Texas AG Ken Paxton launches investigation of 1,000 Texas cities to ensure municipal transparency, stop unlawful tax increases
(KWTX) - Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has launched an investigation of almost 1,000 Texas cities, including Waco, to ensure municipal transparency and stop unlawful tax increases, according to a press release.
The release states SB 1851 is a recently enacted state law that bars cities that do not follow Texas’s financial statement audit and transparency requirements.
Paxton says to enforce this law, he previously sent letters to La Marque, Odessa, Tom Bean, and Whitesboro to stop their unlawful tax raises.
During those investigations, the press release states it became clear that cities across Texas routinely fail to comply with these requirements.
Paxton states he has launched this initiative to respond to citizen complaints and also request documents and audit information from Texas cities to ensure they comply with the law.
Any Texas cities not in compliance will put themselves at significant legal risk, the release states.
“Local officials will not be allowed to ignore the law, cover up their finances, and burden Texans with never-ending tax increases,” said Attorney General Paxton.
“Our cities and municipalities must prioritize transparency and minimize the tax burden of every citizen across the state. While many cities have already complied with these requirements, I’m launching this review to ensure that the law is universally followed, taxpayers are respected, and local government is accountable to all Texans.”
The review is looking at some of the largest cities in the state, including:
- Houston
- Galveston
- San Antonio
- Dallas
- Fort Worth
- Lubbock
- Wichita Falls
- McAllen
- Beaumont
- Amarillo
- El Paso
- Corpus Christi
- Laredo
- Texarkana
- Brownsville
- Waco
- Tyler
The release states there is a complaint form that Texans can fill out if they believe local officials are violating SB 1851’s audit requirements. The complaint form can be found here.
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