Two North Texas cities, Allen and Denton, each passed all but one of the bond propositions that city officials placed on Tuesday’s ballot, obligating local property taxpayers to repay hundreds of millions in bond debt.
With interest, the approved bonds will cost significantly more than the dollar amounts shown on the ballot.
Voters in Allen approved four of five bond propositions, totaling $155 million before interest.
- Proposition A, authorizing the city to spend $47 million for street repairs passed with 78 percent of the vote.
- Proposition B, authorizing $17 million for Ford Park improvements passed with 57 percent of the vote.
- Proposition C—the one Allen spending proposal that failed—would have authorized $1.5 million for public art, but it received just 45 percent of the vote.
- Proposition D, authorizing $8 million for downtown revitalization passed with 63 percent of the vote.
- Proposition E, authorizing $83 million to build a new police headquarters and related public safety facilities passed with 63 percent of the vote.
A political action committee, Vote YES for Allen PAC, promoted the bonds. Kurt Kizer, a former city council member and vice chair of the bond steering committee, is the PAC treasurer.
Top donors to the PAC include the president of CORE Construction, a public safety contractor ($3,000), and the Allen Police Association ($2,100).
More than 10,000 voters cast ballots in Allen’s bond election.
Complete election results for Allen bonds can be found on the Collin County Elections website.
Denton voters approved seven of eight bond propositions totaling $290.8 million before interest. Carve-outs for “public art” were buried within four of the city’s propositions.
- Proposition A, authorizing the city to spend $45.1 million for streets passed with 70 percent of the vote.
- Proposition B, authorizing $58.9 million for drainage and flood control passed with 71 percent of the vote.
- Proposition C, authorizing $33.5 million for Denton’s city park system passed with 65 percent of the vote.
- Proposition D, authorizing $42 million for rebuilding two fire stations and expanding an animal shelter passed with 68 percent of the vote. Prop D includes up to $823,000 for public art.
- Proposition E, authorizing the city to spend $15 million for affordable housing passed with 58 percent of the vote.
- Proposition F, authorizing $47.3 million for a new active adult center passed with 56 percent of the vote and includes up to $930,000 for public art.
- Proposition G, authorizing $49.5 million for a new South Branch Library passed with 56 percent of the vote and includes up to $969,000 for public art.
- Proposition H—the only Denton bond that failed—would have allowed the city to spend $18.2 million for City Hall West renovations, with up to $358,000 spent on public art.
Complete election results for Denton bonds can be found on the Denton County Elections website.
Allen and Denton were among 14 Texas cities that put 47 bond propositions totaling $1.3 billion on the November ballot, according to data compiled by the Texas Bond Review Board.
