Should Pflugerville citizens be given more power to decide what to do with their own money? City council says absolutely not.
Tuesday night, Pflugerville City Council voted to oppose a new statewide property tax reform currently being proposed at the state Capitol. The reform, called Senate Bill 2, would give citizens more power over their own tax bills.
Here’s how the law would work: if a local government, like Pflugerville City Council, wanted to raise your taxes more than 2.5 percent in a year, they’d simply have to ask your approval first.
That’s it.
Pflugerville City Council voted unanimously to oppose that idea, verbally expressing their disdain and writing a formal declaration against the proposal.
“Something like this would endanger the growth and prosperity the city has,” said council member Rudy Metayer.
The council’s written document said that if they had to ask citizens first for more of their money, it would “rob cities of the ability to meet local needs” and “could represent a loss in vital city services.”
“We’re concerned because of the future and welfare of the city of Pflugerville and the citizens that live in it,” said Mayor Victor Gonzales, “And I think it’s important for us to double down on this issue.”
Current state law allows Pflugerville City Council to freely take up to 8 percent more of citizens’ money per year without their approval, and according to Mayor Gonzales, changing that law to give citizens more power over their own money would make him concerned for the welfare of citizens.
More ironically, right after the city council said that asking citizens for a tax raise somehow means they may not have enough money to pay police and firefighters, the council gave away $105,000 of citizens’ money to a hand-picked local corporation.
Yet despite the council opposing giving citizens more power, threatening to cut police and firefighters if they have to ask citizens for more money, and giving away citizens’ cash as a special favor to a corporation, council member Doug Weiss says the council wants the citizens’ best interest.
“I want to make it very clear to the citizens of Pflugerville that this council, this city, for as long as I’ve been involved, has been committed to reducing the [property tax] burden on the individual homeowner,” said Weiss.
Then why not ask citizens before you take more of their money?
