James Quintero is the policy director for the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Government for the People campaign. Since joining the Foundation in 2008, Quintero has focused extensively on: state & local government spending, taxes, debt, public pension reform, annexation, and local regulations.
Does history suggest that property taxes are too high in El Paso 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...
Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says he now has the votes—76 in the Texas House—to pass a universal school choice bill, a goal of Lone Star State governors since Rick Perry. The Senate has already passed one. Why did it take so long to get this far? It should be no surprise that Friday night lights...
City and county spending has outpaced growth in population and inflation, leading to an increase in the tax burden on Texan taxpayers. Key points: Local government spending continues to outstrip increases in both population and inflation. From 2014 to 2023, local government spending rose by 61.2%, whereas population and inflation increased by only 42.7%. Elevated...