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Property
Tax Reform
11/17/06 |
I noted in the 11/17
Dallas Morning News Metro section
a meeting of the task force on property tax reform
Thursday in Dallas. If I had been aware of the
meeting, I would have tried to
attend to voice my views on badly needed
reform. The notice to the public was much like
the reported Republican primary results this spring on
the non-binding referendums that included an overwhelming approval of a lower
cap on property value increases that was passed by the voters ?
Non-existent.
Of course, those in local government who can?t control
their spending object to the proposed cap of 3% or 5%.
It should be noted they cannot live even with the
existing 10% cap on property valuations.
It is no surprise that city (Dallas) officials object to the cap
especially when hardly a week goes by that they do not grant a tax abatement to
a well financed developer further pushing the tax burden on the home owner.
It is no surprise that such a cap might force
them to control their wastrel spending habits and show some modicum of restraint
on their part.
Mr. Pauken (former Texas Republican chairman and chairman of the task force)
warned of a major taxpayer revolt if something is not done about property
tax caps. If memory serves me, Dallas Councilman
Mitchell Rasansky echoed the same before
$1.3 billion bond proposal approved this November.
There was an article in the
Dallas Morning News 11/11/06 Metro section
(back page) ?Denton
appraisals derided? in which 30 Denton county residents demanded the
state Comptroller's office
investigate tactics employed by the Denton Central Appraisal District.
While I can?t comment on the validity of the charges made by 30 of the
residents in their complaint, it seems to me it is
high time that the these problems of appraisals are addressed.
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Lower the valuation cap to 3 percent per year. |
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Guarantee a homestead exemption to those who
have lived in their home one full calendar
year (i.e. if a home is purchased in May of 2005
owners must live there the rest of 2005 and all of 2006 before
being granted a homestead exemption) with an
increased exemption for each additional year owners
live in their home (i.e. the exemption would increase each year
rewarding homeowners for their longevity in
residing at their home). |
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Repeal and prohibit (or greatly limit) the
ability of local governments to grant tax
abatements to developers, which shifts the
burden form business to the home owners. |
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Prohibit or limit the ability of local
governments to lobby in issues that involve
spending, a practice employed during the
special sessions for school finance. |
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Allow voters to approve (with a supper
majority of at least 65%, as opposed to a
simple majority of 51%) any special spending projects such as the 3
Trinity River bridges that we were not able to
vote upon this last election, as Dallas councilman
Mitchell Rasansky suggested. |
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Term limits for county, city and school
officials with stronger ethics and conflict of
interest rules. In addition,
strict gift/contribution rules should be
adopted towards elected officials. |
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| 7 |
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Require several notices to be printed in the
local papers (not buried in
the back pages of the classifieds) and news organizations/media that
would alert the public to hearings on such issues so that they too can
voice their opinions. |
In closing, I note one
elected official who opposes the property cap feared
the decision-making power of local government would be
shifted to the state level. I cannot see
anything in the past several years that gives me
confidence in the ability of local government to spend
my tax monies in a responsible fashion. One only
needs to look at the DISD quarterly scandals that appear in the news or watch on
a weekly basis the Dallas city council bend over
backwards to grant a tax abatement to a well financed developer to realize that
these entitles are out of control.
One should not reward incompetence with more money or a higher position.
A taxpayer revolt is long
overdue. A past article in the
Wall Street Journal reports other
municipalities' lack of spending control
generating tax revolts throughout
the country.
Bring it on ? a tax revolt in Dallas is long overdue.
David W. Tuthill
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