-
Stephens County voters approved the $39 million Breckenridge ISD bond for the construction of a new pre-kindergarten through 5th grade elementary school.
Stephens County voters headed to the polls to vote on the proposed Breckenridge ISD bond, as well as 17 constitutional amendments over the last two weeks.
Voters approved a $39 million bond for the development of a new pre-kindergarten through 5th grade elementary school. The estimated maximum annual increase in the amount of taxes on a $200,000 homestead exempt residence would be $218.44.
Overall, 886 votes were cast for the bond, with 638 voting against. For early voting, 446 voters were in favor of the bond, with 336 voters against.
Almost as many votes were cast on Election Day as during early voting, with 735 voting Tuesday, Nov. 4 and seven voting absentee.
Early voting turnout for the election in Stephens County saw a 16.3% turnout of registered voters casting ballots.
The county saw more than 60 voters each day of the early voting period, and the total number of early voters was 860 out of 5,760 registered voters in Stephens County.
BISD Superintendent Prairie Freeman described the excitement she was feeling that the bond passed and embraced her colleagues and fellow citizens in celebration.
“I am just so excited for the kids,” she said after the results were posted by Stephens County election clerks Rita Belfiour and Amy Barrera.
Freeman also thanked Stephens County Treasurer Kelsey Cornwall for the work she did on the bond, as part of the Facilities Planning Committee that included district staff, parents and community members.
The proposal was brought in front of the BISD school board in August, who chose the $39 million “white” option for the construction of the new elementary school out of two options that the committee presented.
The school board had agreed then to contribute about 12.5% of the total project cost–$5,573,332 to bring the bond call down from $44,573,322 to $39 million. The now approved new construction, as proposed, will be for a two-level South Elementary School for pre-K through fifth grade students with a capacity for 700 students and a footprint of 80,000 square feet.
The approved proposal will also include the demolition of the current South Elementary campus, with $400,000 set aside for that once the new construction is completed, as well as decommissioning the current East Elementary.
The plan for the new school is for it to be constructed west of the BISD track behind the current South Elementary and for a new parking lot and paving improvements west of the current building. A new pre-K and Kindergarten playground and 1st through 5th grade playground is also planned to be built around the school.
A new cafeteria, new gymnasium, technology improvements and security and safety improvements are also part of the plans.
The options that the committee brought to the school board were narrowed down from a total of 16 potential projects provided to them by bond planning and project design consultants at Jacob & Martin Architecture and Engineering Firm.
The board had signed the firm on as consultants at a special meeting in February, and soon after, the committee preliminarily ranked the projects Jacob & Martin proposed on a scale of 1 to 5. The new elementary school that is now approved by voters received the highest rating at 4.57, out of 15 potential projects in the final ranking, after one project with a cost of $57 million was cut off.
Voters approve 17 propositions
The 17 constitutional amendment propositions that were on the ballot were also approved by voters, both in Stephens County and statewide. Unofficial results from the county and state overall are listed below with each proposition.
Proposition 1
The constitutional amendment providing for the creation of the permanent technical institution infrastructure fund and the available workforce education fund to support the capital needs of educational programs offered by the Texas State Technical College System.
Stephens County: For – 1,131 (75.25%), Against – 372 (24.75%)
State: For – 2,041,859 (69.03%), Against – 916,217 (30.97%)
Proposition 2
The constitutional amendment prohibiting the imposition of a tax on the realized or unrealized capital gains of an individual, family, estate or trust.
Stephens County: For – 1,375 (90.70%), Against – 141 (9.30%)
State: For – 1,937,917 (65.37%), Against – 1,026,718 (34.63%)
Proposition 3
The constitutional amendment requiring the denial of bail under certain circumstances to persons accused of certain offenses punishable as a felony.
Stephens County: For – 1,251 (82.41%), Against – 267 (17.59%)
State: For – 1,809,465 (61.14%), Against – 1,150,122 (38.86%)
Proposition 4
The constitutional amendment to dedicate a portion of the revenue derived from state sales and use taxes to the Texas water fund and to provide for the allocation and use of that revenue.
Stephens County: For – 1,154 (76.63%), Against – 352 (23.37%)
State: For – 2,077,449 (70.42%), Against – 872,670 (29.58%)
Proposition 5
The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to exempt from ad valorem taxation tangible personal property consisting of animal feed held by the owner of the property for sale at retail.
