Mixed bag on Election Day with only some Abilene, school district items passing.
Final vote totals for Taylor County and the city of Abilene came in just before midnight Election Night Tuesday. The City of Abilene was divided and only passed a portion of the city and school propositions on the ballot.
The first and largest bond, entitled Wylie Independent School District Proposition A, totaled $234 million and passed with nearly 58% of the votes and will result in a property tax increase for those residing within the Wylie School District. Prop A included such measures as the construction of a new elementary campus, new tennis facilities and the purchase of new school buses, among others. Some important line items included improvements in school safety and security with perimeter fencing, new door locks and surveillance cameras.
The next bond was the Wylie Independent School District Proposition B, which came in at just under $30 million. It did not pass, failing with 56% of voters against it. It would have allowed for the creation of a new multi-purpose community event center, while demolishing the old one.
Prop. C was the most affordable of the Wylie bonds coming in at a mere $6 million. Prop. C passed with 55% of the vote, funding the purchase of new instructional "technology and electrical infrastructure needed for modern teaching and learning tools," according to the Bond Committee. While this proposition could be considered a necessity in this technology-driven age, it will also result in an increase to property taxes.
A few other Abilene-specific bonds appeared easier to pass and will not result in more taxation of Abilenians. The first proposition was the Abilene-Taylor County Events Venue District Proposition A. This hotel tax, dubbed “the tax you don’t pay,” passed with 64% of the vote. This tax allows for the city to impose up to a 15% tax on all hotels and lodging in order to fund operating costs for the Taylor County Expo Center and Frontier Texas, in addition to an expansion of Frontier Texas. Jeff Salmon, executive director of Frontier Texas, said that this vote provided an "investment in serving another generation of students and strengthening our local economy well into the future."
The City of Abilene Proposition A passed with a close margin at 59% and will release $15 million in funds to help with the zoo's extensive renovation.
According to Denae Duesler, development manager at the zoo, "the Abilene community has always been so supportive of the zoo and we're so excited to kick off this bold adventure by bringing new species to Abilene and continuing to grow the zoo. We are so grateful for the community's continued support."
The City of Abilene's Proposition B passed by just 184 votes and allows for $28 million in general obligation bonds to fund improvements for city recreation centers. Centers, such as the Caesar Chavez in north Abilene, have ageing infrastructure and a need for the improvement funds.
Unfortunately for the city's Parks and Recreation Department, Proposition C for the City of Abilene failed with 54% of voters against it. It would have totaled $9 million in bonds for city hike-and-bike trails.
Both Bonds for Merkel ISD failed and of the two bonds with Jim Ned CISD, the Athletics Bond did not pass, while Jim Ned improvement bond did pass but only barely.
A total of 14,695 voters out of 85,972 registered voters turned out for the election.
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Election results are in, residents to only fund some bonds
