Guess who sold their home and moved because property taxes were too damn high?I met Representative Sarah Davis in the early afternoon on Wednesday, October 17. It was her district office here in Houston. I opened by asking how she felt about eliminating property tax. Well,… we had a surprisingly open discussion about why we should and how we could get rid of it. Seems there’s nothing quite like getting royally stung yourself to help get you onboard with an idea.I had low expectations going into this meeting. I sure didn’t expect the engagement I got. The active listening, the feedback, the questions. There was genuine intrigue. I started with the bill’s background, that it had originally been sponsored by Rep. George Lavender in 2013. Well, guess who’s desk Sarah shared in the House during her freshman session that year? They obviously got along. That relationship seemed to provide some rapport between us and respect for his bill.Sarah volunteered that she’d also sponsored a couple of bills (HB 331, 513, SB 717) related to property tax relief and reform in the last legislative session. And how did that work out? She couldn’t get a hearing out of Dennis Bonnen in the Ways & Means Committee. And Messrs. Bettencourt, Patrick, and Abbot? Oh, ho, boy! Did they get a choice character assessment… something about saying one thing, doing another. Yeah. She was pretty “candid” on the topic. That was a really good laugh. We concluded by agreeing we knew Sarah wasn’t the best candidate for sponsorship. State Finance isn’t exactly in her wheelhouse. But I think she is open to co-sponsoring the bill if Rep. Springer and Senator Zaffirini decide to move forward with it. So, I promised to keep her informed on our next steps with them.As I’ve reflected on the discussions and outcomes we’ve gotten with these Legislators, honestly, it’s been far better than I expected. And it’s a big contrast from what I experience almost two years ago. Back then, no way to put it other than polite disinterest or downright patronization. That hasn’t happened this time. I can only assume that Texans have been telling them… we’ve had enough. No Relief. No Reform. #EliminatePropertyTax
