Texas enjoys a relatively low state and local tax burden when compared to other states, yet government spending has grown rapidly—especially at the local level. A committee appointed by Governor Perry to study appraisal reform in Texas reported that over the six year period ending in 2004, local government revenues grew 55% which is more than double the rate of inflation over the same period of time!

[1]The explosive growth in local government makes local government transparency essential, yet counties and cities are not required to make this information widely available over the Internet. Today only 37% of Texas counties have their local government budgets posted online for taxpayer inspection. Taxpayers across the state deserve not only more information on their local government budgets, but an accounting for how all of the local government’s new revenue is being spent. Every local government should be required to make their budget available online at all times, as well as their local government check register.

[2]	Ever been curious to see how your local government compares to others around the state when it comes to transparency? Want to learn how you can help your local government become more transparent? Check out Comptroller Susan Comb's Texas Transparency Check Up [3] for more details!
[4]	Want to see the nation’s first ever county government check register? Follow the link to the Collin County Financial Transparency Project [5].
[6]	Find out the salaries of public employees in Houston and Harris County by following the link to the Houston Chronicle’s database [7].