Johnson County Commissioner: Greg Abbott is misleading voters about property taxes.

I'm a lifelong conservative. What the governor is doing is not conservatism.

I'm a lifelong conservative. I believe strongly in limited government, fiscal  responsibility, and keeping taxes as low as possible. Government should live within its  means just like the families it serves. And I believe decisions are best made as close to  the people they affect as possible. Those principles are why I have a problem with what Gov. Greg Abbott is trying to sell Texans about property taxes as he runs for re-election. 

The governor consistently blames counties and cities for rising property tax bills,  accusing us of runaway spending and arguing that even tighter restrictions on local  government are the answer. In Johnson County, that story doesn't match reality. 

Our commissioners court recently adopted a property tax rate of 41.7 cents per $100 of  valuation, which is up from 38.9 cents the year prior. Taxpayers have every right to ask  why, just as they have a right to expect honesty from their governor. So here's the truth  about where these dollars are going.​ 
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Johnson County's employee health insurance costs are going up by almost $2 million this year. We anticipate losing almost $3 million in revenue through our jail. And  another portion of our tax rate pays for the $60 million in voter-approved  transportation bonds. 

Then there's the unfunded mandates handed down to us by politicians in Austin, Abbott  included. We're required to pay for services like indigent legal defense and health care.  In Johnson County, that costs us roughly $5 million a year – a fraction of which is  reimbursed by the state. 

That's not reckless local spending. That's county government fulfilling its obligations as  required by law. Yet, Abbott would have Texans believe their property taxes are rising  because local officials can't control themselves. 
Worse, he's proposing a new law requiring local governments to get two-thirds of  registered voters to approve any property tax increase, taking us to a new 0% revenue  cap with no room to breathe. 

We should think about what that means in practice. The next time Austin hands  counties another unfunded mandate, or the cost of providing ambulance services  increases, or health insurance for our employees goes up, our hands would be tied even further. Not to mention the tens of thousands of dollars it would cost Johnson County to   hold a special election. 

Financial obligations facing local governments don't disappear because the governor  signs a new law. Roads and bridges have to be maintained. Deputies need to patrol our  neighborhoods. Ambulances have to arrive when somebody calls 911. Eventually,  something has to give, especially in rural counties like ours that don't collect sales tax. 

Every conservative like me should want lower property taxes. But there's nothing  conservative about the governor forcing costs onto local taxpayers and then making it  harder for county and city governments to figure out the math. 

It's unfortunate Abbott is misleading voters in his quest to stay in office. And frankly,  we've seen this playbook before. With both data centers and Flock cameras, we've seen  the governor reverse course amid public concern as an election grew closer. Now we're  being told to believe that local government is the reason why Texans are paying more in  property taxes. At some point, Texans should ask why so many of the governor's  solutions seem to arrive when his name is on the ballot. 

If the property tax system is broken, he's had 12 years and Republican majorities in the  legislature to fix it. 
The state should not be able to tell counties what services they must provide, leave local taxpayers with the bill, then further restrict our ability to pay it – all while blaming us  for the cost. 

Accountability is a two-way street. Texans deserve an honest conversation about  property taxes and leaders who will tell them the truth about what services cost, who's  responsible for funding them, and what it will take to lower their tax bills. 

That standard applies to county commissioners like me, and it should apply to the 
governor, too. 

Rick Bailey is a Johnson County commissioner.