LIVING IS EXPENSIVE

3 Dallas-area counties among the top 10 most expensive to live in Texas, report says

It takes a little extra to pay the bills here.

A new report explores just how pricey household bills are these days, and in Dallas-Fort Worth, it's not a pretty picture. Three local counties - Collin, Rockwall, and Denton - land among the top 10 most expensive in Texas, and Collin County leads the way as No. 1.

This, according to bill pay servicer Doxo, whose "DoxoInsights Explorer" calculates the average monthly payments for 10 of the most common household bills - mortgage, rent, auto loan, utilities, auto insurance, mobile phone, health insurance, cable and satellite, life insurance, and alarm and security - and compares them to the national average.

According to the website,the average household inNo. 1-ranked Collin County pays $2,747 in monthly bills, which comes out to $32,958 a year. When compared to the national average, which is $24,557 a year, the Collin County household is paying $8,401 more per year, or 34 percent more. (Find the monthly bill breakdown here.)

Nearby Rockwall County came in at No. 2 most expensive in Texas. There, household expenses are 29.7 percent higher (or $7,297) than the national average, at $31,854 per year.

Denton County also earned a spot in the top five most expensive counties, landing at No. 4. Household bills in the area are 27 percent higher than the national average at just under $2,600 per month, or $31,189 a year.

Dallas County ranked just outside the top 10 at No. 11, where household expenses are 10 percent higher than the national average. A Dallas County household pays $2,258 in monthly bills, adding up to $27,100 a year.

The good news is, residents of these counties might be able to pay their bills more easily. A SmartAsset report last year listed Collin, Dallas, Rockwall, and Denton counties among the wealthiest in Texas, based on per capita income, median home value, and per capita investment income. A separate report named Rockwall County the richest county in Texas based solely on median household income.

According to Doxo.com, the top 10 most expensive counties in Texas are:

No. 1 – Collin County
No. 2 – Rockwall County
No. 3 – Fort Bend County
No. 4 – Denton County
No. 5 – Kendall County
No. 6 – Williamson County
No. 7 – Travis County
No. 8 – Waller County
No. 9 – Galveston County
No. 10 – Hays County

Texas itself ranked No. 18 among all 50 states, with Texans paying $757 (or 3.1 percent) per year higher than the U.S. average. The average household in Texas pays $2,110 per month, or $25,314 per year on bills.

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Weed News

Texas AG Ken Paxton sues Dallas over decriminalization of marijuana

Photo courtesy of US Fish & Wildlife

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The City of Dallas has been sued by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for its efforts to decriminalize marijuana.

According to a release, Paxton has sued the city for adopting a city charter amendment that would decriminalize marijuana-related offenses and prohibit police from enforcing Texas law.

That amendment was Proposition R, or Dallas Freedom Act, which decriminalizes possession of four ounces of marijuana or less. Voters passed the amendment in the November 5 election, with 67 percent voting in favor.

The lawsuit, filed against the Dallas City Council, alleges that Proposition R is unconstitutional and violates Texas drug laws criminalizing any amount of marijuana.

Paxton says that cities can't "pick and choose which state laws to follow." He's proposing a permanent injunction to stop Proposition R from going into effect.

"The City of Dallas has no authority to override Texas drug laws or prohibit the police from enforcing them," says Paxton in a statement. "This is a backdoor attempt to violate the Texas Constitution, and any city that tries to constrain police in this fashion will be met swiftly with a lawsuit by my office.”

Before the recent election, possession of two to four ounces of marijuana could result in a punishment of 180 days in jail and a $2,000 fine.

Ground Game Texas, the activist nonprofit that has also helped get marijuana decriminalization on the ballot in elections across Texas, first got the issue on the ballot in July with the necessary 50,000 signatures.

Dallas is not the only city to be sued; Paxton also filed lawsuits against five other cities in Austin, Denton, Elgin, Killeen, and San Marcos in January for their ballots and policies decriminalizing marijuana.

Both Austin and San Marcos had a judge overturn their cases, according to a FOX 4 report.

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