Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, filed a bill yesterday that aims to reduce the tax burden on property owners, but Georgetown 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.” Georgetown City Council approved the city's legislative agenda Nov. 22. Among the items the city wants legislators to consider is opposition to "revenue caps in the form of adjusting provisions for the current property tax rollback." Other cities, including Austin, New Braunfels, San Antonio and San Marcos, also oppose the legislation. 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. The 85th Legislative Session begins Jan. 10. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has indicated SB 2 is of high priority.