More on "the big rebuke"

Not surprisingly, Americans for Prosperity has set up a web page about Harris County pulling out of the Texas Association of Counties.

In what could be considered an unprecedented move, the Harris County Commissioners’ Court just voted unanimously to pull out of the Texas Association of Counties.

The Lone Star Times reports that one of the reasons was the Williamson County lawsuit in which several taxpayers (Peggy Venable, Jan Brauner and Judy Morris) sued Williamson County and enjoined the Texas Association of Counties for violating state law by using tax dollars to join an association that lobbies.

"This is a real victory for the taxpayer, and we commend the Harris County Commissioners for acting in the taxpayers’ interest, not in the special interest of bigger government,” said Peggy Venable, Texas Director of Americans for Prosperity.

A statement in the Houston-based blog Lone Star Times read: “Harris County was the largest member of TAC, so this is a huge rebuke and a victory in the property tax fight. TAC’s lobbying was at odds with the County government, and was not serving our interests as voters. So Commissioner’s Court dumped them.”

“The Harris County Commissioners Court acted on behalf of the taxpayer in voting unanimously to pull out of the Texas Association of Counties,” said Venable. “We are calling on other counties to take that action and to put an end to taxpayers’ influencing a political agenda which is anti-taxpayer and pro-big government.”

“Taxpayers should not have to go to work every day to earn a living to take care of their families and pay their taxes, knowing that some of those tax dollars are going to lobby for higher taxes,” said Venable. “Today the Harris County Commissioners Court voted unanimously that they won’t subject their taxpayers to that abuse.”