Corpus Christi is among more than 1,000 Texas cities under investigation by Attorney General Ken Paxton to ensure compliance with a financial transparency law and prevent unlawful property tax increases.
Paxton requested financial documents and information from Corpus Christi and other municipalities to ensure they meet audit and transparency requirements before raising taxes in the new fiscal year. He previously demanded documents from cities to check compliance.
The Texas Legislature passed Senate Bill 1851 during the most recent legislative session. The law requires cities to complete and publicly post annual financial audits by a specified deadline.
Municipalities that fail to meet the auditing and transparency requirements are prohibited from increasing property tax revenue beyond the previous year's level.
Corpus Christi is one of several large cities that must turn over documents. The investigation also includes Houston, Conroe, Sugar Land, Galveston, San Antonio, Dallas, Fort Worth, Lubbock, Wichita Falls, McAllen, Beaumont, Amarillo, El Paso, Laredo, Texarkana, Victoria, Brownsville, Waco, Abilene, San Angelo and Tyler.
"I will not allow any Texas city to unlawfully increase taxes. That is why my office is reviewing the actions of over 1,000 cities to ensure that they are complying with transparency requirements and not attempting to illegally raise property taxes," Paxton said.
"I am demanding that cities prioritize transparency and work to minimize the tax burden of every citizen across the state. While many cities have complied with these requirements, I will continue to fight to ensure that every municipality across our state is following the law," Paxton said.
The Office of the Attorney General created a complaint form for Texans to fill out if they believe local officials are violating the audit requirements of Senate Bill 1851 and unlawfully raising taxes.
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