The state legislative trend of mitigating rising property tax bills continues in 2025, in what may have been the most challenging year since 2020 for districts to advocate and educate their representatives on the consequences of capping and freezing taxes.
In response to elevated concerns among Members on trends to undercut local revenue resources for special districts across the country, the American Association of Special Districts (AASD) Board of Directors have authorized the America’s Special Districts Task Force for Local Revenue Sustainability.
The Task Force will begin meeting in September with the primary objectives to:
- Identify core concepts and commonalities of this modern-era property tax rebellion across states.
- Share recent experiences among special district leaders of how they have educated their state legislators on matters of local revenue sustainability (property taxes, sales tax, and more).
- Craft strategies in support of special districts’ advocacy in their state capitols on the issue.
America’s special district leaders will meet over the course of three months with the goal of producing a series of resources and best practices for special districts to navigate their advocacy during 2026 legislative sessions.
The group will also begin to examine the crossover in state-level actions the emerging trend of local scrutiny of special district services and their necessity in the name of government efficiency.
To participate in the Task Force, interested special districts must:
- Be affiliated with an AASD Regular Member or Associate Member (Click here to join AASD as a trial member)
- Commit to meeting virtually on a monthly basis to work toward the objectives and goals outlined above.
- Be solutions-driven with a focus to help fellow special districts with their advocacy.
Information on how to get involved has been distributed via AASD Member Communications. For more information, email Cole Arreola-Karr, AASD Executive Director, at contact@americasdistricts.org.