Travis County, Texas, Transportation Bond Issue, Proposition A (November 2017)

• Text of measure
  • Ballot question
• Path to the ballot
• See also
  • External links
  • Footnotes
• More
  • Local ballot measures
  • State ballot measures
  • Local politics

Proposition A: Travis County Transportation Bond Issue
The basics
Election date:
November 7, 2017
Status:
a Approved
Topic:
County bonds
Related articles
County bonds on the ballot November 7, 2017 ballot measures in Texas Travis County, Texas ballot measures Local transportation on the ballot
See also
Travis County, Texas

A bond issue was on the ballot for Travis County voters in Travis County, Texas, on November 7, 2017. It was approved.

A yes vote was a vote in favor of issuing $93.4 million in bonds for transportation and road safety projects.

A no vote was a vote against issuing $93.4 million in bonds for transportation and road safety projects.

Travis County voters approved a second bond issue in 2017 related to parks and open spaces. The transportation bond and the park bond on the ballot amounted to $184.9 million. County officials estimated that the approval of both bond propositions would result in a property tax increase of $24 per year for the owner of a house valued at $305,173—the average assessed value of houses in Travis County.

Overview

The transportation bond targeted road projects including Harold Green/Texas 130 to Austin’s Colony Boulevard ($10.7M), South Pleasant Valley Road from FM 1327 to Bradshaw Road, 1,000-feet south of River Plantation Drive ($8.6M), and Thaxton Road from McKinney Falls Parkway to Sassman Road ($6.1M).

Election results

Proposition A
Result		Votes	Percentage
a Yes		68,969	73.23%
No		25,215	26.77%

Election results from Travis County Elections Office

Text of measure

Ballot title

The following is the bond issue proposition title:

“

THE ISSUANCE OF $93,445,000 OF ROAD BONDS FOR THE PURPOSE OF THE CONSTRUCTION, MAINTENANCE AND OPERATION OF MACADAMIZED, GRAVELED OR PAVED ROADS AND TURNPIKES, OR IN AID THEREOF, INCLUDING ACQUIRING LAND AND RIGHTS-OF-WAY THEREFOR, ROAD DRAINAGE, BIKE LANES, SIDEWALKS AND SHARED USE PATHS, AND REPLACEMENT AND IMPROVEMENT OF ROAD BRIDGES AND CULVERTS, AND THE LEVYING OF THE TAX IN PAYMENT THEREOF.

”

Ballot question

The ballot question was as follows:

