I believe the people who live in a neighborhood should have the biggest say in how it grows. That's not a radical idea — it's how Texas communities have always worked. So when Governor Abbott threatened in July to cut off sales tax revenue to cities that don't comply with state housing mandates, something felt deeply wrong about that. Cities like those in the Dallas-Fort Worth area passed local rules because their residents asked for them. Now they're being told: fall in line or lose the money your community depends on to pave roads, fund fire stations, and keep the lights on at city hall.
This isn't about being for or against ADUs or any particular housing policy. It's about whether Austin gets to hold our local budgets hostage to force decisions that should be made here at home. Sales tax revenue belongs to the communities that generate it. Using it as a weapon against cities for making local choices sets a dangerous pattern — and it will cost real people real services. Every dollar withheld from a city is a dollar that doesn't go to your constituents.
I'm asking you to publicly oppose any legislation that would allow the state to withhold sales tax funds from cities as a penalty for local housing decisions, and to stand up for Texas communities' right to govern themselves.
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