DALLAS – Katy Independent School District may ask voters in November for $68 million of general obligation bonds to build the Houston-area district’s second football stadium.
Trustees will meet Monday (July 22) to decide on the final design of a stadium with up to 15,000 seats and four locker rooms. The design work was funded with proceeds from a $460 million GO bond package approved by voters in 2006.
An agricultural complex and science center may also be included in the referendum.
No increase in property taxes would be required if the bonds pass, officials said. The new stadium would be built on district land adjacent to the existing stadium.
Trustees must decide by Aug. 26 whether to call an election for Nov. 5.
A preliminary stadium design approved by a trustee committee on July 15 also includes athletic offices, training rooms, a large press box, and film decks.
The stadium could open in fall 2015 if the bonds are approved in November.
Katy Independent School District is one of the fastest-growing districts in Texas, with a 30% enrollment increase over the past five years to almost 65,000 students. It will open its seventh high school in August 2014.
Katy is the only district in Texas with six high school teams playing football in a single stadium, said executive athletic director Debbie Decker. Figuring out a schedule that includes a seventh high school would be a nightmare, she said.
"Limited availability will require more Thursday night games and Saturday double headers," Decker said.
Afternoon games cannot be scheduled until late October due to the Gulf Coast heat, she said, and Thursday games make Friday classes difficult.
Katy Independent School District’s $1.2 billion of outstanding debt is rated Aa2 by Moody’s Investors Service and AA by Standard & Poor’s. Coverage by the Texas Permanent School Fund enhances the credit to triple-A.
