Keller Independent School District’s board of trustees will decide next week whether to call an election in November asking their taxpayers to approve more debt and the property taxes needed to repay it, with interest.
A Citizens Bond Advisory Committee submitted recommendations to the Keller ISD board last month, calling for a vote on a bond package totaling $314.7 million in property tax-backed debt. Most of the money would go to new buildings and renovations.
“It seems to me that many of these items are ‘wants’ and not ‘needs,'” wrote Northeast Tarrant Tea Party Vice President Fran Rhodes. “It’s time to get local governments to stop [spending] so much, just because they can.”
If approved, the debt would be added to the over $1 billion in outstanding debt and interest that Keller ISD property taxpayers already owe, according to the latest data from the Texas Comptroller. Data from the Tarrant Appraisal District shows that from 2013 to 2018, the average district homeowner’s school property tax bill grew 37.4 percent.
The board is meeting on August 12 to determine whether to call for the bond. They have until August 19 to call for a bond election this year.
Taxpayers have the opportunity to attend these meetings and make sure their voice is heard on this issue.
