Midland City Council voted last week to move forward with a schematic design option for the new Midland Center – an event venue downtown. While numbers are subject to change, the favored design option would cost approximately $42.3 million in hotel occupancy tax dollars and would hike the city debt to nearly $200 million.
Katy ISD’s 12,000 sq. ft., $61 million football stadium is a primes case for bond reform. Taxpayers only had the option of an all or nothing package.
The Midland City Council will be voting Tuesday on whether to take the first step in authorizing roughly $22.4 million in new city debt via Certificates of Obligation (CO), which do not require voter approval, and should typically be used in emergency circumstances...
It’s widely known that city officials’ funny numbers understate debt costs in the Bayou City. Continuing the dissection of the pension problem, it's important look at how officials use inflated projected returns on investment (ROI) to understate pension debt. When...
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...
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....
School debt would skyrocket in Highland Park from $18,700 per student to more than $93,000 per student if school officials have their way. Highland Park ISD board members are pushing a new $361 million debt proposal that, if approved by voters, would dramatically...
With the legislative session in full swing, Texans will soon face a barrage of political propaganda disguised with “conservative-sounding” messaging designed to sell them on anti-taxpayer policies. One of the most prominent will be the effort by state and local...
While the grassroots may disagree on the means from time to time, the end goal of the conservative movement remains the same: put government in its proper size and role in order to ensure that individual liberty is maximized. That includes our state government, where...
At a Special Meeting on January 22nd, Houston ISD Board Members were delivered an unpromising update from the bond department on the status of their 2012 bond program and ongoing projects. The report notified board members that after asking Houston voters to approve...