Texas Senate OKs stricter limits on city, county property tax revenue
The proposal would put tighter limits on how much property tax revenue cities and counties of a certain size can collect each year. Full Story
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Joshua Fechter is the Dallas-based urban affairs reporter for The Texas Tribune, covering policy — including housing affordability, housing and property taxes, evictions, policing and transportation — and politics in Texas' major metropolitan areas. Before joining the Tribune in August 2021, Joshua covered City Hall for the San Antonio Express-News. He holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin.
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![Republican legislators talk amongst themselves during the 89th legislative special session in the Senate Chambers on Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025 in Austin, Texas.]()
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Texas cities, counties may face new limits on raising property taxes
Republican state lawmakers want to curb property tax bills by further limiting how much can be collected by cities and counties. Full Story
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![Cars drive on Intersate 35 East with the downtown Dallas skyline looming in the distance on Sunday, July 27, 2025.]()
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Texas GOP once again tries to ban local governments from hiring lobbyists in Austin
Critics of the bill say the state’s smallest cities and school districts will be silenced at the Capitol. Full Story
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![Texas state senators take care of business at their desks during floor debate on SB5 the THC regulation bill on Wednesday, July 30, 2025. Clockwise from upper left are Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, Sen. Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville, Sen. Nathan Johnson, D-Dallas, Sen. Adam Hinojosa, D-Corpus Christi, Sen Charles Schwertner, R-Georgetown and Sen. Donna Campbell, R-New Braunfels.]()
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Meet the Californian who pushed Texas lawmakers to help fix the state’s housing crisis
A bipartisan coalition, organized by Nicole Nosek, played a role in getting the Legislature to pass laws tackling the state’s housing affordability woes. Full Story
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![Nicole Nosek, chair of the housing advocacy group Texans for Reasonable Solutions, at the Texas in Austin on June 25, 2025. Nosek has spent the past four years advocating for laws to control Texas' rising housing costs.]()
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Appeals court upholds Texas law limiting cities' enforcement of local ordinances
The 2023 law, previously ruled unconstitutional by a Travis County judge, prevents cities from enforcing ordinances that don’t align with broad swaths of state law. Full Story
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![Downtown San Antonio on May 25, 2024.]()
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Sen. Angela Paxton files for divorce from Attorney General Ken Paxton
In a statement, Angela Paxton said she moved to end her 38-year marriage “on biblical grounds,” citing “recent discoveries.” Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and his wife Senator Angela Paxton wave to conventioneers during the Texas GOP Convention Thursday, May 23, 2024 in San Antonio.]()
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“Disasters are a human choice”: Texas counties have little power to stop building in flood-prone areas
Experts suggested that more data and education are needed as Texas and the rest of the country build in known flood plains. Full Story
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![Damage from the flood around a bridge on Highway 39 in Hunt on July 5, 2025.]()
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Texas is getting older and its child population is growing
Texas remains younger than other states, but the number of older Texans has outpaced that of any other age group. Full Story
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![Marina Hernandez helps students clean up for center time in her Pre-K 2 classroom at Gingerbread Kids Academy on Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2024, in Richmond.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
Texas lawmakers laid the foundation for a housing boom. Here’s how.
The Legislature passed laws allowing smaller homes on smaller lots and making it harder for neighbors to block new housing. Full Story
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![Houses in a North Austin neighborhood on Oct. 9, 2020.]()
Credit: Amna Ijaz/The Texas Tribune -
Voters will have final say on billions of tax cuts for Texas homeowners, businesses
Texas is slated to spend $51 billion on property tax cuts over the next two years. Some worry that’s unsustainable. Full Story
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![An aerial view of new construction homes in a subdivision next to farmland and an irrigation canal in Edinburg, Texas on May 12, 2025.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune