New data from the Bond Review Board (BRB) shows an alarming increase in Texas local debt. In fact, according to BRB’s latest estimates, which were secured using a Public Information Act request, the total amount owed by cities, counties, school districts, and special districts grew to a combined $499.7 billion in fiscal year (FY) 2024....
On Tuesday, the Dallas Morning News’ editorial board shared a bit of bad news about Coppell ISD (CISD), a public school district located in the suburbs of north Dallas. According to the write-up: “Coppell school board members got a hard pill to swallow when their demographer projected lower-than-expected enrollment numbers for the next decade…[CISD] has...
Are Brownsville-area governments treating taxpayers well? To answer that question, I recently gathered data from several different sources—including the U.S. Census Bureau’s Population Estimates; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index; Texas Comptroller of Public Account’s Tax Rates and Levies; and Texas Education Agency’s Student Enrollment Reports—to determine the 5-year growth rate of population...
A new poll conducted by Baselice and Associates suggests that the public strongly supports regulatory reform and rightsizing Texas’ administrative state. The poll, which surveyed 801 voters from November 25 to December 2, 2024, illuminates public sentiment in 3 areas: ensuring clear and easily accessible rules; establishing objective and transparent reviews; and enabling modern and...
Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines a wake-up call as: “something that serves to alert a person to a problem, danger, or need.” That is a fitting descriptor for the situation in Willis, Texas, a small city located in north central Montgomery County. Earlier this month, the town’s chief school district—Willis ISD (enrollment: 8,974)—approached voters with a $115.4...
Cities, counties, school districts, and special districts pestered voters to approve massive amounts of new debt this election cycle—and in many cases, the spenders found success. According to newly released data from the Bond Review Board (BRB), voters statewide were asked to decide on 195 separate bond propositions seeking to fund everything from athletic facilities...
Local government officials are leaning more heavily on nonvoter-approved debt instruments, like certificates of obligation (COs), than in years past. As a result, voters are increasingly denied the opportunity to voice their support or opposition to various capital projects and taxpayers are bearing a heavier burden without consent. For anyone unfamiliar with the CO concept,...
We’re nearing the end of the voting season for this year, and now more than ever it’s important to demand clarity in what we’re voting for when it comes to Voter-Approval Tax Rate Elections—VATREs. VATREs are what local governments—like school districts, special purpose districts, and cities—use to ask the public for huge tax hikes. Today,...
In 2023, the Texas Legislature passed historic property tax relief that was intended to cut the average homeowner’s tax bill by roughly $1,300 per year. Unfortunately, tax-and-spend local governments have eroded much of those anticipated savings through rate hikes, bond elections, and a special type of tax increase election known as a Voter-Approval Tax Rate...
Everything is bigger in Texas—including government debt. According to the Bond Review Board’s latest local government annual report, Texas’ state-local debt totaled nearly $325 billion (principal only) in 2021, which was the 4th highest among the top ten most populous states. On a per capita basis, Texas governments have borrowed so much that every man,...
The true cost of government debt is often understated. Case-in-point: Houston ISD’s “record-breaking” $4.4 billion bond package. To date, most of the media coverage surrounding HISD’s astronomical ask has focused on the principal amount alone, i.e., the $4.4 billion figure. However, as a recent Houston Chronicle article reminds, repaying government debt involves more than just...
Recently, former President Trump floated the idea of creating “a government efficiency commission a federal commission to audit the entire federal government.” And even better, he suggested putting Elon Musk in charge of the commission, saying he is a great “cost-cutter.” Unleashing a commission of this nature on the federal government, led by a titan...