Whose Property is It?
What to know: An Austin homeowner is being fined nearly $9,000 for having his own trees trimmed.
The TPPF take: Attorneys with TPPF’s Center for the American Future are representing homeowner Michael Petrick in a lawsuit against the city.
“This is exactly the sort of thing that makes housing too expensive in Austin,” says TPPF’s Chance Weldon. “It shouldn’t cost you thousands of dollars every time you engage in harmless yard maintenance.”
For more on the Austin tree case, click here.
Unauthorized Charges
What to know: Keller ISD is on the verge of putting a massive $837 million bond package before voters in November. Those in favor of the massive new debt argue that “a bond is necessary because of the district’s maintenance needs.”
The TPPF take: Using debt to pay for maintenance costs is bad practice and a sign overspending.
“Every ISD in Texas can impose a maintenance and operations (M&O) tax rate with which to pay for upkeep at their campuses. The purpose of this tax rate is, quite literally, in its name. And yet, many school districts push their day-to-day expenses onto the taxpayer credit card in order to keep spending as much as possible. That’s incredibly poor fiscal management and an abuse of taxpayer dollars,” says TPPF’s James Quintero.
For more on local debt, click here.
There Are Movies About This
What to know: An electronic brain-computer interface has allowed a man with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) to communicate again.
The TPPF take: Privacy is a big concern here.
“The rise of neurotechnology exposes precarious gaps in Texas’ existing data privacy policies, leaving citizens vulnerable to the imminent dangers of these devices,” says TPPF’s Lauren Benzon. “Preexisting frameworks, such as Texas Data Privacy and Security Act, are centered around standard digital information, not neural activity, leaving your personal, biological data at risk.”
For more on brain interfaces and privacy, click here.