The Shape of Things to Come

What to Know: “Local control” is likely to be a big topic of debate in the newly convened Legislature.

“The beauty of local control is in the eye of the beholder,” writes Mitchell Schnurman in the Dallas Morning News. “Statewide leaders warn about the threat from ‘a patchwork of local laws,’ saying it would slow business growth. That’s the rationale for prohibiting large cities from increasing the minimum wage for employers, requiring paid sick time or limiting fracking in certain areas. In this year’s Lege, property taxes are likely to be the No. 1 fight over local control. Statewide leaders will push to lower the cap on annual tax increases, which have been climbing along with home values. But capping tax revenue poses a major threat to fast-growing cities that must invest in schools, roads and other infrastructure.”

The TPPF Take: The only “threat” here is to property owners, who are facing skyrocketing tax bills.

“Caps on tax increases don’t prevent tax hikes, they merely require the taxing entity to get voter approval first,” says TPPF’s James Quintero. “Putting power back into the hands of voters to decide on excessive tax increases shouldn’t be controversial.”

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