COLLEGE STATION, Texas — In Texas, early voting started on October 23. This was the first day College Station residents had the chance to vote to approve or fail several propositions listed on the ballot for the election cycle.
The bond proposal is spread across four separate propositions each with a separate focus. Proposition A would include safety, security, and maintenance improvements to several of the district's campuses and totals more than $284,975,000.
Proposition B would allocate more than $14,145,000 to electronic devices for their campuses.
Proposition C highlights improvements to the football stadiums for both A&M Consolidated High School and College Station High School. This item would cost more than $38,475,000.
Proposition D, if it were passed, would allocate $13,270,000 to improvements for both of the district's high schools' baseball and softball fields.
Each of these propositions would raise property taxes to a certain level. However, opponents of the propositions have said that this would cost taxpayers a lot more than what's being shared.
“[The bond] will raise taxes owed by the taxpayers to their detriment because the taxpayers of CSISD are suffering from accelerating increases in the price of food and gasoline and should not be further inflicted by increased taxes," said the Brazos County GOP chapter, in part.
Superintendent Dr. Tim Harkrider said that the accusation that the propositions would allow the district to raise the cost of taxes by whatever they determine is inaccurate.
“That is fundamentally and absolutely false. That does not give the board the action to do that," said Harkrider.
The district is not allowed to take a side in asking voters to vote one way or the other. Harkrider said at the end of the day, he just wants voters to make educated decisions before casting their ballot.
“Really just educate yourself on what is there. The true cost, the true impact to your tax rate," said Harkrider.
The last chance College Station voters will have to decide whether to pass or fail the propositions on the ballot is on Election Day, November 7. If you'd like to learn more about what's on your ballot you can click here.
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