Registered voters in Hays County will decide whether to approve a combined $237.8 million in bond propositions when they go to the polls for the Nov. 8 election.
Proposition 1 includes $106.4 million for improvements to the county’s law-enforcement facilities. Proposition 2 includes $131.4 million and would address transportation projects throughout the county.
“Our traffic patterns have changed,” said Debbie Gonzales Ingalsbe, Hays County Precinct 1 commissioner, who represents parts of San Marcos and Kyle. “We have new housing and commercial developments throughout our county, and we need to be responsive to that and ensure we supply a safe and reliable transportation system. That’s my hope.”
Officials have projected that the bonds could be funded by the county’s increasing property tax base and would not necessitate a higher county tax rate. Some residents have voiced concern that residents are being overtaxed as it is, and even if the tax rate remains steady for the next several years, increasing property values will ensure residents do not see tax relief anytime soon.
A group of citizens has launched Save Hays, a bipartisan political action committee aimed at informing voters about the effect the two propositions’ passage could have on the county’s finances.
“It’s not a bad thing to say we don’t want any more debt, and we don’t want any more tax hikes, because that’s exactly what this is,” said Ashley Whittenberger, a Save Hays organizer. “More debt and more tax hikes.”
Proposed road projects
Among the projects that would be funded by Proposition 2 is the design of an overpass to be built at the intersection of FM 110 and Hwy. 123 in east San Marcos, as well as relocation of a Union Pacific Corp. switching station from its current location on Center Street in Kyle to FM 1626, away from downtown traffic.
Precinct 2 Commissioner Mark Jones, who represents portions of Kyle and Buda, said construction of Hays CISD’s McCormick Middle School on Dacy Lane provided the impetus for a $20 million improvement project on portions of that road in precincts 1 and 2.
“I’m going to be real surprised if the bonds do pass [if] that project is not the first one that we’re ready to go on,” Jones said.
In addition to construction and improvements, the bond funds would allow the county to buy property adjacent to existing roads to allow for future expansion and improvement projects.
One such right of way acquisition project would provide $11.8 million for the realignment of FM 150 from Arroyo Ranch Road through a mostly undeveloped area south of Kyle to Yarrington Road and I-35.
The county has pointed to the success of a 2008 road bond as evidence of its stewardship of residents’ tax dollars. The county partnered with the Texas Department of Transportation on a program known as “pass-through financing” to share costs associated with road improvements throughout the county after the bond’s passage in 2008. Under the program, the county funds the upfront costs of building or improving a state-owned road, and TxDOT refunds the county based on how many cars use the new or upgraded roadway.
Precinct 3 Commissioner Will Conley said he thinks the state will partner with the county again should voters approve another bond referendum.
“I know they would be [willing to partner again],” he said. “The details of that—what they could partner on at this point in time—aren’t exactly known. I without a doubt have confidence we can continue to build on that success and pool and leverage our dollars and resources together to do what’s appropriate for Hays County and our region.”
In 2014, voters statewide approved a proposition that provided TxDOT with additional revenue from the state’s oil and gas tax. In 2015, Texas voters approved Proposition 7, which dedicated a portion of the general sales and use tax revenue and the motor vehicle sales tax revenue to the general highway fund. Both propositions were aimed at providing more funding to build roads throughout the state.
The key to tapping into the state money will be ensuring projects are “shovel-ready,” Conley said.
“There will be those who are prepared and those who aren’t,” Conley said. “Those who aren’t won’t have the ability to leverage those dollars in any type of significant way. Those who are will be able to have that opportunity.”
Law-enforcement improvements
Proposition 1 would address the county’s aging law-enforcement infrastructure by expanding and renovating the 27-year-old county jail, which officials say is overcrowded and consistently in need of repairs. The bond would also fund construction of a new law enforcement training center and a co-located emergency communications hub near the Government Center at 712 Stagecoach Trail, San Marcos.
The county’s jail was built in 1989, and officials claim it is becoming a liability as repairs are consistently needed to keep the facility operational. In fiscal year 2016-17, the county has allocated $500,000 for repairs to the jail.
“Jails incur expenses that can’t wait, even if there is a bond referendum and it gets passed,” county spokesperson Laureen Chernow said. “So those funds are for expected repairs that might be necessary in FY 2017.”
As of Sept. 27, the county was holding 206 inmates in jails outside Hays County. Officials insist the county’s current jail does not have capacity to remain in compliance with the Texas Commission on Jail Standards, which advises counties keep a percentage of cells open to accommodate fluctuations in the inmate population and restricts certain offenders from being housed together.
Save Hays initiative
Whittenberger said the county’s public outreach regarding the bonds has been one-sided. Alternatives to the bonds—including incremental improvements at the jail and a smaller collection of transportation projects—have not been discussed, she said.
“We’re going to be educating the public on the other side of the issue since our elected officials are not,” she said.
According to information provided to Community Impact Newspaper by the Hays County Tax Assessor-Collector’s office, the average annual property tax bill among nine randomly selected residential properties in San Marcos, Kyle and Buda increased by 15.45 percent between 2011 and 2016.
Whittenberger said she expects those increases to continue if the bonds are passed.
“They’re banking on the fact that our appraisals are going to continue to rise; we’ll have more people moving here increasing the tax base. But they’re banking on the fact that our property tax bills will go up every year,” Whittenberger said.
