Local Texas Government Debt

July 31, 2025

Jorge Borrego

Jorge Borrego is a Post-Secondary Education Policy Analyst for the Next Generation Texas initiative at the Texas Public Policy Foundation.

Prior to joining the Foundation, Borrego was a Legislative Director at the Texas House of Representatives. He also worked in the Nonprofit Sector, working for the Down Syndrome Association of Brazos Valley. Where he worked as an Event Coordinator, Data Administrator, and Policy Administrator. He is currently serving as the Treasurer on the organization’s Board of Directors.

Local Texas governments are drowning in debt – to find out exactly how much, put your address into the map below. For mobile, please click here.

Liberty Action Agenda

The Liberty Action Agenda is a set of critical reforms that must be made to promote and defend liberty, personal responsibility, and free enterprise in Texas. To ensure the flourishing of Texans during the next quarter-century, we must work now toward these bold policy proposals that embody the Texas ideal.  FULL CAMPAIGN AGENDAS Taxpayer Protection Project | Government Reform and Oversight Coalition |...

January 19, 2026

Local Government

Texas Local Government Debt Soars to $552 Billion

New data shows a dramatic increase in local government debt last year, which drove property taxes higher and worsened the cost-of-living crisis. According to the Bond Review Board’s latest estimates, the total amount owed by cities, counties, school districts, and special districts rose to nearly $552 billion in fiscal year (FY) 2025. Shockingly, that massive sum is more than $52 billion higher than the prior year’s amount. Once again, independent school districts (ISDs) were the most heavily indebted type of political subdivision,...

January 28, 2026

Taxes & Spending

Assessing Tax Trends in Hidalgo County

Does history suggest that property taxes are too high in Hidalgo County? And, if so, have local decision-makers actively helped or hurt the situation? To help answer these questions, let’s review the county’s 2023 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) and gather four types of data—i.e., tax levies, local population, total tax rates, and taxable values—over a 10-year time horizon. Using...

March 9, 2026

Jorge Borrego

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Liberty Action Agenda

Texas Local Government Debt Soars to $552 Billion

Assessing Tax Trends in Hidalgo County