26 – Should states be setting a limit on city property taxes?

Today we're talking about a push by state lawmakers in Texas to put a cap on how much cities can raise their property tax rates from one year to the next. This proposed legislation would have huge repercussions, severely undercutting cities' ability to collect enough revenue to pay for needed services. To help us dive deeper into what this means for city governments, we're joined by Mayor Connie Schroeder of Bastrop, Texas. Though this episode is specifically about the legislative battle in Texas, the discussion absolutely has relevance for cities and citizens across the country. As we've talked about repeatedly, so many cities are facing a resource gap between what they have on hand and what they really need. We feel strongly that cities (and the people who make them up) would suffer unnecessarily should their state legislatures restrict their ability to collect revenue. Have some thoughts on this episode? Let us hear it! Email [email protected]. Here's the link to Texas Municipal League's "Our Home, Our Decisions" campaign that Mayor Schroeder mentioned in the episode. Be sure to catch the two videos they produced. Attention Podcast Land! Could you take a moment to help us make this podcast more relevant or interesting to you? We're running a quick (nearly pain-free!) little questionnaire to learn more about what you'd like us to dive deeper into, and what things we could stand to work on. Just go to this Google Form. It'll take you 5 minutes, tops, or your money back. ;) We really appreciate it. The Go Cultivate! podcast is a project of Verdunity. Learn more at verdunity.com. Find more about this and other episodes, and our blog here. (Music in this episode is from Custodian of Records.) Show page: https://www.verdunity.com/podcast/episode-26