SOUTHLAKE -- Voters roundly rejected a 2-cent property tax increase in a special election held by the Southlake Carroll school district Saturday.
Fifty-nine percent, or 1,321 votes, were against the increase. There were 919 votes in favor, according to complete but unofficial returns."The TRE [Tax Ratification Election] was far down the list," said school board President Read Ballew. "We have already cut administration personnel, reduced campus budgets, instituted a districtwide fee for bus transportation, and cut teaching positions, for example. Now, the board will continue down the list and decide which options to implement next."The measure drew critics."In this time of constrained resources, the voters sent a message to the board," said Bill Brandt, president of Dragons for Fiscal Responsibility, a political action committee. "Balance the budget without tax increases."Trustees adopted an $81.9 million budget based on a tax rate of $1.42 per $100 of assessed property value. The maintenance and operations portion of that rate is the issue. It's now $1.04, the state-mandated cap for these expenses. The board voted 6-1 to raise the rate to $1.06, triggering the election.The board also cut 1.5 cents from the debt-service portion of the tax. So the net increase in the overall tax rate would have been a half-cent. The owner of a home valued at the district average of $467,580 would have seen a net tax increase of about $25 per year.The district had built the increase into the budget but now must adjust it. The proposed increase had been expected to raise $1.1 million to reduce an estimated $3.9 million shortfall for fiscal 2012-13. Even with the hike, the district would still have faced a shortfall.Diane Smith, 817-390-7675Twitter: @dianeasmith1Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
