Konni Burton is raising your taxes

State Senator Konni Burton (R-Colleyville) has been a member of Texas Legislature since 2014.  She wants her constituents to believe she cuts taxes for homeowners in Senate District 10, but fails to mention she’s the one who’s responsible for them going up.
Lawmakers in Austin like Konni Burton have created and sustained a public school funding system that is increasingly reliant on local property taxpayers. They voted to cut corporate taxes, reducing the state’s share of education funding, and pass the buck to local governments across the state.  
Senate District 10 residents need only look at the balance sheets of two local school districts — Fort Worth ISD and Arlington ISD. Together, they are home to the majority of Konni Burton’s constituents, who are painfully aware they are paying more in taxes and getting less from the state.
In 2015, Fort Worth received $376.1 million in state funding, while local taxpayers paid $311.7 million. By 2018, state funding had declined to 347.8 million, while local tax revenue exploded to $504.7 million. The state’s funding declined eight percent, while local revenue increased a whopping 62 percent in just four years.
The situation is just as dire in Arlington ISD. In 2015, AISD received $262.2 million in state funding, while local taxpayers paid $228.8 million. By 2018, state funding declined to $197.9 million, while local taxpayers’ share ballooned to $285.6 million. The state’s share dropped 25 percent the local tax revenue went up 25 percent in just four years.

The Dallas Morning News recently reported increasing property taxes are crushing local communities and school districts around DFW. Between 2016 and 2017, residents in Tarrant County experienced a 25 percent property tax increase, while Dallas County residents had to pay, on average, an additional $340 in taxes. In a similar case, residents in the Mansfield area are also finding that their annual tax bill has gone up by $1,200 since 2013.
Establishment politicians want us to believe – a few weeks before the election – they are finally concerned about skyrocketing local property taxes. We know the truth – it’s the politicians in Austin like Konni Burton who are directly responsible for this problem. They favor their big, corporate special interest donors and pass the state’s revenue shortfall on  to local school districts.
We can’t be fooled by more politics as usual. Taxpayers across Texas are paying more in taxes and getting less. If we are to fix our state and get the transparency and tax fairness we deserve, we must demand politicians stand up to their corporate donors and help us Reform Austin.