Most Texas cities are now experiencing many of
the same problems as the older cities of the East and Midwest. As popularly
known, populations are aging, and there is evidence of white flight from
central urban areas. A significantly larger share of the population though in
the central cities like Houston and Dallas is low income earners and these
people are not able to afford taxes to support public services. Nonetheless,
these Cities are faced with significant problems like increasing crime rates, deteriorating
infrastructures and overcrowding in some areas. Federal and State Governments
have incorporated additional requirements, or consents, on the Cities that are
increasingly difficult to meet.
Local Governments in the State are trying out various
solutions with how to deal with these pressing issues. Because Cities can take
control of certain regions and they possess the legal ability to extend their
authority over their assigned boundaries, they can use these powers to expand
their tax bases and exercise limited controls over development in nearby areas
into their Cities. Another solution is that cities are using public improvement
districts to allow specific affected areas to impose additional taxes for
needed services. Both Counties and Cities are also privatizing governmental functions
to reduce costs and increase efficiency. Another option that has been proposed
is Inter-local contracting which permits governments to provide services to each
other based on contracts this will go forth to improve the standards of society
as a whole instead of having some much more on a higher level than others, and
many Counties and Cities are engaged in aggressive economic development programs.
With these propositions on the way it is possible that if effectively implemented
we would see less of these urban issues and more of a well improved society.
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