“The Quiet War against Local Governments”
August 22, 2025
While Trump’s demand for redistricting of the Texas’ U.S.House District maps has garnered most of the attention in these special legislative sessions, there is another issue bubbling up from below the surface. That issue is the attempt by the Republican majority to take control of local government policy—at the community, county, and school district levels.
Long-lost Republican values of self-governance and independence have given way to a blast of bills designed to strip Texas cities and towns of their home rule decision-making and taxing authority. The current special session has seen an alarming number of bills filed that would undercut the ability of political subdivisions (counties, cities, school districts, MUDs, etc.) to govern themselves. This violates such proud Texas traditions as “home rule” cities and weakens local elected officials’ ability to meet the unique needs of their constituencies. Examples of these efforts include:
- Restrictions on political subdivisions’ using public funds to pay others to lobby state legislators on their behalf. See, for example, SB13 by Middleton, et al, and companion bill HB115 by Leo-Wilson. This is likely to undermine associations such as the Texas Municipal League and the Texas Association of School Boards. This will especially impact smaller and geographically remote (from Austin) entities with limited resources to expend on representing their constituencies’ interests regarding proposed legislation.
- Preemption of local ordinances and regulations considered to conflict with state policy. [HB72 by Cecil Bell]
- Interference with whom local jurisdictions can appoint to boards or other offices, or contract with. [HB54 by Tepper; HB72 by Cecil Bell; HB147 by Isaac]
- Prohibitions on certain other expenditures, especially environmental protections. [HB74 by Cecil Bell]
- Limitations on political subdivisions’ budgets. Limitations, such as maximum amounts budgets can increase in succeeding fiscal years, could adversely impact local jurisdictions experiencing rapid growth, or that have suffered a series of damaging weather events. Other proposals would limit the types or amounts of bonds a jurisdiction can issue, even if authorized by its voters. [HB46 by Tepper]
- Requirement of state approval of local ballot initiatives. [HB51 by Tepper]
These efforts are not intended to improve our lives or reduce taxes; they are intended to concentrate power at the State level. Every aspect of local community enterprise will be politicized with local conformity a necessary requisite for state approval and funding. Our rights will be reduced to political favors.
Texas is a big, diverse state made up of independent thinkers and doers. Local government officials, who are elected by local voters and taxpayers, are fully capable of regulating their own finances, safety, and environment without state overreach.
Make no mistake, concentrating state control in Austin is the goal here. Let’s say “No!” to legislation that interferes with maintaining our unique local Texas communities and impeding our say in how our local government is conducted.
–Joe Willis
