With the primaries concluded, it is time to turn our attention to the next legislative session. The primary results yielded few surprises. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick retains a strong grip on the Senate, and Speaker Dade Phelan will continue his leadership of the House of Representatives.
My last two columns discussed the interim charges issued by Lt. Gov. Patrick and Speaker Phelan. Committee hearings are being scheduled on these issues. However, with public testimony limited to 2 minutes, there is very little opportunity for meaningful discussion in these hearings. We will submit written testimony on behalf of the County Judges and Commissioners Association of Texas. You may also wish to submit written testimony with a copy to your senator and representative and me. Personal contact with your legislators before the legislative session in January will be critically important.
Our greatest legislative challenge is overcoming the heavy influence of special interest groups who finance legislative campaigns. This is particularly true concerning the attempt to pass legislation to silence the collective voice of county officials. This legislation would deny all access by county associations and require personal expenditures by county officials for legislative communication. Since it passed the Senate during the last session, we expect another strenuous effort by special interest groups to prevent effective legislative communications by county officials.
To withstand the continuing campaign to reduce or eliminate local decision-making, we must consolidate our voices and present a united front to the legislature. There will be disagreements among county officials on other issues, but we must all reinforce our determination to maintain decision-making authority at the local level. Whenever possible, policies should be determined at the local level, not in Austin. This is particularly true of budget and tax matters. State unfunded mandates are a disguised property tax increase and should be prohibited in the Texas Constitution. The corrupt appraisal system should be reformed to provide fairness to homeowners and remove the large property owner loopholes. Whatever other issues may arise, these fundamental principles unite all county officials.
As we welcome a large group of new officials in January, please encourage them to become educated on county issues and prepare to engage with their legislators. We particularly hope to see all new Commissioners Court members at the V.G. Young School for Newly Elected County Judges and Commissioners in January. Let’s maintain a strong, informed voice for county government.
Important Deadline Reminder:
The Cost of County Government: Unfunded Mandates Survey
Submission Deadline: November 15
Background:
In order to paint a clearer picture of the cost of unfunded mandates, several county associations joined together to develop a comprehensive survey and follow-up report. The 2016 Unfunded Mandates Survey was conducted online by the Texas Association of Counties in cooperation with the Texas Association of County Auditors, the Conference of Urban Counties, and the County Judges and Commissioners Association of Texas during the summer and fall of 2016. Additional surveys were conducted in 2018 and 2020. A survey report is released every other year as a communication tool to help explain the cost of unfunded and underfunded mandates on property taxpayers.
The 2022 Survey is officially underway. Launch emails including unique links, usernames, and passwords were sent at approximately 9 a.m. CST on June 7. The emails were sent to county auditors in counties that have them. In the other counties, they were sent to the county treasurers. If your auditor or treasurer does not see the email, please advise checking the “spam” folder.
The response deadline is Nov. 15.
For more information, contact Senior Analyst Tim Brown, County Information Program/Legislative Department, Texas Association of Counties, at TimB@county.org or 512-478-8753.