This spring, the Texas Legislature delivered long-overdue property tax relief — the largest in state history — because Texans demanded it. For too long, families, homeowners and small businesses have carried the weight of rising property taxes. Thanks to this reform, that load is finally getting lighter.
Throughout the summer, our policy advocacy team at Americans for Prosperity-Texas went to communities around the state to advocate for keeping taxes low and ensuring we hold government accountable for living within its means. Now, as we approach the November election, that work takes on new urgency. Across Texas, local ballots are crowded with school district and municipal bond propositions totaling billions of dollars in new spending. These proposals may sound harmless — filled with words like “improvement,” “investment” and “community enhancement” — but in reality, too many of them translate into higher property taxes, more government debt, and fewer dollars in Texans’ pockets.
Let’s be clear: No one is opposed to safe schools, well-maintained roads or strong communities. But voters deserve transparency about what they’re being asked to pay for. Voters will see proposals for stadium upgrades, tennis complexes, performing arts centers, new swimming pools and even an NBA arena tax in San Antonio.
In Richardson ISD, for instance, taxpayers are being asked to approve $1.4 billion in new debt — including more than $7 million for stadium renovations. In smaller districts such as Spring Hill ISD near Longview, millions more are proposed for athletic facilities. Across Central Texas, Belton, Taylor and Manor ISDs are each seeking hundreds of millions of dollars for projects that will raise the cost of living for Texans who have just fought for — and won — property tax relief.
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Along the Gulf Coast, local bonds in Angleton and Santa Fe ISDs would add debt for construction and technology projects, while water districts propose new levees for drainage and plant upgrades. And in Bexar County, voters face a pair of hotel tax hikes to fund renovations to the rodeo coliseum.
The question facing voters is simple: To bond, or not to bond?
At Americans for Prosperity-Texas, our answer is rooted in principle. We believe Texas remains a model for the nation precisely because we value fiscal responsibility, limited government and personal freedom. Every dollar matters. Every new tax, no matter how small, chips away at the promise of relief Texans fought so hard to achieve.
Through our Freedom Is Bigger in Texas campaign, we’re working to keep that promise by advancing key reforms that protect taxpayers for the long haul — including banning taxpayer-funded lobbying, redefining Voter-Approval Tax Rate Elections (VATRE) for greater transparency, implementing local spending caps and reforming property taxes to provide relief for families and businesses.
These reforms ensure that the government uses taxpayer dollars efficiently, prevents excessive debt and keeps Texas on a sustainable path of prosperity.
And while policymakers debate in Austin, our grassroots activists — thousands strong — are doing the work on the ground. Across the state, AFP-Texas volunteers are training residents, attending city council meetings, knocking on doors, and educating neighbors on the fine print in these local bond proposals. They’re joined by our partners at the LIBRE Initiative, making sure every voter understands what’s at stake.
Texas is growing fast. People are coming for opportunity, affordability, and freedom — not to inherit the kind of runaway local debt that’s sinking other states. We can keep Texas strong by learning from their mistakes.
We can’t tax our way to prosperity. Every dollar borrowed today is a dollar our children and grandchildren will have to repay tomorrow. Texans just secured historic property tax relief — now it’s up to us to keep it.
So when you step into the voting booth this November, read the fine print. Ask the hard questions. And remember: Keeping Texas a model for the nation starts not in Austin or Washington, but in your own backyard.
To bond or not to bond — that is the question. The answer, if Texas is to stay free and prosperous, should be clear.
Genevieve Collins is the Texas state director for Americans for Prosperity.