Uncapped Plunder: Post City Council Bypasses Tax Limits to Extract Double Digit Revenue Hike

Imagine working tirelessly to keep your household afloat in an era of persistent inflation, only to find that your local government is actively working to make your life more expensive. For the residents of Post, Texas, this scenario became a painful reality when local politicians decided to bypass basic fiscal guardrails to expand the size of the municipal state. On Tuesday, September 22, 2026, local officials made a deliberate decision to reach deeper into the pockets of everyday taxpayers to fuel an expanding administrative apparatus.

During its special session, the Post City Council approved the second reading of its 2026/2027 municipal budget and finalized the city property tax rate. Instead of exercising fiscal restraint, the council approved a budget that will extract a shocking 14.9 percent more in total property tax revenue compared to the previous fiscal year. This massive wealth transfer amounts to an additional $165,094 taken directly out of the local economy, placing an unnecessary burden on homeowners and small business owners who are already struggling to make ends meet.

To achieve this aggressive revenue target, the council adopted an ad valorem property tax rate of $0.8912 per $100 of taxable valuation. This approved rate represents a severe escalation, flying past the city calculated no new revenue tax rate of $0.7411 and even surpassing the voter approval tax rate of $0.8431. By intentionally exceeding these thresholds, the municipal government has signaled a complete disregard for the taxpayers who fund their operations, choosing instead to maximize their extraction of local wealth.

This aggressive tax grab is part of a broader, systemic trend of municipal fiscal expansion across Texas. According to a policy analysis by the Reason Foundation, when local governments refuse to trim bloated expenditures or implement meaningful spending caps, they inevitably rely on high taxation rates and escalating fee schedules to plug their self-inflicted deficits. This dynamic places local property owners in a state of perpetual economic insecurity, where the fruits of their private labor are routinely harvested to sustain a growing public sector.

Post residents deserve a municipal government that respects private property rights and operates within its means. By pushing tax rates past voter approval limits to harvest nearly 15 percent more in property tax revenue, the city has prioritized bureaucratic expansion over the economic freedom of its citizens. It is time for local taxpayers to stand up, ask tough questions, and demand a return to fiscal sanity before the council decides to demand even more.

Sources

Post Special Council Meeting Agenda (City of Post Official Notice, September 22, 2026).

Post Notice of Public Hearing on Tax Increase (City of Post Public Notice, September 22, 2026).

Reason Foundation Fines and Fees Report (Reason Foundation Policy Commentary, 2026).