The Latest
UT’s Civitas Institute Hosts Discussion on How America Became ‘Family Unfriendly’
The discussion included consideration of several different factors hampering the formation of families.
A First: Texans to Elect Appraisal District Directors in May
Voters in Texas counties with a population of 75,000 or more will elect three new members to their appraisal district board of directors.
Harris County Audit Finds Purchasing Issues
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo wants to move vendor contracting authority after a new report from the County Auditor highlighted several long-running issues.
Texas Taxpayers Continue to Fund Sky-high Superintendent Salaries
A total of 89 top school administrators take home salaries of $300,000 or more.
The Archive
Houston-area Bond Rundown
As the ballot submission date has now closed, commissioners’ courts and school board trustees have brazenly put forth their bond referendums for voter approval this fall. Many of these projects are a prime example of the need for increased ballot transparency. While...
Midland County Proposes Massive Tax Increase
At a time when taxpayers are likely to be cutting back during an economic downturn, Midland County commissioners want to raise property tax rates by 11%; or 9% higher than the effective tax rate. On August 10th, Midland County Commissioners proposed increasing the tax...
Houston’s Top Politicians Dodge Accountability
Finally breaking their silence, Houston Mayor Annise Parker and Controller Ron Green publicly responded to a damning article published by the Houston Business Journal (HBJ) which detailed the true extent of Houston’s fiscal disaster created by its politicians. Instead...
Another Midland Tax Increase Bites the Dust
Siding with taxpayers, Midland Memorial Hospital leaders announced Wednesday that they have revised their 2016 tax rate proposal. Instead of increasing their tax rate by 5%, the hospital will adopt the effective tax rate of $0.1198 per $100 valuation. This will...
Houston Metro Understates Expansion Cost
After much planning the Metropolitan Transportation Authority of Harris County (Metro) has finally completed its $10 million network overhaul. Although the change didn’t come gradually, riders were surprised with a new bus and rail line overnight on Sunday, August...
Wallace Hall Says Straus ‘Came After Me To Make An Example’
When University of Texas Regent Wallace Hall uncovered abuse of the admissions process at the Austin campus, he was ruthlessly attacked by powerful members of the legislature and threatened with both impeachment and criminal investigation. Now, Hall is speaking out,...
Another Blow to Parker’s ERO
Adding to the list of continuous blows to Houston Mayor Annise Parker’s controversial Equal Rights Ordinance, the Supreme Court of Texas issued another opinion today rejecting Parker’s choice of ballot language, claiming it conflicts with the city’s own laws. Parker...
Byron Cook’s Illegal Immigration Interference: Part Two
State Rep. Byron Cook (R-Corsicana) has previously been exposed for killing meaningful illegal immigration reforms while simultaneously allowing himself and his allies to escape the responsibility. However, as chairman of the powerful House State Affairs committee,...
Midland Hospital Proposes Tax Hike
Despite the fact that residents are already faced with higher overall tax burdens from rising home values, the Midland Hospital Board recently proposed a property tax rate increase that will further burden local taxpayers. The proposal was passed in a split 3-2 vote....