San Antonio can’t seem to help itself. Every time the City of Austin comes up with a way to waste tax dollars, they have to have one too. This time, San Antonio wants to add more electric-car charging stations around the city… just like Austin did months ago.
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Allen Throws Taxpayers Under Bus
There is no doubt Allen has experienced rampant population growth over the past few decades, so the school district is building a new bus barn. Rather than renovate the existing facility, bureaucrats naturally want to instead build a brand new $40 million structure.
Part Four: Venturing Capital With Taxpayer Money
Since the Harris County Department of Education hasn’t been in charge of managing public schools for over 90 years, it’s had to find another way to spend its taxpayer funds: investing in for-profit businesses. Apparently, venture capitalism is one of the many all-important duties a department of education is meant to tackle.
Part Three: So Inefficient, It Should Be Unconstitutional
How much did you spend on food and drinks in a four-month span? The Harris County Department of Education spent about $72,000 in taxpayer funded “Restaurant/Refreshment” purchases from August to December last year, a microcosm of waste so bad that many would consider it unconstitutional.
Tax Dollars Going Up In Smoke
Cap Metro is ready to spend federal stimulus money to expand the nanny-state governance encompassing the City of Austin. They now want to institute a smoking ban at all bus stops. The cost? $254,000. But that’s not the best part.
Part Two: The Obsolete Operations of the HCDE
The Harris County Department of Education (HCDE) represents exactly the kind of obsolete and financially inefficient government entity that has plagued our public education system for years. It’s one of only two departments of its kind left in Texas, providing only redundant services our current system of independent school districts are already set up to handle.
Part One: Duplicating Government in Harris County
Harris County taxpayers have been unwittingly paying for the same service from different governmental entities for years. On top of paying taxes for their local school district, they’ve been funding $16 million in taxes to the Harris County Department of Education (HCDE) for nothing more than a duplication of services already provided by other entities.
Anything You Can Do, We Can Do More Inefficiently
Not to be outdone by the ridiculous public transit ideas from the Austin City Council, the city of San Antonio now wants to spend $180 million of taxpayer money on a boondoggle they can call their own.
Keeping May Elections Costs Austin Taxpayers
Who cares about reducing costs and increasing voter turnout? Clearly not the Austin City Council. They voted to keep their elections in May, despite the chance to increase voter turnout and save money. The Austin school district, on the other hand, is casting their vote with the taxpayers.
Katy ISD Takes Two Steps Forward, One Step Back
Katy ISD had shown signs of fiscal responsibility in writing a new budget, cutting mostly outside the classroom and not increasing property tax rates. Even local Tea Party groups offered their praises. All of that goodwill might be lost once …