Rockwall Voices Op-Ed
As I sit through committee hearings, one theme keeps surfacing: preemption. Legislature is steadily expanding its reach into every corner of local government land use, lot size, density, economic development, permitting, elections, housing every aspect of governing that local citizens now directly control through local elections. The message is becoming clear: the Governor, Lt. Governor and our state legislature in Austin trusts state bureaucrats more than locally elected officials.
It’s ironic, really. The power to spend remains, but the power to govern is being carved away—one bill at a time. Money talks and right now power is held by lobbyists, not you.
This isn’t just a shift in policy. It’s a slow-motion takeover of local government, including taking control of your ability to make local decisions.
Texans deserve a serious conversation about what kind of government we want: Locally accountable or centrally dictation from Austin.
If we’re not careful, “local control” will soon be nothing more than a talking point. The Texas and Rockwall County we know today will become a distant memory.
89th Session bills filed
• Total Bills Filed: 8,898
• Impact Cities: 2,456
• Likely to pass: ~1,334
• Austin hopes to confuse and distract us using ambiguity and deception.
Who is voting for this?
House Bill 4078 and Senate Bill 2594 is legislation that would let Austin bureaucrats micromanage our cities’ downtowns—especially the ones functioning under conservative leadership like Fort Worth and Dallas.
These bills target the 150 largest cities in Texas, but like taxes, its just a matter of time until if comes to Rockwall. The four largest cities today manage their downtowns through locally accountable, nonprofit Public Improvement Districts. These local partnerships work because they’re built by the people who live, work, and invest in the community.
But under this proposal, a local nonprofit like Downtown Dallas Inc. would be stripped of its independence. Instead, a new board would be stacked by state politicians—Austin lobbyist and elites picking winners and losers in cities hundreds of miles away. The bills waive government immunity, opening the door for activist lawsuits against local management groups. It’s a recipe for chaos—and it’s a power grab, plain and simple.
If this passes, the State of Texas would effectively take over the heart of many major Texas cities. This isn’t local control. It’s top-down, big-government overreach.
City Bond and Tax Rate Elections
The Texas Public Policy Foundation recently spotlighted the so-called “Tyrant’s Veto”—a process where just 20% of nearby property owners can block a zoning change or land development project, even if the majority supports it. They argue that this empowers a small minority to halt growth, stifle housing options, and override community needs. This is not about “landowners rights” but protecting the economic interests of the developers.
But that raises a fundamental question:
If just 20% of neighbors can stop a project, why should we suddenly demand a supermajority—60% or 67%—when it comes to approving city tax rate increases or public debt?
Let’s be clear:
• The United States and Texas are built on the principle of simple majority rule.
• The Texas Legislature passes bills by a simple majority.
• Statewide and local officials are elected by a simple majority.
So why should raising your taxes require a higher threshold than stopping a development project? Several bills this session—HB 217, HB 2736, HB 5490, and SB 3026—propose adding supermajority requirements to tax rate elections and bond measures, for all cities. These bills reflect a broader question for conservatives: If we’re going to talk about fairness and consistency in our democratic process, then let’s apply the same standard across the board.
Either a simple majority rules, or it doesn’t.
HB 217, HB 2736, and HB 5490 all propose raising the threshold for local bond or tax elections—requiring either 60% or 67% voter approval before a city can increase taxes or take on new debt.
The state already has extensive rules governing tax rate and bond elections. However, these new bills would severely limit a city’s ability to improve roads, expand police staffing as communities grow, update parks, and provide other core government services. Meanwhile, Senate Bill 3026 proposes eliminating the “de minimis rate” for cities with populations under 30,000. This change could prevent fast-growing cities from meeting basic service demands—just as the need for infrastructure, public safety, and parks is increasing.
If you want keep local decision-making, please contact State Senator Bob Hall at bob.hall@senate.texas.gov and/or Representative Pierson at katrina.pierson@house.texas.gov to vote :”No” on any anti-city bills.
Mayor David Billings
For Fate & Freedom
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this Op-Ed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official stance of The Rockwall Times. We encourage a respectful exchange of perspectives to enrich our community dialogue.
