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Joe Boardman at the Midwest HSR Association

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Local streets, county roads, state highways, and federal highways take land off the tax rolls.  In some places the land taken off the tax rolls is valuable; in many places, like west Texas, not so much. The roadways make development possible. And the development generates enhanced land appraisal values that probably more than make up for the appraised value of the land taken off the tax rolls for roadways. When I moved to Texas, Georgetown, where I live, was a community of less than 5,000 people. Today the population is more than 50,000, and the town is growing by leaps and bounds. All sorts of businesses and houses have been built on what was low grade farm land. In fact some of it was just scrub land populated with large numbers of mesquite trees. These properties generate far more in property taxes - my guess - than was the case before the development occurred.   Most of the local delivery companies have offices, warehouses, lay down yards, etc. in or near Georgetown.  They pay property taxes on those facilities.  Also, if they carry inventory, they pay inventory taxes. One of the drivers for the development of the Georgetown was and remains I-35 and Texas 29.  Without these roadways, as well as the excellent city and country roads, this would still be a country town with little future and heaps of mesquite trees.  And the property taxes would be a pittance of what they are today.
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