Property taxes are due Wednesday, and the average homeowner in the Houston area has seen theirs rise 37-percent in the past four years.
According to state Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, property tax bills are growing twice as fast as the average Texan's paycheck.
“From $3,500 a year to $5,000 a year, that's a 37-percent increase and it's across the board on homes, everywhere from Acres Homes to River Oaks,” he says.
Even Houston homeowners are seeing increase, despite the voter approved revenue cap.
“Their 28-percent four-year increase is with the charter amendment that slowed it down from the 37-percent increase, the average where all the taxing jurisdictions are,” says Bettencourt.
He says it's time to rein in municipalities with property tax reform.
“And as they to cut taxes, stop acting like it's a catastrophe, because all the value increases are driving a tremendous amount of money into government coffers, more than I've seen in my lifetime.”
Property tax reform was derailed in the Texas Special Session last year when the House adjourned a day early.