Free Republic

FRIENDSWOOD — A group had a pep-rally of sorts at a Friendswood pizza parlor Tuesday to encourage support for Gov. Rick Perry’s proposal to limit increases in taxable property values to no more than 3 percent annually. The group released what it said were numbers showing government officials do not pay their fare share when it comes to property taxes. Edd Hendee, a radio talk show host and executive director of Citizens Lowering Our Unfair Taxes, released figures indicating that the property values of Friendswood Mayor Kimball Brizendine, City Manager Ron Cox, council members such as Mel Measels and Laura...

State lawmakers this year are considering several proposals to lower the cap on property appraisal increases, and local officials have begun to take sides. Many others will be asked to do so by County Tax-Assessor Collector Cheryl Johnson. She asked city leaders of Friendswood, Galveston and the county commissioners court to endorse a proposal to lower the cap on homestead appraisal increases from 10 percent to 3 percent a year. What that would mean is the owner of a $100,000 home would see no more than a $3,000 increase in a single year, as compared to up to a $10,000...