Texas’ public employees deserve a safe and secure retirement, but many are instead faced with uncertainty as some of the state’s biggest public retirement systems deal with problems brought on by years of habitual overpromising and underfunding.
Public pension reform should be a high-priority for the next legislature, for both the sake of retirees and taxpayers. Alarming new data shows that Texas’ public retirement systems are not faring well. The Pension Review Board (PRB) is out with a new report, Actuarial Valuations Report for November 2016, pegging public pension debt at more...
In the haste to regulate something they don’t understand, local officials are violating people’s constitutional rights.
Certificates of Obligation, or COs, let local governments issue debt without voter approval. They are supposed to give officials a way to cope with emergencies, like natural disasters; but, as I’ve argued in the past, COs are increasingly used as a way for officials to spend on feel-good projects or things that voters would never...
The city of Amarillo wants voters to approve a big new bond package — but is it really needed or are officials confusing wants with needs?
The growing gap between the pension promises being made and the money on hand to make good on those promises is one of Texas’ most pressing problems, as already evidenced in places like Houston and Dallas. Inaction is quickly becoming a luxury the state doesn’t have.
It’s hard to see how splash pads and waterslides are going to lay a foundation for the future, unless it’s one filled with sky-high debt and taxes.
So not only is the city spending big, but it’s also spending badly. And that shouldn’t sit well with anyone in Austin.
The restoration of local control can allow for fiscally healthy retirement plans for hard-working Texans.
The Texas Attorney General filed a lawsuit against the city of Brownsville yesterday contending that its $1 environmental fee on plastic bags and other non-reusable types stands in violation of existing state law—an argument advanced by many, including then-Attorney General Greg Abbott, 20 current members of the Texas Legislature, the Fourth Court of Appeals, and the Texas Public Policy Foundation.
James Quintero presented before the House Committee on Elections on Interim Charge #3 regarding "Improving Debt Transparency in Bond Elections".
How can policymakers rectify Texas’ multibillion dollar public pension problem while keeping the promise to care for the Lone Star State’s public servants? Look to local control.