GROVETON — Early voting results show that the Trinity County jail bond measure was not popular with
Unofficial totals for the jail bond are 1,008 for, 1,384 against.
Early results show that there were 612 votes cast for the bonds, and 750 against.
Sheriff Woody Wallace offered his gratitude to the voters in the county.
“The people have spoken, and while I had hoped for a greater turnout, I trust that these results reflect the true will of the voters of Trinity County,” he said. “Now it is time for us to come together as a community and as a county and figure out how to move forward. I am asking you to stand with me in saying we still need a jail, but we also need fairer ways to fund it.”
Wallace said that over the last few months, he talked with many county residents, and their responses were varied about the jail — some were unsure, some were behind the need for a new jail, and others said it was needed but the funding mechanism was wrong. However, bonds are the only funding option the State of Texas gives counties.
“Trinity County desperately needs a safe, modern, and functioning jail that can hold more inmates here at home instead of paying other counties to keep them for us,” he said. “Let us take this fight to the State and to Washington. Contact your state senators and representatives. Ask them to start looking at ways to help fund rural county jails. After all, they are the ones who create the mandates and regulations that make these projects so expensive that small counties like ours simply cannot afford them.
“With the State of Texas having nearly a $30 billion surplus the last two years, there is no reason rural counties like ours should not be getting help to meet state jail requirements, especially when many of the inmates we house are not even from Trinity County,” he said. “We must start planning for the future now, not twenty years from now when it is too late and we regret not taking action.”
Wallace also said that state funding should rely solely on sales taxes, and that income tax is not an answer and property taxes should be eliminated.
“May God bless each and every one of you, and may He continue to bless Trinity County,” he said.
•Groveton ISD’s tax rate increase failed at the polls. Unofficial voting results show that the measure gained a total of 185 votes for the increase, and 334 against.
The next step is to canvas election, which will be Nov. 13.
Superintendent Jim Dillard said the loss won’t make or break the district.
“We’ll continue as we have been,” he said. “The people have spoken, and we will honor the results.”
All votes are unofficial until canvassed.
•Trinity County voters mirrored the state in their support of the 17 constitutional amendments on the ballot.
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. TC totals: 1,653 for, 759 against. State totals: 2,041,859 for, 916,217 against.
Proposition 2 — prohibiting the imposition of a tax on the realized or unrealized capital gains of an individual, family, estate, or trust. TC totals: 2,017 for, 411 against. State totals: 1,937,917 for, 1,026,718 against.
Proposition 3 — requiring the denial of bail under certain circumstances to persons accused of certain offenses punishable as a felony. TC totals: 1,949 for, 475 against. State totals: 1,809,465 for, 1,150,122 against.
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. TC totals: 1,571 for, 818 against. State totals: 2,077,449 for, 872,670 against.
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. TC totals: 1,887 for, 491 against. State totals: 1,847,664 for, 1,057,001 against.
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. TC totals: 1,660 for, 696 against. State totals: 1,588,054 for, 1,306,101 against.
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. TC totals: 2,184 for, 232 against. State totals: 2,542,959 for, 405,386 against.
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. TC totals: 2,145 for, 285 against. State totals: 2,140,379 for, 823,406 against.
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. TC totals: 1,886 for, 503 against. State totals: 1,896,300 for, 1,019,501 against.
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. TC totals: 2,218 for, 209 against. State totals: 2,632,027 for, 315,875 against.
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. TC totals: 2,065 for, 371 against. State totals: 2,294,314 for, 659,066 against.
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. TC totals: 1,930 for, 433 against. State totals: 1,796,384 for, 1,105,659 against.
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. TC totals: 2,128 for, 319 against. State totals: 2,348,815 for, 609,203 against.
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. TC totals: 1,602 for, 810 against. State totals: 2,016,281 for, 924,001 against.
Proposition 15 — affirming that parents are the primary decision makers for their children. TC totals: 2,197 for, 243 against. State totals: 2,065,714 for, 890,983 against.
Proposition 16 — clarifying that a voter must be a United States citizen. TC totals: 2,262 for, 189 against. State totals: 2,132,473 for, 831,308 against.
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. TC totals: 1,896 for, 479 against. State totals: 1,668,285 for, 1,237,102 against.
