Voters in Taylor and Coupland are being asked Nov. 4 to cast ballots on a variety of propositions ranging from school bonds to renewing a street-maintenance tax.
In the meantime, the general election also features 17 state constitutional amendments, which can be viewed at wilcotx.gov/185/ Elections.
Early voting ends Oct. 31. The Taylor Independent School District has two propositions – A and B – for school bonds, while the Coupland Independent School District is proposing a 3 cents Maintenance & Operations tax hike.
In addition, the city of Coupland is asking the electorate to approve a 1% tax-rate increase for road maintenance and repair.
“Yes, it’s a road tax of 1 percent that has to be renewed every four years,” said Coupland Mayor Russell Schmidt. “We did not have a tax increase this year, so I hope we maintain the road tax.”
Schmidt said the city wanted to avoid tax increases across the board.
“I know the citizens like everyone else have a hard time making ends meet, so I try to keep taxes down,” Schmidt said. “However, the road tax is needed. We have no other tax increase as far as the city is concerned.”
Meanwhile, Coupland ISD is proposing a 3 cent per $100 valuation tax increase for M&O, which would raise the rate from about 66 cents to 69 cents per $100 valuation.
The M&O tax rate is for day-to-day operations such as salaries, utilities, paper, fuel, repairs and textbooks. If the measure passes, the district would see an increase of more than $240,000 for day-to-day operations.
The interest and sinking rate, which is related to paying down debt, will stay at 50 cents per $100 valuation, which would raise the overall Coupland ISD tax rate to $1.1922 per $100 valuation.
In Taylor ISD, Proposition A is a $147 million bond package that will be used for construction of new facilities, renovations to current sites and other capital improvements.
The district is expected to double in enrollment by 2032.
Proposition B will provide additional funding to operating revenue for staffing, programs and student support.
Through the retirement of old debt, tax compression and increased homestead exemption, these propositions – if approved through a vote – could lower the tax rate by almost 4 cents, officials said.
“The Prop A and Prop B measures address both long-term facility needs and the resources required to sustain high-quality classroom instruction,” said Superintendent Jennifer Garcia-Edwardsen. “It’s a balanced approach to meeting growth projections and program requirements while still lowering the tax rate.”
