Liberty Hill ISD’s tax rate election through Proposition A passed by a narrow margin, unofficial voting results show.
The results
In the Nov. 4 election, 52.34% of voters, or 3,924 people, cast their ballots in favor of Prop A, while 47.66% of voters, or 3,573 people, voted against the measure, according to unofficial results from Williamson County.
Zooming out
About 17.3% of registered voters in Williamson County participated in the Nov. 4 election with 78,232 ballots cast, according to county data.
Posted 7:54 p.m. Nov. 4
Early voting results from Williamson County show Liberty Hill ISD’s tax rate election through Proposition A passing.
The update
In the Nov. 4 election, Liberty Hill ISD voters will decide whether to approve an increase to the district’s tax rate through Proposition A.
Unofficial early voting results show 2,409 voters, or 56.14%, cast their ballot in favor of Proposition A while 1,882 voters, or 43.86%, voted against.
On the ballot
LHISD is asking voters to approve a maintenance and operations, or M&O, tax rate of $0.7389 per $100 valuation, which is about $0.07 higher than the fiscal year 2024-25 M&O tax rate of $0.6669 per $100 valuation.
The interest and sinking, or I&S, tax rate would remain at $0.50 per $100 valuation, making for a combined tax rate of $1.2389 per $100 valuation.
The M&O tax rate funds the day-to-day operations of a district, including salaries, benefits and operational costs, while the I&S rate may only be used to repay debt.
Without an election, LHISD is expected adopt a lower M&O tax rate of $0.64 due to compression from the state as property values grow, according to a report from independent financial auditing firm Moak Casey. Since 2018, the district's M&O tax rate has decreased by $0.375 due to state compression.
The district called a tax rate election in November 2024, during which voters failed to approve a nearly $0.06 tax rate increase.
The impact
In the Nov. 4 election, Texas voters will decide whether to raise the property tax exemption on a homeowner’s main residence, known as a homestead exemption, from $100,000 to $140,000. The exemption would apply only to taxes charged by public schools, which make up the majority of an average homeowner’s property tax bill, according to previous Community Impact reporting.
If the state proposition and LHISD’s Proposition A passes, homeowners with a median home value of $516,513 could expect to pay around $4,665 in school property taxes in fiscal year 2025-26, which is an estimated $341 increase from the previous fiscal year, according to district information.
The background
LHISD is seeking to generate $10.7 million in additional revenue to invest $7.2 million in student programs, $2.2 million into teacher and staff retention, and $1.3 million in safety and security initiatives.
The increased tax rate is intended to help the district fill a $10 million funding hole, interim Superintendent Travis Motal told Community Impact in September. The district has made around $8 million in budget cuts over the past two fiscal years and realized a $2 million budget deficit in FY 2024-25.
This school year, the district cut around 78 positions, many of which supported teachers, increased class sizes and reduced planning periods for teachers
If the Nov. 4 tax rate election does not pass, LHISD is expecting to make $3 million in additional cuts next fiscal year, Motal said at an Oct. 20 board meeting. The district could consider not opening Legacy Ranch Middle School or Lariat Trails Elementary in 2026, further increasing class sizes, sharing staff between campuses or charging fees to participate in extracurricular activities, according to district information.
Also of note
Over 44,300 ballots were cast in Williamson County during the 12-day early voting period from Oct. 20-31, representing 9.8% of registered voters in the county.
Voting totals from Election Day Nov. 4 have not been released yet as polls were open until 7 p.m. or until those in line cast their vote.
Stay tuned
This article will be updated as election day vote totals are released. All results are unofficial until canvassed.
Visit Community Impact’s voter guide to view results for all local races.
