NEWS
Property Tax Disinformation
One cannot pick up a newspaper without reading shrill complaints from school districts and editorial boards, fretting about their inability to “raise (taxes) and spend locally.” They claim schools are hampered by state law. Nothing could be further from the truth: school districts are welcome to raise taxes and hike spending all they want — they’re just finding a tighter threshold for going to the taxpayers for permission first. And that, of course, really galls the tax-and-spenders.
Teacher Blows Whistle On Fraud
A former Joshua ISD teacher says the middle school library was closed to make room for a book sale profitting the school… so the district could afford a field trip to Six Flags Amusement Park. Um, excuse me, how educational is an amusement park? Oh, never mind… The teacher wants the Texas Education Agency to investiage the district’s finances.
Property Tax Reform
Everywhere I travel I hear the same story: folks struggling to pay oppressive property taxes in a system that is confusing and obfuscated. There is hope that the next legislative session will see strong reforms aimed at empowering taxpayers. One of the fellows leading the charge is my friend, State Rep. Larry Phillips of Sherman.
Lobbying For A Tax Increase
Dallas-Fort Worth area city fathers are looking to take a bigger bite out of your wallet — to fund lobbyists who’ll twist lawmakers arms in Austin to allow those same city fathers to take even bigger bites out of your wallet. The Fort Worth Business Press reports that "three counties, 15 or 20 cities" are willing to spend "substantial money " to hire lobbyists for the legislative session. Their goal? To raise taxes in north Texas.
Give Dallas ISD an”F” for Managing Its Finances
Today’s stunning Dallas Morning News story reveals that Dallas ISD overspent its 2007-08 budget by $64 million and, worse, nobody realized it until just now. The district would be bankrupt were it not for its reserve, which is down to $56 million – half of what a district its size should have.
Smith County Embraces Open Government
Texas is now home to the only TWO counties in the nation opening their books up to taxpayers for real-time review. The first was COllin County, in north Texas. Now comes word that commissioners in east Texas’ Smith County have thrown sunlight on their expenses.
Noriega: More Federal Spending Is Needed For Public Education
According to the Dallas Morning News, State Rep. Rick Noriega who is currently campaigning to take over John Cornyn’s senate seat believes that the Texas education system needs to be overhauled How does he want to achieve this overhaul? He wants to spend more of your tax dollars on the federal level.
Not All Growth Is Good
Poised to kill the goose of Texas’ golden economy are local governments, which are growing at historic levels. My friend Tom Pauken, chairman of Texas’ Workforce Commission, is lamenting this turn of events in an op-ed making the rounds in newspapers around the state.
Accountability is Public Humiliation for Board Members
Texas Rep. Charlie Howard R-Sugar Land crashed Fort Bend ISD’s tax raising party on Monday and did not hold any punches. Howard said he was "disappointed" with the taxing entity’s decision to raise taxes, pointing out that while the school district was raising its property tax rate other taxing jurisdictions, such as Fort Bend County and the city of Sugar Land, were lowering theirs.
Dewhurst’s Ethics
Say what you will about our lieutenant governor, his sense of professional ethics is beyond reproach. I’ve had plenty to say about David Dewhurst’s politics, good and bad, over the years, but snide attacks raised in the press by liberal activists are unconscionable.
Superintendents’ Super-Sized Salaries
As hundreds of Texas school districts insist that they are broke and need to raise taxes, last week the Lake Travis ISD voted to give superintendent Rocky Kirk a $6,000 pay raise. This brings his base salary to $231,520, which does not include numerous benefits.
Plano Voters Want Property Tax Relief
In an online survey Rep. Jerry Madden (R-Plano) is conducting of his constituents, there is overwhelming support for property tax relief. Some 70% of respondents say the surplus should be used for property tax relief.