The Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Center for Local Governance Director James Quintero issued the following statement on the Texas Senate Committee on Intergovernmental Relation’s Interim Report to the 85th Legislature, which recommends substantial reforms to the current involuntary annexation process. The report’s recommendations include that the incoming legislature “strengthen the annexation process by encouraging greater citizen participation from those affected by a proposed annexation plan.”
“It’s time for the Texas Legislature to right a terrible wrong in our state by ending involuntary annexation,” said Quintero. “Under the current setup, cities can annex Texans living on the outskirts without their permission, letting officials force their taxes, debts, and regulatory schemes onto people who were never asked. That goes against everything that Texas stands for. Changes, like those put forward in the Texas Senate’s new report, are sorely needed to protect private property rights and allow Texans to participate in the democratic process.”
For more information or to request an interview with Mr. Quintero please contact Caroline Espinosa at [email protected] or 512-472-2700.
James Quintero is Director of the Center for Local Governance and Think Local Liberty project at the Texas Public Policy Foundation.
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The Texas Public Policy Foundation is a non-profit, free-market research institute based in Austin, Texas.