Pennies Pause, Texas Pays the Price | Austin News

The U.S. Mint is pausing penny production because it costs three times their face value to make them—leading to fewer pennies in circulation and businesses rounding transactions. But in Texas, this creates a cash payment crisis: local governments still handle millions in cash for taxes, fines, and registrations—and must give exact change, even for tiny overpayments. Overpaying by two cents triggers a costly refund letter, turning small errors into big losses. With 19% of property taxes paid in cash and no legal wiggle room, officials are eyeing a constitutional amendment to fix it—while the state legislature stalls in its interim session. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/34ff31508a83c199