Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, filed a bill yesterday that aims to reduce the tax burden on property owners, but San Marcos and other Central Texas cities along I-35 say the legislation would do more harm than good. Dubbed the Texas Property Tax Reform and Relief Act of 2017, Senate Bill 2 would reduce the rollback rate from 8 percent to 4 percent and trigger an automatic tax ratification election when a city, county or special district exceeds the rollback rate, among other measures. “Texas taxpayers have been facing property tax bills that are increasing 2.5 to 3 times faster than median household income,” Bettencourt said in a statement. “Throughout Texas, in hearing after hearing, the Select Committee heard the same message loud and clear: Texans are asking for and deserve property tax relief.” But the cities of Austin, San Marcos, New Braunfels and San Antonio would have lost at least $770 million over the past decade under this law, according to a news release, while saving the average homeowner just a few dollars a month. Without this revenue, cities in the I-35 corridor will struggle to accommodate the rapid growth in the area, officials said. “The state’s proposal would negatively impact every resident who wants a street repaired, every neighborhood that seeks better police protection and every business that needs improved infrastructure to better serve their customers,” San Marcos Mayor Daniel Guerrero said in a statement. “Texas cities are thriving and this proposed legislation would stunt the progress we have made." Opponents of SB 2 say the bill’s proponents have made an inaccurate comparison between median household income, which increases because of inflation, and total property tax collections, which have increased mostly because of new construction projects. There is no statistical relationship between median household income and property tax collections, according to the bill's critics. The total amount of property taxes levied by cities in Texas increased by 19 percent from 2009 to 2014. According to the Texas Comptroller, during this time period, state revenues increased by 46 percent. “Texas officials, who often champion limited government, know that government is not one size fits all and should allow municipalities to continue to best represent their constituents,” San Antonio Mayor Ivy R. Taylor said in a statement. The 85th Legislative Session begins Jan. 10. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has indicated SB 2 is of high priority.