Texas Politicians Want the Voters to Decide, Voters Keep Saying ‘YES’ to Most Propositions, Why?
Gov. Greg Abbott is pushing to limit local governments’ ability to raise property taxes, proposing that any increase must be approved by two-thirds of voters before taking effect. His goal? To curb Texas’ notoriously high property taxes.
“No approval, no new taxes,” Abbott said in his State of the State address.
Local officials and school advocates argue this would cripple essential services, making it nearly impossible to fund schools, roads, and emergency services—especially in fast-growing areas like San Antonio.
“We have to respect the people’s vote,” said Austin Mayor Kirk Watson. “We shouldn’t create a system that allows a minority to thwart what the will of the majority wants.”
Texas already caps how much local governments can raise property taxes before requiring voter approval. Abbott’s proposal would make it even harder to increase funding, even for urgent needs like disaster response, infrastructure, and public schools.
Who Pays More? You Do.
While Texans fight rising property taxes, local officials—including those in San Antonio—city council and the mayoral positions were slapped on the ballot for pay raises this past year, making residents foot the bill. In November, voters approved raises for City Council and the Mayor, even though some already have full-time jobs. Did voters know this? It was reported several times, maybe they did maybe they didn’t but it doesn’t make any sense for these pay raises to have been approved while they also work full-time jobs taking them away from their elected position.
So why do we keep voting yes on tax-funded raises for politicians while struggling with our own bills? Meanwhile, Abbott’s plan could make it harder to fund basic services, all while we continue paying more.
Republican leaders have spent decades trying to reduce property taxes, but costs remain high. Experts say Abbott’s proposal is a political move rather than a real solution.
“They’ve been hearing the yelp from the public for multiple decades about how property taxes are high, and they are desperate to find some way to put limits on that growth,” said political scientist Brandon Rottinghaus.
So while lawmakers fight over who controls tax hikes, Texans are left paying more—whether for city services, schools, or politicians’ paychecks.
