While the state of Texas has 17 measures on the ballot for the Nov. 4 election, Trinity County and Groveton ISD each have just one.
Trinity County Commissioners have authorized a $16,650,000 bond issue to be placed on the ballot, the purpose of which is for the construction of a new 60-bed county jail.
The current jail is woefully small, allowing for only seven prisoners, requiring the Sheriff’s Office to house prisoners in surrounding county jails.
The plan is for a 60-bed jail facility to be built on Highway 287 near Groveton, which will put it near the necessary infrastructure, such as water and sewer service.
The current jail was built in 1938, and at that time, it could hold as many prisoners as it could and still be “able to shut the door.” However, state requirements have ultimately left the prison with a capacity of only seven.
The proposed jail will house both male and female prisoners, and if necessary, can be expanded.
If voters grant their approval, the bonds will pay for the new facility at a cost of approximately $1.3 million a year. Ben Rosenberg, of U.S. Capital Advisors of Austin, said that the actual payments will depend on interest rates available at the time of the bond sale.
It’s expected to cost around $97 per $100,000 of property value; Rosenberg said the average property value in the county is $208,000, and the increased taxes could add $200.29 to the annual tax bill. The calculations were based on a 4.5 percent interest rate.
However, there is disagreement between county officials on whether a new jail would actually be cost-efficient for the county. Currently, the county pays on average $721,073.15 to house inmates; the cost to retire the bond issue is estimated to be $1,317,771.90, which does not include operation costs.
Sheriff Woody Wallace has said that housing prisoners elsewhere has had a negative effect on staffing as well as public safety in the county.
Voters in the Groveton school district are being asked for a 15.4 percent increase in property taxes for the district to a rate of $.07819 per $100 taxable property value.
School officials estimate the rate would generate an additional $954,035 in revenue from both the district and the state.
Early voting ends Friday; voting times are from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. at Trinity City Hall, 101 W. Madison St., in Trinity; Groveton Volunteer Fire Department, 249 W. Front St., in Groveton; and Apple Springs Volunteer Fire Department, 14755 N. Texas 94, in Apple Springs.
There are 17 constitutional amendments on the ballot for the state. They are:
Proposition 1 — providing for the creation of the permanent technical institution infrastructure fund and the available workforce education fund to support the capital needs of educational programs offered by the Texas State Technical College System.
Proposition 2 — prohibiting the imposition of a tax on the realized or unrealized capital gains of an individual, family, estate, or trust.
Proposition 3 — requiring the denial of bail under certain circumstances to persons accused of certain offenses punishable as a felony.
Proposition 4 — to dedicate a portion of the revenue derived from state sales and use taxes to the Texas water fund and to provide for the allocation and use of that revenue.
Proposition 5 — authorizing the legislature to exempt from ad valorem taxation tangible personal property consisting of animal feed held by the owner of the property for sale at retail.
Proposition 6 — prohibiting the legislature from enacting a law imposing an occupation tax on certain entities that enter into transactions conveying securities or imposing a tax on certain securities transactions.
Proposition 7 — authorizing the legislature to provide for an exemption from ad valorem taxation of all or part of the market value of the residence homestead of the surviving spouse of a veteran who died as a result of a condition or disease that is presumed under federal law to have been service-connected.
Proposition 8 — to prohibit the legislature from imposing death taxes applicable to a decedent's property or the transfer of an estate, inheritance, legacy, succession, or gift.
Proposition 9 — to authorize the legislature to exempt from ad valorem taxation a portion of the market value of tangible personal property a person owns that is held or used for the production of income.
Proposition 10 — to authorize the legislature to provide for a temporary exemption from ad valorem taxation of the appraised value of an improvement to a residence homestead that is completely destroyed by a fire.
Proposition 11 — authorizing the legislature to increase the amount of the exemption from ad valorem taxation by a school district of the market value of the residence homestead of a person who is elderly or disabled.
Proposition 12 — regarding the membership of the State Commission on Judicial Conduct, the membership of the tribunal to review the commission's recommendations, and the authority of the commission, the tribunal, and the Texas Supreme Court to more effectively sanction judges and justices for judicial misconduct.
Proposition 13 — to increase the amount of the exemption of residence homesteads from ad valorem taxation by a school district from $100,000 to $140,000.
Proposition 14 — providing for the establishment of the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, establishing the Dementia Prevention and Research Fund to provide money for research on and prevention and treatment of dementia, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and related disorders in this state, and transferring to that fund $3 billion from state general revenue.
Proposition 15 — affirming that parents are the primary decision makers for their children.
Proposition 16 — clarifying that a voter must be a United States citizen.
Proposition 17 — to authorize the legislature to provide for an exemption from ad valorem taxation of the amount of the market value of real property located in a county that borders the United Mexican States that arises from the installation or construction on the property of border security infrastructure and related improvements.
