Three cities in the Rio Grande Valley are being blocked from raising property taxes this year for failing to “be transparent with taxpayers,” according to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Roma, San Perlita and Weslaco are among the over 130 Texas cities that can’t raise their property taxes because they’re not complying with a new state law, according to a Thursday news release from Paxton’s office.

“I will not allow cities to unlawfully raise taxes on hardworking Texans. That is why I took aggressive action against over 130 Texas cities to hold them accountable and ensure they comply with state law,” Paxton said in a statement. “Cities cannot fail to abide by state audit requirements without consequences. My office will continue to aggressively enforce Texas law to protect taxpayers across the state.” 

The news release said Paxton’s office sent letters to the cities to notify them that they are prohibited from raising ad valorem taxes above the no-new-revenue tax rate, or the rate that would bring in the same amount of money as last year. 

According to Paxton’s office, the over 130 cities were identified as cities that failed to comply with Senate Bill 1851, which was passed in 2025. The passage of that bill led to a statewide investigation to determine if any cities failed to comply with the law for the new fiscal year. 

Roma, San Perlita and Weslaco are the only Valley cities that received “violation determination letters,” but Paxton’s office did not say how the cities failed to comply with the state law.

Channel 5 News reached out to all three Valley cities for comment. A spokesperson for the city of Weslaco issued the following statement in full: 

"The City of Weslaco is aware of the determination issued by the Office of the Attorney General regarding Senate Bill 1851 and the City’s FY 2025 audit filing timeline.

The City’s annual audit was completed and made publicly available on April 10, 2026, through the City Commission agenda packet process, and was formally accepted and filed by the City Commission on April 16, 2026.

The City is currently reviewing the determination with legal counsel and bond counsel to better understand the impact and evaluate any available next steps under state law.  

The City of Weslaco remains financially stable and committed to transparency, accountability, and compliance with all applicable reporting requirements moving forward."

The city of Roma released the following statement on social media on Friday:

The City of Roma recently became aware through media reports that the City was included in a list released by the Office of the Texas Attorney General regarding municipal audit filing timelines under Senate Bill 1851, legislation enacted by the Texas Legislature in 2025 and effective beginning September 1, 2025. At this time, the City has not received any official notification or correspondence by mail or email from the Attorney General’s Office; however, we anticipate additional communication may be forthcoming.

The City of Roma remains fully committed to financial responsibility, transparency, and accountability to our residents. The City completes independent annual financial audits every fiscal year through an external auditing process and has consistently maintained that practice. The City’s financial audits are publicly available on the City of Roma website as part of our continued commitment to transparency and accountability to our community.

The matter currently being discussed relates to the timing of audit completion under recently enacted state legislation. Historically, the City’s audits have been completed following the close of the fiscal year and prior to adoption of the City’s annual tax rate and budget.

City administration is currently reviewing the matter with legal counsel and financial auditors to ensure continued compliance moving forward and to better understand the implementation of Senate Bill 1851.

At this time, the City does not anticipate any interruption to municipal operations or public services. We remain committed to serving the residents of Roma with transparency, fiscal responsibility, and dedication to our community.

Thank you for your continued trust and support.