The Lake Travis ISD board of trustees approved a November election for a $143 million bond considering new athletic facilities and stadiums for each sport at High School No. 2, which will open in August 2027, as well as infrastructure at Lake Travis High School. The new stadiums include:
- Football
- Baseball
- Softball
- Soccer
- Track
- Tennis
- Band
"What we did was add more equitable facilities at High School No. 2, and since this is a year behind, we had to add things like turf replacement at Bee Cave Middle School,” Sanchez said.
The backstory
The new bond package includes facilities for High School No. 2 that were not a part of the 2022 bond package due to need. District information states a bond election is in the best interest for residents in the districts due to an increase in student growth, facility needs and staff feedback.
"This is a proposition that has been developed with staff and is presented before the board tonight that is primarily athletics in nature," Bond Counsel Chair Clay Binford said. "This is the same financing project list that includes facilities that will be used to host events for students both in school and for extracurricular activities, as well as infrastructure related to those specific projects."
The cost
“Pass or fail, the bond will not increase the tax rate,” Executive Director of Communications Marco Alvarado said. “The direct reflection on a resident's tax bill relies on the appraisals.”
Alvarado explained if the bond passes and the new facilities are added, property taxes could go up due to appraisals in the area. He said that means passage of the new bond could result in increased property taxes even though the LTISD tax rate for fiscal year 2023-24 will not increase from the previous year.
The bottom line
Binford said a new law allows all elements of the bond to be packaged under one proposition—in this case Proposition A.
Another viewpoint
"Prop C was rejected by the voters in 2022, [and] it has no place in returning back again. We rejected it, and it has no place coming back with additional funds on top of it," Lake Travis resident Jim Moore said during agenda hearings.
