The fight for property tax reform in the Texas Legislature has officially begun, with a hearing scheduled for the Senate Committee on Property Tax scheduled for Wednesday, February 6.
After identical property tax reform legislation was filed in the House and Senate, State Sen. Paul Bettencourt (R–Houston) indicated that the newly-formed Committee on Property Tax would soon get to work on finalizing the bill before putting it before the entire Senate.
Senate Bill 2, and its companion House Bill 2, seeks to slow the growth of skyrocketing property taxes by implementing mandatory rollback elections, lowering the rollback rate to 2.5%, and other efforts designed to increase transparency for taxpayers.
Though the committee is scheduled to meet at 8 am, public testimony will begin no earlier than 12:30 pm according to Bettencourt’s office.
During a joint press conference yesterday with Gov. Greg Abbott and Speaker Dennis Bonnen, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said, “I am hoping that the counties and the cities and the school districts come in and support their taxpayers. We have been stopped time after time in the past by a total resistance to reform.”
Once again taxpayer-funded lobbyists have voiced their opposition to the proposal and are expected to try to fill the room and stack testimony.
Taxpayers, however, will have the opportunity to fight against the professional Austin lobby by showing up on Wednesday and demanding reform.
