Still time for Houston mayor and city council to do the right thing.
Texas Insider Report: Austin TX - In November 2010 voters approved hundreds of millions of dollars in new drainage fees for the city of Houston. The language on the ballot was confusing even to the most informed voter. What was not clear to the voters was that the new fee would be placed on churches and school districts as well as businesses and homes.
It is outrageous that the city would tax churches with the latest version of the rain tax said Senator Dan Patrick. The cost to churches will be in the millions of dollars. Those dollars will come out of the collection plate.
In addition to churches the new tax puts the city in the position of taxing another government entity school districts. School districts can little afford to pay a tax to the city and should not even be asked stressed Patrick.
Senator Patrick will lay out Senate Bill 714 on Wednesday which removes churches and schools from the new drainage fee. The amended language of the bill will also restrict the city from transferring the reduction in drainage fees from churches and schools onto the backs of homeowners and business owners. Senator Patrick is hopeful that the bill will move out of committee on Wednesday and then quickly to the Senate floor for passage. Representative Harold Dutton is carrying the companion House Bill 1022 in the House.
I appreciate Representative Duttons commitment to this issue in the House. This is not a partisan bill. Both Senate and House Republicans and Democrats have come together to protect the churches and schools from this new tax emphasized Patrick.
It is my hope that the Houston City Council and the Mayor of Houston will do the right thing and repeal the tax from churches and schools and not pass those dollars to home and business owners. If they do the right thing by the people of Houston then there will be no need for the legislature to pass legislation. However until the city acts to rectify this issue I will push to repeal this unjust tax on churches and schools.
