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GOP Commissioners Effectively Kill Tax Rate Proposal By Skipping Meetings

GOP Commissioners Effectively Kill Tax Rate Proposal By Skipping Meetings

Two Republican commissioners in Harris County, Texas have "effectively killed" a Democratic property tax rate proposal by simply skipping meetings.

Axios Houston reported that "Commissioners Tom Ramsey and Jack Cagle — for the sixth time this budget season — skipped Tuesday's Commissioners Court meeting on the county tax rate."

The outlet noted that their absence "effectively killed" a proposal that would have levied a tax rate of 57.5 cents per $100 of property valuation. The county's Office of Administration confirmed that yesterday was the last day the court could have approved the measure. 

County Judge Lina Hidalgo took to Twitter to share her opinion, sparking a massive debate on the social media platform. She wrote:

Commissioners Cagle & Ramsey talked a big game about Backing the Blue, but when it mattered today when there was an opportunity to boost $100M in funding for law enforcement *as part of a tax rate CUT* they failed to show up. They were MIA.

Commenters weighed in, with some expressing support for Judge Hidalgo and others believing that the situation was, at least in part, her fault. 

The judge is currently in a close re-election race against opponent Alexandra del Moral Mealer. The Houston Chronicle shared this week that the race is a "dead heat."

It is worth noting that Cagle and Ramsey had, at one point, agreed to vote for the measure if Democrats added a provision to fund the hiring of 200 additional law enforcement officers in the Houston area. 

When Commissioner Adrian Garcia proposed that addition, however, the duo also skipped that meeting

Harris County residents can expect to receive their property tax bills this month. The payment due date is January 31. 

What do you think about this situation in Harris County?

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Rebekah Barton

Rebekah Barton

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