Revenue Related

The House Select Committee on Property Tax Relief and Appraisal Reform was created by Speaker Tom Craddick. The committee was instructed to study the property tax appraisal system. Rep. John Otto conducted eight hearings and has filed a summary of the committee report. The recommendations include the following: Change the Property Value Study conducted by the Texas … [Read more...] about Property Tax Committee Report

The 75th Texas Legislature passed 1,487 bills, and nestled within the pages of legalese is one section that is finally … [Read more...] about The Scofflaw

Application Deadline Oct. 22 The Texas Historical Commission (THC) is offering another round of History Museum Grants to Texas' small history museums. A total of $10,000 in grant monies is available. Individual grants may not exceed $1,000, and a one-to-one cash or in-kind matching contribution is required. Museums under county governance are eligible for these funds. The … [Read more...] about THC to Award Small Museum Grants

One approach to providing property tax relief being discussed in Texas and in other states is the property-tax circuit breaker. These circuit breakers are similar to electric circuit breakers in that they prevent property taxes from overloading a taxpayer's ability to pay them. A property-tax circuit breaker … [Read more...] about States Explore Property-tax Circuit Breakers

As counties complete the over-complicated budget and tax rate process, it offers an opportunity to reflect on these duties and the upcoming legislative session. Some recent newspaper editorials actually focused on the connection between mandates and local taxes. First, the Waco Tribune noted that "while state lawmakers claim the high ground, spending-wise, they too often … [Read more...] about Unfunded Mandates/Budgets/Taxes