As the final ballots were counted Tuesday evening, the Lewisville ISD Board of Trustees will have a new face, local school districts will receive more financial help from taxpayers as constitutional amendments provide taxpayers relief and local government projects get passed.
Lewisville ISD called for a special election was called to replace Dr. Buddy Bonner’s vacant seat on the Board of Trustees.
After the final tallies on Election Day, Madison Lopez won with 16,143 votes (55%), topping opponent Michelle Alkhatib, who received 13,271 votes (45%).
Alkhatib had previously served as a member on the LISD Board of Trustees, but would not have been able to keep her seat after the district moved to a new board format.
However, voters opted for Lopez, who attended Lewisville ISD, graduated from Lewisville High School before attending Southern Methodist University’s Dedmon School of Law.
“I am incredibly humbled and beyond grateful for the opportunity to serve the district that helped shape me,” she said. “I deeply love our LISD community and this campaign has been about putting students first and strengthening our community’s voice in LISD.”
Lopez, just 26, has lived within LISD’s borders for 23 years. In 2022, the Lewisville ISD Education Foundation highlighted Lopez’s volunteer work when Hurricane Katrina hit and her pursuit of a law degree from SMU.
“I’m thankful for everyone who supported, volunteered and believed in this campaign,” she said. “Now, it’s time for the real work to begin.”
Denton ISD and Northwest ISD both called special elections that will raise taxes in order to fund district maintenance and operations expenses.
According to the districts, the extra funds will “cover costs for teacher retention, recruiting, classroom resources and student programs.”
While it is technically a tax rate increase, both districts say taxpayers still won’t pay as much in taxes as the year before due to recent property tax relief bills passed by the Texas Legislature.
Northwest ISD Prop A:
Preliminary results indicate 11,636 voters, or 51.87%, cast ballots in favor of a 3-cent tax rate increase, which is projected to generate $12 million in new operations funding. Northwest ISD plans to use $8 million of this funding on class sizes and student programs, while the remaining $4 million will be used to provide teacher and staff raises.
Denton ISD Prop A:
The Denton ISD 5-cent tax rate increase also passed with 14,598 votes (53.10%) for and 12,896 votes (46.90%) against.
“We are deeply grateful for the trust and support shown by our community,” said Superintendent Dr. Susannah O’Bara. “This outcome reflects a shared belief in the incredible work happening in our classrooms and across our campuses every day. Our teachers and staff make a lasting difference for students, and we will continue building on that commitment together.”
On the municipal level, the City of Justin called for a $19 million bond election to renovate City Hall, which failed to pass with 541 votes (43.18%) for the bond and 712 votes (56.82%) against.
Funds will go toward improvements throughout the 12,500-square-foot City Hall and the attached gymnasium from when the building was used as an elementary school. The hope is to turn it into more of a community center.
In Argyle, a special tax election was on the ballot that would increase the sales tax rate in the Belmont Fresh Water Supply District, more commonly known as the Harvest Town Center commercial area.
The proposition passed with 492 votes (57.68%) for the proposition and 361 votes (43.32%) against.
“I’m pleased to see voters saw an opportunity to capture the sales tax in the commercial portion of Harvest,” said Argyle Mayor Ron Schmidt. “This, along with our other efforts, will shift our revenue needs away from property taxes. We continue to see sales tax revenues increase with October’s 11% increase over the prior year being one of the largest.”
At the state level, voters approved 17 Constitutional Amendments that range from property tax cuts to funding for water infrastructure, technical colleges and dementia research.
Many of the proposals lower or eliminate taxes for homeowners, businesses, veterans’ spouses and others.
More measures prohibit future taxes on capital gains, securities transactions and inheritances. Others would expand bail restrictions, codify parental rights and clarify voting eligibility.
Denton County voters overwhelmingly voted in favor of passing all of the amendments, helping them all pass statewide.
Proposition 10 was passed with the largest of margins statewide. The amendment would temporarily lower property taxes for homeowners if their home is destroyed by a fire.
Other amendments that were heavily voted in favor of include more property tax relief in the form of increased exemptions for residents and commercial businesses’ inventory or equipment.
Governor Greg Abbott signed three of the property relief bills in southern Denton County at Robson Ranch in June.
(Note: this article has been updated to include Election Day votes for the Justin proposition, which showed it did not pass)
