Arlington residents will vote on two taxes in crowded election, economic downturn
Arlington residents will vote on two proposed tax increases that leaders see as crucial to attract businesses and professionals, but opponents cast as poorly timed and too vague.
City staff are asking residents to approve a quarter-cent sales tax increase to fund its Economic Development Corporation. Residents were supposed to take up the question in May, but the election was postponed until Nov. 3 due to novel coronavirus. If approved, the increase would cost residents around $15 per year, according to the city website.
Arlington school district voters will decide whether to raise taxes by nearly 9 cents per $100 value to fund teacher and staff salaries. The increase would cost $163 more per year on a home valued at $208,985. District leaders announced the proposal in August, marking the first time it has posed a tax hike to voters.
Michael Jacobson, president and CEO of Greater Arlington Chamber of Commerce, said the questions, both titled Proposition A, would help the city dictate its future. The property tax increase, he said, would help bolster teachers’ salaries and attract talented teachers. The sales tax would ensure students graduating from local high schools or colleges have career prospects in the city.
“I think the two, in that regard, are sort of pursuing a similar path, and that’s about creating a future for everybody that lives in Arlington and making sure that we have that bright future,” Jacobson said.
Others have warned against the proposed increases, citing the economic toll of COVID-19 on families’ income and lack of information on the funds’ use as examples.
“I think that we’re going to see a lot of the lower-income people be forced out of their homes because they just can’t afford to live here anymore,” if the increases are approved, said Teresa Rushing, who spoke against the sales tax increase in a February City Council meeting.
Driving competitiveness
Arlington formed its economic development corporation five years ago, but without a sustained funding source, the corporation has remained dormant.
Under state regulations, the group, composed of three residents and up to four officials, can fund programs for development, utility work and job training to help with local economic development.
Arlington has excelled at obtaining large-scale business and entertainment attractions that create employment opportunities, said Clay Kelley, a planning and zoning commissioner. The corporation would bridge the gap between resources for large and small businesses.
“We’ve got to have the competitiveness to be able to attract large corporations and small, for that matter, to be able to set up shop here, redevelop and promote jobs,” he said.
City estimates project the tax would bring in $17 million per year.
Political action committee Citizens for a Prosperous Arlington contend that the corporation would help small businesses recover from crises such as COVID-19, and help businesses expand and relocate by redeveloping property.
Others, however, are skeptical of the promises, and say they have little explanation from officials of how funds will be used or what projects will receive funding.
Andy Prior, a former City Council candidate and Term Limits Advisory Committee member, said he would not vote for the increase without a sunset date for the sales tax or outlined plans for the funds.
“It must have definite projects that it’s going to support, not just, ‘Trust us; we’ll spend it wisely.’ We don’t have that. There needs to be citizen oversight. We don’t have that,” he said.
Jacobson said predetermining the group’s projects and functions would limit it before it met.
“The challenge of that is you’re starting to restrict public planning that needs to be done to execute the right strategy,” he said.
The property tax hike, if approved, would grant the school district $56 million to put toward salaries for bus drivers, janitors and other support staff, as well as “increase teacher compensation.” The school district has also said the measure would open Arlington to $18 million in state aid to put toward teacher salaries and program funding.
If voters reject the proposal, Jacobson said, Arlington schools will have to tighten their budgets and risk losing teachers to neighboring districts.
“You need to be creating quality students who turn into a quality workforce in the future,” he said.
Officials, groups count on ‘uncertainty’ into election season
Had voters taken up either proposition in May instead of November, both would have won approval from a smaller voter base, Prior said.
Instead, residents will vote on both increases against the backdrop of a divisive presidential elections and a myriad of state and local contests. November marks the first election in recent history where people will vote for City Council members.
“I think both are going to run into problems that they are both Proposition A and they are both on a non-May election,” Prior said. “I think that’s got the folks supporting both of them a little worried. I think they’ve got a right to be worried.”
Jacobson said he hopes voters see the proposals as opportunities to invest in the city’s future.
“I’m hopeful that even though the economy is being impacted now and individuals are being negatively impacted because of COVID, they’ll see the value of what is really a small investment,” he said.
Campaigns on both sides of the sales tax debate have ramped up as early voting starts Tuesday. Citizens for a Prosperous Arlington has spent over $67,000 in campaigning for the sales tax increase. Meanwhile, Citizens for a Better Arlington, a PAC whose members were vocal opponents of public funding for the Rangers stadium in 2016, registered in opposition, according to the Texas Ethics Commission.
The group Pay Our Teachers has raised $12,150 and spent $2,000 to advocate for Arlington ISD’s proposal, according to the school website.
