DALLAS — Voters across Texas approved $5.59 billion, or about 82%, of the $6.8 billion of local bonds on the ballot Nov. 4, according to the Austin consulting firm Strategic Partnerships Inc.
"In terms of the dollar amount, it was about what I expected," said Kurt Yoshida, director of research for SPI.
The defeat of Austin's $1 billion transportation bond issue accounted for the lion's share of the losses, with 57% of the voters opposing the plan touted for years by outgoing Mayor Lee Leffingwell.
Leffingwell told reporters that one of the reasons the bonds didn't pass was because voters are tired of approving bonds after several years of favoring them.
"I sympathize with that prospective," Leffingwell said. "But I think in this instance it was probably the most important investment in Austin's future we could have made. So naturally I'm disappointed it didn't happen."
Austin voters were more generous with Austin Community College District, with 57% approving a $386 million bond proposal to build out a campus at a former shopping mall, a new Leander campus, and renovations to existing campuses, among other projects.
However, voters in the ACC District rejected a tax cap raise, which would have raised the tax rate 1 cent each in fiscal years 2016, 2018 and 2020. It narrowly failed with 49 percent of voters supporting it.
Across the state, several small school districts also failed to convince voters that bonds were needed or that the taxes to service the debt were affordable.
In the Somerville ISD, the margin of defeat for a $12.5 million bond proposal was just 8 votes. It was the second time this year that voters rejected a bond issue.
In the Bridge City ISD, it was no contest, with a $25 million bond proposal losing by a 2-1 margin. BCISD did a community survey which revealed that more than 95 percent of people found the school district's facilities to be acceptable or excellent as they are currently.
For other districts around the state, do-overs were more rewarding.
Lone Star College District north of Houston won passage of $485 million of bonds, this time with the support of the Texas Patriots PAC whose opposition helped doom a similar 2013 deal.
"After meetings and numerous discussions and exchanges with the top leadership at the college and its board of directors, we found them willing to be open and informative to us," the Tea Party oriented PAC explained. "This was a change from 18 months ago."
The Katy Independent School District southwest of Houston also succeeded with a redo, winning passage of $748 million with support from about 55% of the voters. The bond proposal included a new high school football stadium that was rejected in a $99 million bond election last year.
In neighboring Fort Bend ISD, there was no hesitation in approving $484 million of school bonds for the fast-growing district. More than 73% of the voters supported the bonds.
"We are poised to begin planning and construction of the new schools and building additions along with the timely execution of other bond projects," Superintendent Charles Dupre said in a written statement after the election. "We will not disappoint you."
In the Garland ISD in Dallas' eastern suburbs, 62% of voters approved of a $455 million bond proposal, one of the largest in the district's history.
"This community has now entrusted Garland ISD with a responsibility that we embrace and do not take lightly," superintendent Bob Morrison said in a prepared statement.
Yoshida, who has compiled bond election results for SPI since 2007, said that winning or losing at the local level seems to reflect the level of confidence voters have in their elected leaders.
"The economy of Texas is so regional," he said. "While our urban and suburban areas have really recovered, some of the rural areas outside the oil shale regions haven't seen it that much."
