Early Voting for Proposed Bonds Starts Monday, April 23rd

Election on May 5th, Early Voting Starts Monday, April 23

Early voting for the proposed bonds begins on Monday and continues through the actual election day of May 5^th.   It is my hope that every voter in Wichita Falls will take the time to review and decide how to vote on each and every bond proposal on the ballot. Before jumping into specifics on each proposal, I would like to share some general thoughts about the issue:

1. I am excited about some of the projects that are being proposed. I firmly believe that it is incredibly important that we look forward with both optimism and vision so that we can grow and prosper as a city and as a region.

2. I am also concerned about the increase in tax burden that these projects will be adding to the already high property taxes in the area. I am concerned from both a personal standpoint and the impact that these higher costs will have on existing and prospective businesses, especially capital intensive businesses which pay a disproportionate share of real estate taxes.’

3. That being said, the votes are not nearly as clear-cut as some would have you believe. I have heard many essentially suggest that you must “VOTE YES or you don’t love this city.” I completely reject that argument as it is fine to love this city and want it to grow, but have honest disagreements over the means. On the other hand, I have heard others imply that there is no such thing as a worthwhile government project, which is neither true nor particularly forward thinking.

There are real advantages of voting yes on these bonds and real costs and consequences as well.

… this is an excerpt from Newsletter dated April 22, 2018