Local
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo Faces Another Investigation by Texas Rangers
Hidalgo is accused of using her elected office to participate in political advertising and misusing government property, services, and personnel.
Decision Texas, Houston, Local
Polling Shows State Sen. John Whitmire Still Leads in Houston Mayoral Race
State Sen. John Whitmire is leading U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee 42 percent to 35 percent according to the latest poll.
Why Are DEI Officials in K-12 Schools?
One of Leander ISD’s top officials is a Chief of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Two Districts Join New Alternative to ‘Outmoded’ Texas Association of School Boards
Texans for Excellence in Education announces Carroll ISD and Princeton ISD as its first member districts.
Local Archive
Austin Apparatchiks Have Waste and Nepotism in Store for Taxpayers
For those outside Austin, there have been a flurry of reports lately illustrating why Austin is known as the People's Republic of Travis County. The City Council is considering banning plastic bags from stores and they gave a $750,000 forgivable loan to a...
Got Tax Relief? Not In Houston…
So you think you’re getting tax relief? If you live in Houston, chances are you are not. The school district there are doing everything they can to reach into your family’s pocket-book and exact every last dollar they can.Houston ISD and Cypress-Fairbanks ISD are...
Property Tax Appraisals Skyrocket from Metroplex to Killeen
In Dallas County, total property values are up 16 percent, with about half of that attributable to increases on existing properties, according to a Dallas Morning News report. Although Collin County has not posted 2007 average home values yet, the Dallas Morning News...
Hitchcock and Galveston Engulfed by Rising Tide of Property Taxes
If you've ever been to Hitchcock, which is situated in the shadows of Texas City and its effusive refineries, despite the proximity to the Gulf of Mexico, you might be forgiven for not having thought you were in Palm Beach. Hitchcock may not seem like a ritzy...
Small Businesses Bracing for Burdensome Business Tax
The San Antonio Express-News reports that many small business owners around the state are facing huge bills due under the new state gross receipts tax which starts in 2007, with the first payment to the state due by May 2008. The article notes that many firms are...
What Wine Goes Best With Pork-Fat?
The Texas Department of Agriculture will this Sunday serve up a heain' helpin' of taxpayer dollars as the chief sponsor of an artsy "wine dinner" in Austin. Were you invited? Me, either... The event benefits the Texas Wine & Food Foundation, an Austin non-profit...
Dallas Shopping Centers Ring Up Lawsuit Against Apprisal District
According to a Dallas Business Journal article , the owners of several Dallas-area shopping centers, including Highland Park Village and Preston Trail Plaza, are suing the Dallas Central Appraisal District and the Dallas Appraisal Review Board, saying the method the...
Too Much Dust, Not Enough Results
Besides just bad philosophy, one of the worst contributors to government growth is our misplaced emphasis on defining success by activity. When you stand on the plains and look to the horizon, a great cloud of dust can be either an army purposefully on the move, or a...
Texas Hotel Taxes Enough to Make You Lose Sleep
Found this revealing tidbit on the Austin American-Statesman's entertainment pages: Those hotel occupancy taxes in Texas’ big cities are so high they’ll give you a nosebleed. Example: My $279 stay at the lovely Granduca Hotel in Houston a few days ago...