Gov. Abbott Proposes Freezing Property Tax Collection for Cities That Defund Police

FORT WORTH, TX – Gov. Greg Abbott expressed his continued disapproval for the City of Austin’s decision to pull funding from the Austin Police Department in a news conference Tuesday, and announced a proposal stating that any Texas cities which defund police forces from now on will have their ability to collect property taxes frozen.

This decision comes following multiple efforts by Austin, and several large cities across the nation to strip away funding and responsibilities from local police departments, a move which many conservatives have criticized since the idea was originally mentioned.

“When crime is on the rise, the last thing we should do is defund law enforcement, and yet that is exactly what the City of Austin did, defunding police puts residents in danger and it invites lawlessness into our communities,” said Abbott.

The Governor went on to say that cities who put their resident's lives in danger should not be able to collect their tax dollars.

Abbott explained that his stance was based on statistics indicating that crime in Austin is on the rise, including that Austin is the number one city in America in year-to-year percentages in murder increases.

Gov. Abbott added that aggravated robberies have increased by 14% while robberies have increased by 14%.

“Just because there is an act, or many acts committed by law enforcement does not mean that we reduce law enforcement,” said Abbott.

The Governor explained that while police reform is much needed, it’s not a reason to reduce the overall police budget.

Abbott spearheaded the news conference alongside Texas House Speaker Dennis Bonnen and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.

During the conference, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick condemned the City of Austin’s vote, saying that, "Austin and it's leadership is moving in the opposite direction of where it should to be going." 

“Not only has Austin defunded police, they’ve taken away vital weapons they could use to disperse crowds… no city in Texas should be able to do this again.” 

During the conference, Patrick reiterated that recent demonstrations could have been be a lot worse if law enforcement were not present and armed. 

Other notable officials who joined in the conference include Tarrant County’s Republican delegation:

• Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price
• State Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound
• State Sen. Kelly Hancock, R-North Richland Hills
• State Rep. Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth
• State Rep. Craig Goldman, R-Fort Worth
• State Rep. Stephanie Klick, R-Fort Worth
• State Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, R-Southlake

Gov. Abbott promised legislative action after the Austin City Council approved the city’s budget for fiscal year 2020-2021 which included a $150 million shift in funds away from the Austin Police Department.

Although only about $20 million of the money was funds taken directly away from the Austin Police Department, the rest was a coordinated effort to move certain areas in which the police department oversees such as the DNA crime lab, and put it under civilian oversight.