Travis County commissioners are facing a lawsuit over a 9.12% property tax increase they approved in September.
Typically, local governments can only raise the tax rate 3.5% without voter approval. The lawsuit argues the commissioners court misused a section of Texas tax code that allows local governments to raise taxes by a higher amount without voter approval for one year when state and federal leaders issue a disaster declaration for the area.
The plaintiffs are the newly elected mayor of Lago Vista, Shane Saum, and Jeffery Bowen, a former Austin mayoral candidate and owner of a small construction company. Both said they are Travis County taxpayers in the lawsuit. They are represented by attorney and former Travis County Judge Bill Aleshire…