Can a Texas city eliminate its property tax while maintaining and even increasing core city services?
On this episode of Taxpayer Empowerment, TPPF’s Jose Melendez sits down with Von Ormy Mayor Art Martinez de Vara to discuss how the city eliminated its property tax for the second time, paid off its remaining city debt, reduced administrative overhead, and redirected more resources toward essential services like roads and infrastructure.
Mayor Martinez de Vara explains how Von Ormy cut payroll costs without reducing services, avoided unnecessary debt, and built a budget around consumption-based revenue such as sales taxes and franchise fees. He also discusses what other Texas cities can learn from Von Ormy’s approach to local government spending and fiscal discipline.
The conversation also looks ahead to the next Texas legislative session, where property tax reform and local government spending are expected to receive significant attention. Jose and Mayor Martinez de Vara discuss potential limits on local spending, municipal authority, local government debt, bond election reform, taxpayer-funded lobbying, and whether cities should focus more narrowly on core government services.
Topics include:
• How Von Ormy eliminated its city property tax
• Cutting government overhead without cutting core services
• Paying down local government debt
• Property taxes and local spending in Texas
• City and county spending limits
• Home rule vs. statutory cities in Texas
• Local government debt and bond elections
• Taxpayer-funded lobbying and municipal associations
• Defining the core functions of city government
• What Texas lawmakers could consider in the next legislative session
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