Early voting continues through Oct. 29 for Lake Travis-Westlake residents to vote on bonds, taxes and city council elections alongside statewide propositions at their local polling stations. Per the Travis County clerk, roughly 8% of registered voters in Travis County have already cast their ballots in person and by mail as of Oct. 27.
West Lake Hills residents are voting on the passage of two bonds totaling $25 million for a new City Hall, a police building, and permanent public improvements such as roadway and drainage projects. Proposition A is a $13.2 million bond to build a new City Hall and police building, both located at 911 Westlake Drive. If only Proposition A passes, the general obligation bonds will be paid out of property taxes and result in the tax rate going from $0.0786 to $0.1077 per $100 valuation, according to the city.
Proposition B is a $11.8 million bond for improvements on six roadway and drainage projects: Camp Craft Road, Laurel Valley Road, Redbud Trail, Westlake Drive, Yaupon Valley Road and Terrace Mountain Drive. If only Proposition B passes, the general obligation bonds will also be paid out of property taxes and result in the tax rate going from $0.0786 to $0.1046 per $100 valuation, according to the city.
If both Propositions A and B are passed, the tax rate will go from $0.0786 to $0.1338 per $100 valuation. Depending on which propositions pass, the impact on owners of a $1.5 million home would be an increase in property taxes ranging from $390-$850, according to the city’s website.
Residents of West Lake Hills are also voting on Proposition C, which would abolish the 0.5% tax rate used for property tax relief and instead instate a 0.5% sales tax for maintenance and repair of streets. Homeowners would see an increase in property tax rates from $0.0786 to $0.119 per $100 valuation. According to the city’s website, the median West Lake Hills homeowner would pay $586 more in city taxes if Proposition C passes.
If Propositions A, B and C pass, the median homeowner in West Lake Hills can expect around a $976-$1,436 raise in their taxes.
Citizens of Rollingwood are voting on the renewal of a one-fourth of $0.01 sales tax on goods purchased in the city to generate funds for maintenance and repair of municipal streets. The city estimates the tax will generate $150,000 annually, having collected over $1.3 million since its introduction in 2009 and subsequent reauthorization every four years.
Additionally, Rollingwood residents can expect to see incumbent Amy Padillo running alongside Chris Braden, Alec Robinson, Emily Doran, Brook Brown and Phil McDuffee for three City Council seats. To find out more about the candidates, residents can watch the candidate forum on the city’s website.
Finally, Lake Travis ISD is also holding a tax ratification election to gain voter approval on measures to raise maintenance and operation taxes and proportionally lower interest and sinking tax rates in the district. The district estimates this will generate $3 million more in funding for the district in the form of “golden pennies,” which are funds not subject to recapture by the state. There will be zero change in the overall tax rate.
Regular voting will take place Nov. 2, and residents can visit the Travis County website to see polling locations near them and check wait times. For more information on ballot issues, check out Community Impact Newspaper's 2021 Local Voter Guide.
