This report discusses fiscal 2015, the most recent year for which data is available, in which local debt outstanding, or the amount of unpaid principal on debt owed by Texas’ political subdivisions, grew to an estimated $212.4 billion, “an increase of $20.09 billion (10.4 percent) over the past several years” (Texas Bond Review Board, 2). To help rein in the growth of local government debt, state legislators should require political subdivisions to provide voters with more information at the ballot box for each new debt proposition.
Assessing Tax Trends in Fort Bend County
Does history suggest that property taxes are too high in Fort Bend 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 2024 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...