Texas SB9 Isn’t Enough. People Deserve to Own Homes

Originally published on Substack.

It’s not what the Governor called for in his special session agenda. And it’s certainly not the bold leadership needed to finally solve Texas’s property tax crisis.

Governor Abbott’s call for this special session couldn’t be clearer:

“CUT PROPERTY TAXES: Legislation reducing the property tax burden on Texans and legislation imposing spending limits on entities authorized to impose property taxes.”

SB9 does neither.

It doesn’t cut property taxes—it just reduces the voter-approval tax rate from 3.5% to 2.5%. But that still allows local governments to grow their revenues every year without going to voters. And it leaves intact the very loopholes that have allowed those same local governments to game the system for years.

And let’s be clear about the math:
• At 3.5% growth, property taxes double every 21 years.
• At 2.5%, they double every 28 years.

So yes, SB9 slows the climb—but the mountain’s still getting steeper. Texans aren’t asking for a slower trip to unaffordability. They’re asking for the freedom to stay in their homes.

Worse still, SB9 preserves the same disaster exceptions, population exemptions, and carveouts that local governments have learned to exploit. And they’ve gotten very good at it.

Since 2015, every dollar of relief sent by the state has been met with spending increases at the local level. Cities, counties, and special purpose districts have found clever ways to grow revenue—even when their tax rates go down. Whether it’s reclassifying property, triggering disaster exceptions, or simply spending more because they know compression is coming, local governments have repeatedly eroded the relief Texans were supposed to get.

The result? Texans pay more, not less. The Legislature gets blamed for not doing enough, even as local bureaucrats quietly siphon away the savings. SB9 doesn’t stop this. It allows it to continue—just with slightly different numbers.

But here’s the good news: Texas doesn’t lack the tools to fix this. It just lacks the courage to act boldly.

The Comptroller’s office reports $3.1 billion in available revenue, and the rainy day fund is expected to hit $28 billion. The state is flush with cash—thanks to taxpayers. And yet the 2026–27 budget increases state spending by 40% over just two biennia. That’s not sustainable. That’s irresponsible.

Unless that spending is cut and restrained—and the rest returned to taxpayers—we’re setting up future generations for a fiscal reckoning.

It’s not just about homeowners either. One of the worst falsehoods in this debate is that property tax reform only helps those who already own homes. That’s both incorrect and elitist.

Renters pay property taxes through their rent. Small businesses pay them directly, every year. Everyone pays the price when capital is taxed year after year—whether they see the bill or not.

The property tax hits working Texans hardest—not just through higher bills, but through unseen barriers:

• First-time buyers blocked from entering the market.
• Seniors taxed out of homes they paid off years ago.
• Business owners unable to grow or hire because of rising overhead.

These burdens don’t show up in standard tax incidence tables, but they’re real. And they undermine prosperity every single day.

Texas doesn’t have an income tax—praise God—and our consumption-based taxes are far less damaging than the property tax. If we want to truly reform our system, we must replace property taxes with something simpler, more transparent, and less destructive.

Here’s how:

• Lower the voter-approval rate to 0%. Any increase in property tax revenue must be approved by voters.
• Require votes on uniform election dates—no more low-turnout sneak attacks.
• Eliminate exemptions and disaster carveouts—no more backdoor tax hikes.
• Impose firm local spending limits to control growth and protect relief.
• Use state surpluses to eliminate school district M&O taxes, and urge localities to follow suit.

I’ve spent decades analyzing this issue because I lived the stakes. Raised in South Houston by a single mom, we struggled to make ends meet. I know what it means to crave stability, to want to own something, to build a future that’s secure. That’s why I fight for this—not because it’s popular, but because it’s right.

Texans deserve to own their homes—not lease them indefinitely from local governments. They deserve a system that rewards responsibility, not one that punishes success.

SB9 may be a step. But if it’s the only step, it’s a misstep. Let’s do what Texans elected their leaders to do: return power to the people, cut taxes permanently, and restore the promise of property ownership.

Let Texans own their homes—completely.