Texas Governor Threatens to Freeze Property Taxes of Cities That Defund Police
By: Elizabeth Findell (WSJ)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott threatened Tuesday to permanently freeze the property taxes of any city that defunds its police department, specifically calling out the city of Austin for recent reductions to its police budget.
“Any city that defunds police departments will have its property tax revenue frozen at the current level,” said Mr. Abbott, a Republican. “They will never be allowed to increase property tax revenue again.” The governor didn’t say what would qualify as defunding.
Mr. Abbott said he would support a bill to make that happen when the Texas Legislature begins its biennial session next year.
The move comes amid widespread protests against police brutality in the U.S., with activists calling for reductions in police budgets, and an increase in crime in some of the nation’s cities.
In Texas, the issue is the latest in a long-waged war over local control between Republican leaders of the state and the Democratic leaders of its largest cities such as Austin, which tend to be more politically liberal.
The Austin City Council last week approved a budget for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1 that cut $21 million from the $434.5 million 2020 police budget, a 4.8% reduction. It also moved $80 million in services to other city departments from the police department, including internal affairs, some administrative functions and a forensics lab with a history of mismanagement. Public safety makes up 70% of the city’s general fund.
Mayor Steve Adler, a Democrat, said around $20 million would address homelessness, expand emergency medical services and add mental health first responders. He said it would make the city safer.
“We shouldn’t be looking to our police to be social workers,” Mr. Adler said. “Police should be allowed to focus on crime.”
Mr. Abbott called the move dangerous. He referenced a recent Wall Street Journal analysis of a homicide rise in major U.S. cities this year . The review found that of the 15 largest cities, Austin had the highest percentage increase in murders since last year.
“When crime is on the rise, the last thing we should do is defund law enforcement,” he said.
But the Journal’s review also found that Austin had the second-lowest number of murders of the cities evaluated and the lowest murder rate of major Texas cities. Austin has had 23 murders so far this year, compared with 37 in Fort Worth, 71 in San Antonio, 117 in Dallas and 178 in Houston.
Mr. Abbott’s office declined to clarify what would constitute defunding in the coming legislation, whether it would apply to any dollar reduction in a police budget or a proportion, or to services shifted to other departments.
“Defunding means defunding,” spokesman John Wittman said. “The legislature will draft a bill on this and it will go through the legislative process.”
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