School tax and bond propositions await Waco-area voters Tuesday

Local races include a tax election for Midway Independent School District, bond elections for Mart and Moody ISDs and a handful of school board and city council elections. All voters will have a chance to vote on 14 proposed state constitutional amendments concerning issues such as energy, water, parks and broadband internet access, as well as tax breaks for homeowners and certain types of businesses.

Vote centers will open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m.

Midway Independent School District voters will decide on a Voter Approved Tax Rate Election that would shift some tax revenue from debt service to maintenance and operations, including pay for teachers and staff.

Voters will be asked to ratify a 2023-24 tax rate of 93.9 cents per $100 property valuation. That rate is 18.5 cents below last year’s rate of $1.12, a cut made possibly by recent legislation that “compresses” or reduces local property taxes with the help of additional state funding.

The Midway school board voted this summer to lower the debt side of its tax rate, called interest and sinking, by 3 cents, while adding 3 cents to the maintenance and operations side of the ledger.

Under state funding formulas, the M&O tax increase, combined with an extra drawdown of state funds it triggers, will generate an additional $3.75 million in operational funding, according to an explainer at midwayisd.org.

The shift of taxes from interest and sinking to M&O requires taxpayer approval under state law.

District Superintendent Chris Allen compares the shift to a family budget decision. The I&S portion of the tax rate and budget is like the portion of a family budget set aside for mortgage, home equity line-of-credit or rent and other housing related expenses, Allen said. The M&O portion of the budget is like the part of family budget for groceries, gas, vehicle maintenance and entertainment.

In Midway’s case, recent taxable value increases and retirements of past debt have allowed the district to lower its I&S rate, he said.

Lisa Qourzal, a Midway parent volunteer and former math teacher involved in the VATRE campaign, said this proposition should be the easiest yes vote decision on the ballot. 

“The Legislature with tax compression is already cutting the school tax rates by 18.5 cents, and this proposition will allow Midway ISD parents and homeowners to take full advantage of these tax savings and the recent increases in property values,” Qourzal said.

“The school board asking you to take the 3-cent savings on I&S and apply it teacher salaries. Our district is highly competitive in many academic performance measures and that is because of our teachers. We need to offer our teachers a competitive salary to recruit and retain the best teachers.”

Allen has promised that if voters approve the VATRE, the district will spend the additional $3.75 million in M&O funds to pay employees, including teachers, security personnel, librarians, nurses, coaches, food workers, bus drivers, groundskeepers and maintenance employees.

This $3.75 million would help to offset a projected $5.5 million shortfall in the M&O budget that will affect the district immediately if voters don’t approve the VATRE, Midway officials said.

“The budget shortfall without the VATRE is equivalent to 90 teacher salaries,” Allen said. “We won’t cut teacher pay or fire teachers if the voters don’t approve the VATRE, but we will have to find other savings.”

These savings will likely come from nonacademic student programs, extracurricular activities, elective courses and other areas of the M&O budget.

Mart ISD trustees are asking voters to approve a $50 million bond issue, of which the first $8 million would be available next spring and the rest available in the coming years.

The revenues to cover this bond issue would come primarily from property taxes on solar and wind farms built with in the district’s boundaries recently, Mart Superintendent Betsy Burnett previously told the Tribune-Herald.

Specifically, the bond issue proposes $33 million for renovating, expanding or rehabilitating the elementary, middle and high school buildings; acquiring or updating technology equipment to be used for school security purposes; and purchasing school buses. Another $5 million would go to renovating concession stands, restroom facilities and track and field surfaces; and $12 million would go to building and equipping athletic training, practice and multipurpose facilities, the Tribune-Herald previously reported.

Robinson City Council Place 3 Council Member Jim Mastergeorge will face Charlie Burch. Jimmy Rodgers and Brittany McLean are unopposed.

Colby Witt, Jabo Rubin and Jon Richards are all vying for the Place 6 seat on the Robinson ISD board. Alicia Williams and Keith Helpert are unopposed.

Mayor Pro Tem David Pratka and Council Member Joe Pustejovsky are both running to replace retiring Mayor Tommy Muska.

Running for two at-large places on the West City Council are incumbent Cody L. Harris, Crystal Middelton-Anthony, Mike Jones, Matthew Nemec, Chris Noris, Laura A. Pavliecek and Amanda Zahirniak. 

In Riesel five candidates seek three at-large places on the city council: Jeanne Lehrmann, Ralph May, Kooper Sjolander, Paul Winkler and Bobby Dieterich.

Sjolander is currently mayor pro tem and his term expires this month. Lehrmann is currently a council member and treasurer and her term expires this month.

Moody ISD has a proposition for a $12 million bond issue for construction, renovation and acquisition of school facilities and equipment.

Three people are running for two at-large city council places: Richard Prater, Rick Edmiston and Joyce McGolthin. Linda Owens is running unopposed for mayor. 

Prop. 1 calls for a one-quarter cent sales and use tax to fund economic development projects authorized by law for such a city.

Prop. 2 calls for a one-quarter cent sales and use tax for maintenance and repair of streets.