Paxton blocks – Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton says his office has told more than 130 cities they cannot raise property taxes, arguing they are not complying with Senate Bill 1851’s audit and reporting requirements.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said Thursday his office has told more than 130 Texas cities they can’t raise property taxes because they’re not complying with a new state law.
The move is part of an ongoing effort by Paxton to prevent cities from increasing property taxes in ways he says conflict with Senate Bill 1851. which passed last year.. The law bars cities from raising more in property taxes than the previous year if they don’t conduct an annual financial audit and release an annual financial statement based on that audit.
“I will not allow cities to unlawfully raise taxes on hardworking Texans,” Paxton said in a statement.. “That is why I took aggressive action against over 130 Texas cities to hold them accountable and ensure they comply with state law.. Cities cannot fail to abide by state audit requirements without consequences.”
Paxton’s office previously asked for financial documents and other information from a majority of the state’s 1,200 cities to determine whether they were following the law. The office said some 135 cities “failed to comply” but did not specify how.
Among the cities listed were Alpine, Balch Springs, Victoria and Wimberley. Paxton’s office said those cities made up “an initial list of non-compliant cities, and the investigation remains ongoing.”
The law has drawn concern from smaller cities that say the requirements would hit them hardest.. They argued they lack the manpower or time to produce audits within the 180-day requirement.. They also warned the penalties that would block collections of some taxes would strain budgets they say are already limited.
The state’s larger cities were part of Paxton’s early scrutiny, including Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth and Corpus Christi.. Those cities did not appear on the list of towns Paxton ordered not to raise their taxes.. Odessa was also not on that list, despite being put on notice last year after officials adopted a tax hike.. Paxton’s office said it has not heard back from city officials after they provided documents meant to justify the increase.
Paxton’s approach left some local officials facing uncertainty. The Texas Tribune contacted several cities Paxton notified, but they did not respond to questions immediately.
The pattern being drawn here is straightforward: Paxton sought financial documents from a majority of the state’s 1. 200 cities. his office said some 135 “failed to comply. ” and then cities tied to that initial non-compliance list—such as Alpine. Balch Springs. Victoria and Wimberley—were named as not permitted to raise property taxes. while larger cities like Houston and Dallas did not show up in the later order.
For now, the dispute turns on whether audit and reporting deadlines under Senate Bill 1851 were met—an issue Paxton’s office says carries consequences, and one smaller cities say they can’t realistically meet within the 180-day window.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton property taxes Senate Bill 1851 cities audit requirements 180-day deadline