Action Update - Issue 42 :: May 18, 2005

TELL THE TEXAS SENATE TO PROTECT TAXPAYERS FROM
ABUSIVE COMMUNITY COLLEGE ANNEXATIONS

From Houston to Austin to Corpus Christi, community college districts are trying to forcibly annex communities against their will without an election.  The result of these coerced annexations is a new property tax imposing yet another burden on taxpayers.

Please contact your Senator today to express your support for amending House Bill 2221 to ensure that community college districts must hold a separate election in in ALL territories they wish to annex.  Community college districts are currently based on K-12 school districts.  The House version of this bill requires elections for most annexations, but allows community college districts to annex by edict portions of school districts that are not within the community college district if they are within the city limits of a city that is partially within the community college district.

School districts like Round Rock ISD, Westlake ISD, and Pflugerville ISD that are partially within the City of Austin should be able to choose whether to join Austin Community College (ACC), form their own community college district, or do without a community college altogether.  That's why HB 2221 by Rep. Vilma Luna (D-Corpus Christi) also needs to provide for a disannexation election for these districts, which ACC grabbed through a sham annexation election earlier this month in which the votes of the existing district were commingled with the areas to be annexed.  Basically, the 90% of the people already in the community college district voted to tax the 10% of the people to be annexed, even though those 10% voted against it.

Please let your senator know that there should be no exceptions when it comes to the fundamental American founding principle of no taxation without representation. Find your Senator here.

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Senate Approves SB 18 Property Tax Accountability Act

"I want taxing jurisdictions to know if they collect one penny more than the year before, they need to give notice to taxpayers," he said. "Cities and counties are not going to have the 2.99 percent free ride they had in the past."

Under current law, taxpayers can call a rollback election with a petition signed by 10 percent of registered voters in the district. The bill drops the signature requirement to 7 percent of voters for taxing entities bringing in more than $5 million in taxes each year. The threshold for petitioning the rollback rate would remain at 8 percent. Williams said while the Property Tax Accountability Act gives taxpayers more control over their property tax rates, he recognizes the need for relief from appraisal increases.

"Texas taxpayers deserve accountability and have suffered too long under creeping appraisals and rising revenues," Williams said. "It's time our taxing jurisdictions answer to the taxpayers."                                 (See Sen. Williams full press release.)

With 2 weeks remaining, major legislation is moving forward.  Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst took a setback in stride last week and never slowed down.  Much like the conductor of a symphony orchestra, Dewhurst substituted acceptable compositions for his musicians and told them to practice until they could play it.  After hours of long tedious debate, the Senate passed a school reform bill on Tuesday and a school finance bill on Wednesday.  The conference committees now have time to hammer out a better plan. 

Texas Public Policy Foundation suggests this TAX PLAN For Texas.  We suggest the HB3 conferees give it a good long study.

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TEXAS OPPORTUNITIES

It's not in our best interest for the Pentagon to continue to maintain outdated and inefficient military bases.

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WALLSTREET JOURNAL

weighs into the Senate school finance debate last Tuesday.

RECOMMENDED LINKS

FIND YOUR LEGISLATOR

Legislative Reference Library

Texas Legislature

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Americans for Prosperity

Texas Public
Policy Foundation

Texas Conservative Coalition

Young Conservatives
of Texas

Texans for Lawsuit Reform

Americans for Tax Reform

Heritage Foundation

National Center for

Policy Analysis

Town Hall

Overlawyered.com

For Our Grandchildren

Education Option
Resource Center

Foundation for
Economic Education

Educator Witness
Protection Program