Frisco ISD voters will head to the polls Aug. 27 and will decide if the district can raise its tax rate by 13 cents.
In June, FISD board of trustees approved a $471.4 million budget for the 2016-17 school year based on the 13-cent tax rate increase after holding several public meetings about the budget. The approval of the higher tax rate triggered a tax ratification election.
If the TRE passes, the district’s total tax rate would increase from $1.46 per $100 valuation to $1.59. Residents would pay $443 more a year in property taxes on a home valued at $365,463, which is the district’s average home value.
The TRE in August affects the maintenance and operations, or M&O, tax rate that generates funds for the general operations of the district, such as payroll. The M&O rate of $1.04 would be increased by 13 cents.
A part of the combined tax rate is called interest and sinking, or I&S, which garners funds to pay off debt generated by issuing bonds. This rate of 42 cents would not be affected by the increased M&O rate.
This would the first time FISD held a TRE to increase the M&O rate.
In the past 16 years, FISD voters approved five bond referendums—in 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006 and 2014—for a combined total of $2.5 billion. All bond elections passed with more than 70 percent voter approval.
During FISD’s latest bond election in 2014, Frisco had a total of 98,848 registered voters and a total of 9,635 votes were cast, which is about a 10 percent voter turnout. The bond referendum passed with 77 percent voter approval.
In the 2006 bond election, Frisco had a total of 53,307 registered voters and a total of 1,193 votes were cast, which is a 2.2 percent voter turnout. The bond referendum also passed.
Comparatively, the city of Frisco held a City Council election and a local option election in May, which had a voter turnout of 13.74 percent.
The day of FISD’s election is also the same day as the opening of The Star in Frisco. District officials said they do not expect a low voter turnout because of the opportunity for early voting, which provides opportunities to vote before election day.
“We expect a very strong turnout of FISD voters for the TRE election,” FISD Superintendent Jeremy Lyon said. “Given the high value our residents place on education and the school district, as well as the importance of this election in having the resources to continue delivering the quality of programs we offer students, we expect high interest and a strong turnout.”
Frisco United, a political action committee in opposition of the tax increase, does believe voter turnout is low in Frisco.
Since launching the campaign, Frisco United members have gone out to the community and shared their position through forums, community meetings, social media and one-on-one conversations.
The group’s goal is to keep Frisco affordable and to stop the tax increase, according to a statement from the group.
“Over the last several months, Frisco United has researched FISD budgets, submitted [open records requests], evaluated [Texas Education Agency] and State Comptroller data to create a different view of FISD’s financials, priorities and resource allocation,” the group said in the statement.
According to district officials, this tax increase would generate $30.6 million, about the same amount the district would be losing from the state in 2017.
By 2017, FISD will have absorbed $114 million in state aid since 2011.
Increasing the tax rate would allow FISD to generate enough funds per student to keep up with its fast growth, according to district officials.
“This is about retaining the funds that we are currently getting today to ensure our schools continue to have success,” said Bryan Dodson, board of trustees vice president.
For more information about the election, go to www.friscoisd.org/tre. To learn more about Frisco United, go to www.friscounited.com.
