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Connecting today’s news with the research & opinion you need.

Bad Policy

What to Know: The city of San Antonio has set aside implementation of its mandatory paid sick leave ordinance until at least December.

“The City agreed to delay implementing its paid sick leave ordinance until Dec. 1, four months after it was originally set to take effect, as the State Attorney General’s Office said Friday it would join a coalition of local business groups challenging the ordinance’s constitutionality,” the Rivard Report explains. “The City and the law firm representing the business groups submitted an agreement to a Bexar County court Friday to delay enforcement of the ordinance, which guarantees eligible San Antonio workers the right to paid leave for medical reasons. Businesses were set to begin complying on Aug. 1.

The TPPF Take: The Texas Public Policy Foundation sued the city of Austin over its mandatory paid sick leave ordinance—and won.

“Leave policies are best negotiated between employer and employee without the imposition of a one-size-fits-all mandate from the city that may not be in either party’s best interests,” says TPPF’s Rob Henneke. “And because mandatory paid sick leave requires a higher level of compensation than the Texas minimum wage, these ordinances run afoul of the Texas Minimum Wage Act. San Antonio’s ordinance will eventually be defeated in court.”

Raising Taxes

What to Know: Property taxes are going up, and it’s not because of the tax rate.

“There’s a reason you’ve been reading so much about property taxes lately. Property values in San Antonio and Bexar County have been rising,” KSAT reports. “On average, single-home values in the county are up 8.7 percent.”

The TPPF Take: In the 85th Legislature, lawmakers addressed tax rates—but not the property appraisal system.

"Your tax bill is the product of two numbers: the tax rate and the assessed value," explains TPPF's James Quintero. "The legislature worked hard to overhaul one of those elements last session, i.e. the tax rate. Looking ahead, it's important that next session's lawmakers go big on appraisal reform. Taxpayers deserve it."

Priorities 

What to Know: With a new raise, San Antonio ISD Superintendent Pedro Martinez is now one of the highest-paid government workers in the state.

“The superintendent’s salary for the coming school year will be around $315,000, surpassing former North East ISD superintendent Brian Gottardy’s salary to become the second highest in Bexar County,” Texas Public Radio reports. “… In an email Tuesday, [school board President Patti] Radle said that trustees wanted to recognize the ‘transformative’ work Martinez was doing to improve the district’s academic performance.”

The TPPF Take: School districts in Texas must keep their priorities straight. Big paychecks for top executives shouldn’t be a priority.

“You won’t find a single chart, graph or table that links large paychecks for the bureaucrats to educational improvements,” says TPPF’s Kara Belew. “In San Antonio ISD, only 44 percent of students graduate ready for college, a career or the military. This shows our spending priorities are out of whack. We should be spending money on things that have a real impact on academic achievement.”