Each year, there are two customary opportunities for local governments to ask you to pay for more debt. And for those 5-8% of voters who chose to vote in May’s local elections, you may have already seen propositions this year. In fact, over 85% of May’s $7 billion in...
Our state’s largest city is in trouble. Rising pension costs, debt service payments, and labor costs are driving a projected budget deficit for the Bayou City. Judging by the agenda of recent city council meetings, onlookers would be unlikely to see this problem or...
Spring means it’s bond season in Texas. May brings warmer weather and the opportunity to further indenture our posterity with wasteful school debt. For advocates of responsible financial stewardship by school districts, it is frustrating to see measures increasing...
Historically, turnout in Texas’ political primaries has languished in the single-digits. The 2014 cycle was no different, even with hotly contested Republican primary races. Less than eight percent of registered voters weighed in across our state’s largest counties....
Individual taxpayers are often placed at a disadvantage when it comes to weighing in on state and local policy decisions. Perhaps it’s because, in addition to single-digit voter turnout, big government programs often target a minority of beneficiaries at the expense...
The Texas Public Policy Foundation recently highlighted Frisco ISD’s bond proposal, set to appear on May’s local ballot. The brief paper is appropriately titled, “A Profile in Runaway Debt: Frisco ISD's $775 Million Bond Proposal”. Not only did their analysis...
Historically, turnout in Texas’ political primaries has languished in the single-digits. Considering that many races from within each party are uncontested, it’s somewhat understandable. But countless, hotly contested Republican races this March still failed to...
In the last three years, the average salary of administrators has increased $4,300 while teacher’s pay has decreased $900.
You wouldn’t think that a Water Board could cause so many problems for Texans. Perhaps that's precisely why, much like rebellious toddlers, some public officials at TRWD insist on overstepping the legal boundaries designed to hold them accountable. We’ve already...
We recently criticized the state for creating a hopelessly complex information maze that keeps unsuspecting Texans in the dark, and enables local officials to further fuel their borrowing addiction. The State Comptroller’s office, headed by transparency champion Susan...