Tax cut erosion is a major concern around the state. Since 2019, the Texas Legislature has committed substantial resources toward reducing property tax bills through twin strategies: compressing school district maintenance and operations (M&O) tax rates1 and increasing the residence homestead exemption. However, the Legislature’s tax relief efforts have largely been frustrated by the excesses of local government, which commonly take the form of aggressive rate hikes, frequent voter-approval tax rate elections (VATREs), large and costly bond propositions, and the abuse of certificates of obligation (COs).
Local Government
Who Were Austin’s Highest Paid Public Employees in 2025?
Last month, the Austin American-Statesman launched an interesting new city salary database that shines a light on the “top-paid city of Austin employees of 2025.” The new details are quite interesting, especially given the city’s own recent admission that “Austin is experiencing a housing affordability crisis”—which is, of course, chiefly driven by government action. Using this tool, it’s obvious that city workers have become numerous and well-compensated. As the Statesman itself notes: “The city of Austin employed 13,567 full-time workers...
March 27, 2026