AUSTIN, TX – James Quintero, Director of the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Center for Local Governance, will provide invited testimony tomorrow, December 2, 2015, before the Texas Senate Committee on Intergovernmental Relations at 9:30 a.m. in Room E1.012. Quintero will testify on interim charge #2 examining local ordinance integrity and charge #4 studying local debt transparency.
“State law prohibits home-rule cities from enacting ordinances that are inconsistent with Texas statutes—but, at least in some cities, that hard-and-fast rule isn’t always observed,” said Quintero. “Making sure that cities observe and obey existing state law is a matter of critical importance for the Texas Legislature. The rule of law must prevail for an orderly society.”
“Local government debt threatens to derail the Texas model of low taxes and limited government. The latest data suggests that total local debt soared well past $338 billion in fiscal year 2015, meaning that every man, woman, and child in the Lone Star State owes roughly $12,250 for his or her share. That swell of red ink – and the taxes necessary to service it – will only continue to worsen unless Texas voters are armed with enough information at the ballot box to make informed decisions. Making sure that voters are educated about the new debt decisions before them is a critical first-step to getting out of Texas’ local debt mess.”
For more information or to request an interview with Mr. Quintero, please contact Caroline Espinosa at [email protected] or 512-472-2700.
James Quintero is Director of the Center for Local Governance at the Texas Public Policy Foundation.
The Texas Public Policy Foundation is a non-profit, free-market research institute based in Austin, Texas.