March 4, 2015 11:53 AM

Bettencourt says he is getting his local property tax cap effort back on track

"They can estimate the price of oil over there but they can't take a stab at what my bill would do?" Bettencourt asked. Comptroller’s office confirms they’ll work to provide more information

Newly elected Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, tells Quorum Report that he has a new commitment from the Comptroller's Office that it will work to put a fiscal note on his effort to cap local property taxes – a bill cities and counties are fighting tooth and nail. The bill, SB 182, would require a rollback election if a city, county, or special district’s property tax revenue increases by more than 4 percent.

It’s a cause that Sen. Bettencourt and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick have been pushing for years, but some of their fellow Republicans like Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, have sounded skeptical about whether the plan would restrict the ability of local governments to offer services as basic as police and fire protection.

Bettencourt said that over the weekend, the Comptroller's office took him by surprise when he was notified their number crunchers could not determine the fiscal impact to the state. No rational member of the Senate is going to vote on a tax bill without a fiscal note, Bettencourt and other Senators said.

That's why Bettencourt pulled the bill from consideration for now.

Though Bettencourt sounded optimistic, the word from the Comptroller’s office was a little more muted.

By Scott Braddock