Board members with the Lake Travis Chamber of Commerce unanimously approved support of Lake Travis ISD's bond and tax ratification election (TRE) on the November ballot, according to a release sent out the week of Oct. 9. The chamber's release included a breakdown of the bond proposals based on the LTISD board's recent adoption of a temporary $1.4275 per $100 valuation total tax rate for fiscal year 2017-18. The LTISD board's decision is part of a "penny exchange" plan, which involved moving 2 cents from the debt service side of the tax rate to the maintenance and operations, or M&O, side. That move would allow the board to receive an additional $2.1 million in annual state aid. If the bond and TRE are approved, that would result in a ratified tax rate of $1.40 per $100 valuation, and taxpayers would not see any increase in their school tax bill, according to LTISD staff. If voters reject the proposal, the M&O tax rate would still roll back to the previous rate. In June, trustees approved an order calling for the election to generate $253 million for school maintenance, repair and land purchase costs as well as the purchase of new school buses with seat belts to adhere to a new state law. The full list of projects is available at LTISD's website. Early voting begins Oct. 23.