Local

Tarrant County Election Board Votes to Use Pre-numbered Ballots
Those in favor say the move is the step in the right direction to securing elections.

City Officials Consider Property Tax Increases and Garbage Fee for Houston Residents
The administration may seek to lift both the city’s local property tax cap and the state-imposed property tax cap in one ballot measure this November.

Montgomery County Adopts Citizen-Led Library Book Review Policy
The new policy puts citizens in charge of determining what taxpayer-funded library materials are appropriate for children and young adults.

New Details Emerge in Conservative Professor’s Free Speech Lawsuit Against UT
Allegations of nepotism, at the university president’s behest, are a reminder of ugly recent history.
Local Archive
Red-Lighting Hypocrisy
Confronted with not getting 100% of the money, the city of Nederland (near Beaumont) is backing out of their red-light camera contract. Seems now that they aren’t getting all the cash (see an earlier post), the city fathers just don’t see the “public safetyâ€...
State Fines Blanco County Taxpayers $80k Over Courthouse Windows
This story shows just how dysfunctional big government can be. The Texas Historical Commission is taking $80k from Blanco County taxpayers because the County, following a hail storm, replaced its wooden courthouse windows with acrylic windows that are virtually...
San Antonio Voters Reject School Tax Increases, Official Doesn’t Get Message
Voters in three out of four San Antonio area school districts rejected Tuesday's proposed tax rate increases from $1.04 to $1.17 per $100 valuation. Now the San Antonio ISD (SAISD) superintendent says voters didn't know what they were doing when they rejected his tax...
Leonard: Bad for Taxpayers
Voters in State House District 97 probably don't need the reminder, but candidate Bob Leonard -- the former rep-turned-lobbyist supported by the grow-government crowd -- has an abysmal record on taxpayer issues. The Texas Legislature has too many faux fiscal...
Corpus Right
I’m really excited about two incredible individuals who will be challenging incumbent Democrats in the 2008 general election. The first is Connie Scott, who will challenge Abel Herrero in HD 34. She is a proven leader, having been engaged in the tort reform movement...
Harris County Republicans Oppose De Facto City of Houston Tax Increase
Houston Mayor Bill White has proposed a mere 1/8 of one percent tax rate decrease, but this would actually result in a large tax increase due to rising appraisal vaues, leading Harris County Republican leaders and activists to demand real relief. Harris County Tax...
The Right Man
One of the taxpayers’ best friends in the Texas Legislature is Bill Zedler, R-Arlington. And that means the grow-government crowd has painted a target on his forehead. Zedler is a staunch defender of conservative ideals, but especially prudent fiscal policy,...
Dallas ISD Trims Central Office Staff, Gets Blowback from Big Spenders
Kudos to Dallas ISD for trimming its central office staff by 163, freeing up money either for classroom instruction or taxpayers. According to Texas Education Agency data we reviewed, Dallas ISD previously had 5 percent more staff per student than Houston ISD.   ...
A Vote For Bob Is A Vote For Higher Taxes
It's not every day that a Republican runs on tax increases, especially tax increases to fund more boondogles. After all, conservative voters -- who tend to make up the bulk of the Republican base -- are rightly suspicious of higher taxes and boondogles. But there is...