The Latest
Seven Indicted in Houston Public Corruption Scheme
Mayor John Whitmire vowed to work with any agency to identify and remove corruption as his administration moves forward.
Former Texas Teacher Gets 30 Years in Prison for Producing Child Porn
Authorities found Snapchat videos of Sonya Murillo performing sexual acts on a prepubescent child.
Majority of House Republicans Rebuke Phelan Policy & Say ‘No’ to Democrat Chairs
The move is a blow to current Speaker Dade Phelan, who said he will not waver from placing Democrats in leadership positions.
Texas Supreme Court Rules State Abortion Ban Is Constitutional
The Court unanimously agreed to vacate the trial court’s injunction of the law.
The Archive
Texas’ Property Tax System Encourages Waste
Texas’ property tax system is in need of a serious overhaul. Not only does the Lone Star State have the nation's 14th most burdensome property tax system, but the system also creates perverse incentives for local officials to overtax, spend and borrow. Officials have...
Collin County Officials Poised to Fight Rising Tax Burdens
Due to rapidly rising property values, Collin County residents are facing the threat of a higher county property tax bill unless officials significantly reduce tax rates. With enough reserve funds saved to support nearly a full year of county government operations...
Midland Taxpayers Say ‘Stop It’
Nearly 700 taxpayers in Midland County have spoken out against a massive tax hike proposal. Will county commissioners listen? Our West Texas bureau correspondent Lauren Lawson hand-delivered the petitions today for County Judge Mike Bradford and the commissioners to...
Lame Duck Defends Rogue Agency
As a lame duck legislator who chose to retire, rather than be retired by his citizens, Austin lobby-lackey John Otto (R-Dayton) is ignobly leaving office by advocating for a rogue state agency. As Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, State Rep. Otto has...
Dallas-Area Legislators Ignored by “Inaccurate” DMN
Dallas-area state legislators recently penned a response to a Dallas Morning News editorial alleging it contained “misguided and inaccurate” information and made “erroneous” claims about the mayor of Irving. The DMN has a long history of reports that have criticized...
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...