From the University of Texas at Arlington: “In the United States, the average annual salary of a school...
A shocking number of Texas public school districts are in open violation of the governor’s executive order prohibiting mask and vaccine mandates. According to the Texas Attorney General’s office, 109 school districts are either out of compliance, in active litigation, or have just had a lawsuit filed against them for violating the governor’s EO which...
Austin ISD, the largest government-run school district in Central Texas, has just proposed a big tax increase despite shrinking enrollment and overstuffed coffers brimming with federal aid. The move, which comes at a time when area food banks are “still seeing high demand,” has left many Austinites understandably frustrated. On Monday, the Austin American-Statesman reported...
It happens on the first Tuesday of every month. Bidders gather at the west entrance steps of the Smith County Courthouse, looking for bargains. At 10 a.m., the sales commence—properties are auctioned off to pay the taxes owed on them. Some are vacant lots and some are homes. All were seized from their owners over...
During the 87th Legislature’s regular session, state lawmakers considered multiple bills on extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) reform. While some of the more ambitious proposals—like House Bill 2573 and Senate Bill 1992—did not survive the process, one good piece of legislation—Senate Bill 1168—was indeed signed into law last month by the Gov. Greg Abbott. The bill represents...
Earlier this week, the Texas Freedom Caucus sent a letter to Gov. Greg Abbott asking that eight conservative priorities be added to the next special session’s agenda. Among the items urged was a ban on taxpayer-funded lobbying, which is perhaps the single most important item mentioned. Here’s why. Local governments spend big to hire lobbyists...
Famed civil rights icon Booker T. Washington once observed that “…there is a certain class of race-problem solvers who don’t want the patient to get well, because as long as the disease holds out they have not only an easy means of making a living, but also an easy medium through which to make themselves...