Stephens County: For – 1,207 (81.78%), Against – 269 (18.22%)
State: For – 1,847,664 (63.61%), Against – 1,057,001 (36.39%)
Proposition 6
The constitutional amendment prohibiting the legislature from enacting a law imposing an occupation tax on certain entities that enter into transactions conveying securities or imposing a tax on certain securities transactions.
Stephens County: For – 1,130 (77.66%), Against – 325 (22.34%)
State: For – 1,588,054 (54.87%), Against – 1,306,101 (45.13%)
Proposition 7
The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to provide for an exemption from ad valorem taxation of all or part of the market value of the residence homestead of the surviving spouse of a veteran who died as a result of a condition or disease that is presumed under federal law to have been service-connected.
Stephens County: For – 1,373 (91.41%), Against – 129 (8.59%)
State: 2,542,959 (86.25%), 405,386 (13.75%)
Proposition 8
The constitutional amendment to prohibit the legislature from imposing death taxes applicable to a decedent's property or the transfer of an estate, inheritance, legacy, succession or gift.
Stephens County: For – 1,413 (93.08%), Against – 105 (6.92%)
State: For – 2,140,379 (72.22%), Against – 823,406 (27.78%)
Proposition 9
The constitutional amendment to authorize the legislature to exempt from ad valorem taxation a portion of the market value of tangible personal property a person owns that is held or used for the production of income.
Stephens County: For – 1,272 (85.77%), Against – 211 (14.23%)
State: For – 1,896,300 (65.04%), Against – 1,019,501 (34.96%)
Proposition 10
The constitutional amendment to authorize the legislature to provide for a temporary exemption from ad valorem taxation of the appraised value of an improvement to a residence homestead that is completely destroyed by a fire.
Stephens County: For – 1,412 (93.82%), Against – 93 (6.18%)
State: For – 2,632,027 (89.28%), Against – 315,875 (10.72%)
Proposition 11
The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to increase the amount of the exemption from ad valorem taxation by a school district of the market value of the residence homestead of a person who is elderly or disabled.
Stephens County: For – 1,264 (83.83%), Against – 243 (16.17%)
State: For – 2,294,314 (77.68%), Against – 659,066 (22.32%)
Proposition 12
The constitutional amendment regarding the membership of the State Commission on Judicial Conduct, the membership of the tribunal to review the commission’s recommendations, and the authority of the commission, the tribunal, and the Texas Supreme Court to more effectively sanction judges and justices for judicial misconduct.
Stephens County: For – 1,268 (87.15%), 187 (12.85%)
State: For – 1,796,384 (61.9%), Against – 1,105,659 (38.1%)
Proposition 13
The constitutional amendment to increase the amount of the exemption of residence homesteads from ad valorem taxation by a school district from $100,000 to $140,000.
Stephens County: For – 1,335 (88.18%), Against – 179 (11.82%)
State: For – 2,348,815 (79.41%), 609,203 (20.59%)
Proposition 14
The constitutional amendment providing for the establishment of the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, establishing the Dementia Prevention and Research Fund to provide money for research on and prevention and treatment of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and related disorders in this state, and transferring to that fund $3 billion from state general revenue.
Stephens County: For – 1,076 (72.41%), Against – 410 (27.59%)
State: For – 2,016,281 (68.57%), Against – 924,001 (31.43%)
Proposition 15
The constitutional amendment affirming that parents are the primary decision makers for their children.
Stephens County: For – 1,408 (92.94%), Against – 107 (7.06%)
State: For – 2,065,714 (69.87%), Against – 890,983 (30.13%)
Proposition 16
The constitutional amendment clarifying that a voter must be a United States citizen.
Stephens County: For – 1,444 (95.88%), Against – 62 (4.12%)
State: For – 2,132,473 (71.95%), Against – 831,308 (28.05%)
Proposition 17
The constitutional amendment to authorize the legislature to provide for an exemption from ad valorem taxation of the amount of the market value of real property located in a county that borders the United Mexican States that arises from the installation or construction on the property of border security infrastructure and related improvements.
Stephens County: For – 1,257 (85.16%), Against – 219 (14.84%)
State: For – 1,668,285 (57.42%), Against – 1,237,102 (42.58%)
