Civic Insights with David Billings
As the 89th interim committee hearings begin to take shape, it may be worth pausing before the next round of Capitol debates begins not to argue policy yet, but to ask a simpler question:
Who is shaping these ideas, and who is paying for the research behind them?
From January through December 2025, political action committees in Texas spent roughly $380 million influencing elections, legislation, and public opinion. The pace didn’t slow. In January 2026 alone, another $20.7 million was spent by PACs and candidates.
That level of investment tells us something important. Modern public policy is no longer shaped only by elected officials and voters. It is also shaped by organizations that dedicate significant time, expertise, and funding to studying issues and proposing solutions.
What’s notable isn’t simply the amount of money; it’s how organized the policy environment has become.
As lawmakers prepare for the 90th Legislative Session, Governor Abbott’s local government agenda is already clearly outlined: increase housing supply, limit local spending growth, require stronger voter approval for tax increases, adjust appraisal caps, slow reappraisals, and potentially shift school property taxes to state funding.
Those priorities reflect broader conversations happening across Texas.
Some organizations, like Texas 2036, focus on long-range planning workforce readiness, water supply, housing supply, infrastructure capacity, and whether Texas can sustain continued growth. Their work emphasizes data and long-term trends rather than short-term political outcomes.
Housing-focused coalitions such as Texans for Housing and Texans for Reasonable Solutions approach the issue differently. They argue housing costs rise when supply cannot keep up with demand and advocate for state-wide policies that allow more development.
Other groups, including the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF), Texans for Fiscal Responsibility, and Americans for Prosperity–Texas, concentrate on limiting government growth, reducing property taxes, and strengthening taxpayer oversight of local spending.
Together, these organizations create a well-developed policy ecosystem. They publish research, host public forums, provide legal services, develop data models, and provide legislators with ready-to-use analysis and draft bills.
The Local Government Challenge
Cities and counties operate in a very different environment.
Local governments are designed to provide services roads, water, police, fire protection — not to maintain large research staffs studying statewide policy impacts. Even communities with government affairs personnel typically analyze legislation only as it affects their own jurisdiction. I was reminded of this fact while comparing Rockwall County city data.
One TPPF statewide study suggested cities were experiencing strong tax-levy growth compared to population growth. That may be accurate in aggregate, but local conditions often tell a more nuanced story.
I looked at two cities: Fate and Heath.
Fate is a fast-growth, expansion city. From 2015 to 2025, its taxable values increased more than fourfold, its population nearly tripled, and its tax rate declined. While the total tax levy grew significantly, the real, per-capita tax burden increased by about 45 percent over a decade, hardly an outlier for a rapidly growing city building roads, water, police, and fire capacity.
Heath tells a different story. It’s a slower-growth, high-value city. Over roughly the same period, population grew far less, tax rates fell more sharply, and real per-capita levy growth was closer to 27 percent.
The lessons are straightforward:
Not all cities grow the same way, and policy impacts them differently.
Aggregate tax-levy growth does not equal taxpayer burden.
Statewide numbers provide useful perspective, but local context matters just as much.
Finding Balance
Texas benefits from strong policy research organizations. Their work helps lawmakers evaluate complex issues affecting a rapidly growing state.
At the same time, local communities lack the resources to produce comparable analysis explaining how statewide proposals affect day-to-day municipal operations.
That gap is nobody’s fault it’s simply a structural difference between statewide advocacy organizations and service-focused local governments.
Which leads to a constructive idea.
North Texas could benefit from a privately funded, non-partisan research effort focused specifically on municipal impacts not to oppose state policy, but to inform it.
Providing lawmakers clear, practical insight into how proposals play out in real communities would strengthen decision-making for everyone involved.
Because good public policy depends on good information.
Facts still matter especially when they include both statewide perspective and local experience.
As Fate Would Have It Podcast is available on Spotify.
About the Author
David Billings, former Mayor of Fate, has served the community for over a decade. A longtime business leader in the telecommunication industry, Navy veteran, and resident of Rockwall County, he brings both professional and civic experience to his writing on government, budgeting, and local economics. He is a graduate of Leadership Rockwall, North Texas Commission Leadership Program, active in several Rockwall County non-profits boards, and the American Legion.
He is passionate about civic involvement in local government, maintaining transparent governance and thoughtful strategic planning to preserve a bright future for the regions.
