North San Antonio News

Residents in a dozen Texan cities will be asked to approve billions in accumulative new debt on this weekend's bond election ballot.

The bonds, slated to fund projects ranging from parks and recreation to road, bridge and other infrastructure improvements, will reportedly not change property tax rates—at least not yet. The Texas Taxpayers and Research Association (TTARA), a tax analysis group, says Texans should expect a bout of sticker shock when receiving their property appraisals this year but adds that residents ultimately do have some control over their property tax rates.

"The simple truth is no matter what your appraisal, property tax bills would not be going up unless local jurisdictions wanted to spend more money," TTARA wrote in a report earlier this month detailing increasing property tax rates across the state. "Regardless of your 2022 appraisal, right now your 2022 tax bill is zero. Your tax bill won't be set until the jurisdictions in which you reside decide how much money they want to raise and set their tax rates."

These new bonds would add to the debt currently being paid down by city residents and, while property tax rates might remain nominally unchanged, more debt would increase the payment burden for every individual, according to tax critics.

Additionally, Texas Scorecard says that although officials in the impacted cities say there are no plans or expectations to raise tax rates, this doesn't mean that locals won't be met with property tax increases; raising taxes won't be necessary, the report stated, with property values skyrocketing and raking in more come tax season on its own. 

The 12 Texas cities—Burleson, Cedar Park, Fort Worth, Haltom City, Kerrville, Live Oak, Longview, Mansfield, San Antonio, Shavano Park, Windcrest and Winnsboro—have put a combined $2.3 billion in new debt up for vote on May 7.

The City of Windcrest has one bond proposition totaling $5.0 million on the ballot. The bond will reportedly allocate money for "acquiring, constructing, renovating, improving and equipping" a new pool at Jim Seal Dr. and Crestway, featuring, according to City of Windcrest documents, a sand volleyball court, restroom building and parking lot. 

According to the Texas Public Policy Foundation, the state’s total local debt burden including principal and interest was more than $365.3 billion in 2019, or a debt of $12,500 for every Texan.