SAN ANTONIO — Today, Rolando Pablos announced his Taxpayer Protection Blueprint for San Antonio, including plans to institute a ‘Taxpayer Time-Out’ as Mayor of San Antonio, conduct third-party efficiency audits of City spending, and create a Sunset Commission to regularly review and assess the effectiveness and taxpayer value of all City department operations.
As a first measure, Rolando plans to urge City Council to adopt a no-new-revenue tax rate to ensure the City collects no more property tax revenue than the previous year. This policy would ensure that the city’s portion of each San Antonio taxpayer’s bill is the same, if not lower, in the next fiscal year – with no backdoor tax hikes due to rising home values.
This ‘Taxpayer Time-Out’ will:
- Stop automatic tax increases that punish homeowners when their property values go up’
- Force city government to live within its means, just like families do;
- Provide financial relief to those struggling to put food on the table; and
- Allow for time to conduct an objective, third-party audit of the city’s spending to identify ways to reduce wasteful taxpayer-funded expenditures by City government.
In announcing his Taxpayer Protection Blueprint today, Rolando issued the following statement:
“San Antonians are being taxed out of their own homes. With rising property values and elevated tax rates, families and homeowners are seeing their tax bills shoot through the roof, making homeownership unaffordable for hardworking families and seniors on fixed incomes.
“It’s time for a true Taxpayer Protection policy to make sure the city – like San Antonio families – lives within its means.
“The City of San Antonio has a $4 billion budget and $21.2 billion in debt – the highest municipal debt per capita of any city in Texas. It is crystal clear that San Antonio does not have a revenue problem – it has a spending problem.
“Our families wouldn’t manage their finances this way, and the City of San Antonio shouldn’t either. This unacceptable trend needs to end immediately if we are going to restore fiscal health to our city and the people who call San Antonio home.
“That’s why, as Mayor, I will be calling for an immediate ‘Taxpayer Time-Out,’ ensuring the City portion of San Antonians’ tax bills remains the same, if not lower, in the next fiscal year. Additionally, I will demand transparency and accountability of our City’s finances to cut waste, and focus city spending on core services, not bloated projects.”
“As the only true fiscal conservative in this race, I will fight to protect San Antonians from being taxed out of their homes. We deserve a government that works for us, not against us.”
To read more details on Rolando’s Taxpayer Protection Blueprint for City of San Antonio, click here.
For media inquiries and interview requests, please send an e-mail to sam@pablosformayor.com.
For more information about the Pablos for Mayor campaign, to volunteer, or to contribute, please visit www.pablosformayor.com or contact (210) 260-7513.
For general inquiries, please e-mail campaign@pablosformayor.com