“ Shall the Commissioners Court of Travis County, Texas, be authorized under Article III, Section 52, of the Texas Constitution to issue and sell, at any price or prices and in one or more series or issues, the bonds of the county in the amount of $93,445,000 maturing serially or otherwise within 30 years from their date or dates, and bearing interest at such rate or rates (fixed, variable or otherwise), not to exceed the maximum interest rate now or hereafter authorized by law, as shall be determined within the discretion of the commissioners court at the time of issuance, for the purpose of the construction, maintenance and operation of macadamized, graveled or paved roads and turnpikes, or in aid thereof, including acquiring land and rights-of-way therefor, road drainage, bike lanes, sidewalks and shared use paths, and replacement and improvement of road bridges and culverts, with respect to the following road improvement projects: Bicycle Safety Projects Circle Drive/Thomas Springs – SH 71 to US 290 W, add bike lanes Fitzhugh Road– US 290 W to Travis County Line, add bike lanes Old San Antonio Road – Austin City Limit to Hays County Line, add bike lanes Old Lockhart Road – Slaughter Lane to Thaxton Road, add bike lanes Elroy Road – within the right-of-way of SH 130, add sidewalk FM 973 – Moore’s Bridge Road to Elroy Road, add a shared use path North Walnut Creek Phase 3B – Sprinkle Road to Old Manor Road, engineering and right-of-way only for shared use path Drainage / Stream Crossings Projects Spicewood Springs Road Low Water Crossing #1 Only – bridge to replace undersized box culvert Great Divide at Little Barton Creek – bridge to replace undersized culverts Gregg Lane at Wilbarger Creek – replace undersized bridge Ed Acklin Road at unnamed tributary to Dry Creek – drainage structures to replace undersized culverts Tumbleweed Trail at tributary to Lake Austin – drainage structure to replace undersized culvert Wyldwood Road at Slaughter Creek and tributary – bridges to replace undersized culverts Tom Sassman Road at Maha Creek – bridge to replace undersized culverts Bitting School Road at unnamed tributary to Wilbarger Creek – drainage structure to replace existing culverts Pedestrian Safety Projects Decker Lane/ Hog Eye Road Sidewalk — Decker Lake Road to Hog Eye Road then Decker Ln to Community First Village, construct sidewalk Springdale Road Sidewalk — Ferguson Lane to US Hwy 290, construct sidewalk Sidewalk Safety and ADA Upgrades – construct new / reconstruct noncompliant sidewalks Westminster Glen Sidewalk – City Park Road to Narrow Ridge, construct sidewalk Roadway Capacity Projects Bullick Hollow Road at FM 2769 Intersection Improvements – add right turn lane on west bound Bullick Hollow Road at FM 2769 Grand Avenue Parkway – construct new 4 lane divided roadway with bike lanes and sidewalks from Bratton Lane to Crissom Lane and add two additional lanes from Crissom Lane to 350 feet north of Roller Crossing Harold Green Extension – construct new 2 lane roadway with bike lanes and sidewalks from SH 130 to Austin’s Colony Boulevard William Cannon Extension – engineering and right-of-way acquisition only for a new 4 lane divided roadway with shoulders from US 183 at William Cannon to FM 973 South Pleasant Valley Road – construct new 4 lane divided roadway with bike lanes and sidewalks from FM 1327 to Bradshaw Road approximately 1,000 feet south of River Plantation Drive TxDOT right-of-way – right-of-way for State road projects, And in providing for the above projects, the Commissioners Court shall have the discretion to prioritize such projects and to apply bond authorization in accordance with such priority, and to levy taxes, without limit as to rate or amount, upon all taxable property within the county annually sufficient to pay the interest on the bonds as it accrues and to create a sinking fund to pay the principal of the bonds as it matures? ”

Support

Supporters

Officials

• County Judge Sarah Eckhardt
• Former County Judge Sam Biscoe
• Commissioner Margaret Gomez

Organizations

• Travis Forward

Media

• The Austin Chonicle said "The road projects, with a couple of exceptions, add needed capacity to existing highways; the drainage and stream-crossing projects should lower the number of dangerous or closed roadways at high water; the bicycle and sidewalk projects begin to integrate access that should no longer be an afterthought. The most interesting parks proposal is a 19-mile greenway along Gilleland Creek from Northeast Metro Park (also to get an upgrade) south to the Colorado. Other projects (Arkansas Bend Park, Bee Creek sports complex) address recreation needs in the Northwest and support ongoing conservation easements. If approved by the voters, the bond projects will cost the average homeowner ($305,000 homestead) a very reasonable $24 a year – call it one cheap date for countywide benefits. The county's internal polling shows strong support, and we urge readers to turn out and vote for both Travis County bond propositions."

Opposition

Opponents

If you know of any endorsements or arguments that should be listed here, please email editor@ballotpedia.org

Path to the ballot

See also: Laws governing local ballot measures in Texas

This measure was put on the ballot through a vote of the Travis County Commissioners Court on August 15, 2017.

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Travis County County bonds Transportation Bond Issue. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Travis County, Texas, Transportation Bond Issue, Proposition A (November 2017) - Google News

See also

Local measures

• Local measures in 2017
• County bonds on the ballot
• Local transportation on the ballot
• Travis County measures

Texas

• November 7, 2017 measures in Texas
• Local ballot measures, Texas
• Travis County, Texas

News and analysis

• State and local preemption conflicts
• Measures advancing national agendas

External links

Suggest a link

• Travis County Elections Office website