How I'm voting in the November 2017 Austin Constitutional Election
These small elections are actually where your vote has the highest impact. This is what democracy is about and you could break a tie by showing up Nov. 7. Millenials are often dwarfed by Boomers and elderly with turnout even though these bond projects, often with 20-year time horizons, affect us the most. We should be investing in the future if we plan to stay here. Older citizens may not find the extra few dollars in tax is worth making our lives better. We must turn out.
First I’m going to cover the propositions then the bonds.
I’m going to be a bit superficial with some of this. If you want to dig deeper, please check out the non partisan guide from the League of Women Voters which has nice explanations of the propositions and the arguments for and against. This guide mostly informed my analysis.
Prop 1: A property tax break that benefits disabled veterans
I’m voting: FOR
This seems like a no-brainer. Disabled veterans currently can get a tax break on their property tax even if they are the recipient of a donated home. Seems fair since the reason they’d be getting a donated home is probably because they can’t comfortably afford one in the first place. Tax is usually what runs people out of houses they cannot afford.
Ballot language
“The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to provide for an exemption from ad valorem taxation of part of the market value of the residence homestead of a partially disabled veteran or the surviving spouse of a partially disabled veteran if the residence homestead was donated to the disabled veteran by a charitable organization for less than the market value of the residence homestead and harmonizing certain related provisions of the Texas Constitution”
Prop 2: All sorts of edits to regulations around home equity loans
I’m voting: AGAINST
This is by far the most technical and opaque question on the ballot. I don’t like that so much is crammed into this question it just feels like somebody is trying to get away with something.
In many ways it seems like it gives people more flexibility in shopping for loans and refinancing. It lowers a fee cap from 3% to 2%.
The analysis I read mentioned it would remove consumer protections and raise costs for borrowers. Another part of the analysis said it increases choice because you can refinance in different ways.
I don’t think I’ll benefit from this and I’m not clear on who stands to benefit from it so I will vote against it.
Ballot language
“The constitutional amendment to establish a lower amount for expenses that can be charged to a borrower and removing certain financing expense limitations for a home equity loan, establishing certain authorized lenders to make a home equity loan, changing certain options for the refinancing of home equity loans, changing the threshold for an advance of a home equity line of credit, and allowing home equity loans on agricultural homesteads.”
Prop 3: Kicking out governor-appointed unsalaried officials after a certain amount of time, even if there is no replacement
I’m voting: AGAINST
The spirit of this seems good. I’m generally in favor of new people rotating into government positions. What I’m not in favor of is constantly re-training people for jobs.
I’ve seen it in many companies I’ve worked for. It takes a good amount of time for someone to understand how to do their job and then to do it well. Kicking out people just to kick them out is very inefficient. The governor is responsible for cleaning house.
Ballot language
“The constitutional amendment limiting the service of certain officeholders appointed by the governor and confirmed by the senate after the expiration of the person’s term of office”
Prop 4: Courts give a grace period of 45 days before a judgment on the constitutionality of a statute
I’m voting: AGAINST
This weakens the separation of powers and interferes with the ability of someone to get relief from an unconstitutional law. If a law pertains to a health issue, someone’s life could be at stake during those 45 days.
I also don’t trust the legislature to not pass crazy things like SB4, the ‘show me your papers’ law.
Ballot language
“The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to require a court to provide notice to the attorney general of a challenge to the constitutionality of a state statute and authorizing the legislature to prescribe a waiting period before the court may enter a judgment holding the statute unconstitutional.”
Prop 5: Professional sports teams holding charity raffles
I’m voting: FOR
They used to do this in Massachusetts. I didn’t know it was even a controversial thing. It’s all for charity anyway, I don’t see what the issue is.
Ballot language
“The constitutional amendment on professional sports team charitable foundations conducting charitable raffles. “
Prop 6: Property tax break for surviving spouses of first responders
I’m voting: AGAINST
I’m not on board with this trend of addressing the rising cost of living by carving out exceptions everywhere. I also don’t believe that people ‘deserve’ to live in their houses or neighborhoods forever. That’s just not how it works.
If our communities need more affordable housing, we need to address that by allowing more affordable housing development and increasing supply.
If a job is dangerous and a spouse is economically dependent, there needs to be life insurance involved, perhaps subsidized by the employer to help the surviving member.
If a first responder dies and their spouse enters in a new relationship that becomes economically beneficial, this tax break should end. The policy defines this new relationship only as a remarriage situation. Many couples don’t remarry in order to preserve their benefits in these situations.
Ballot language
“The constitutional amendment 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 first responder who is killed or fatally injured in the line of duty.”
Prop 7: Financial institutions can award prizes to promote savings
I’m voting: FOR
I don’t see any harm in offering incentives to have people create savings accounts to eventually save money. In the end it helps society if people have their own safety nets and don’t need to look to the government.
Ballot language
“Proposing a constitutional amendment relating to legislative authority to permit credit unions and other financial institutions to award prizes by lot to promote savings.”
Bond: Travis County Proposition A:
I’m voting: FOR
I will vote for anything that improves our infrastructure.
Granted there is nothing in this bond that improves my neighborhood or anywhere I go. This one might have to be a game time decision.
Ballot language
“The issuance of $93,445,000 of Road Bonds for the purpose of the construction, maintenance and operation of macadamized, graveled or paved roads and turnpikes, or in aid thereof, including acquiring land and rights-of-way therefor, road drainage, bike lanes, sidewalks and shared use paths, and replacement and improvement of road bridges and culverts, and the levying of the tax in payment thereof.”
Bond: Travis County Proposition B:
I’m voting: FOR
Austin is expanding rapidly and I’m in favor of capturing as much space for current and future parks as possible. Parks are part of what makes Austin’s quality of living so high. It would only raise my taxes by a few bucks a month.
Ballot language
“The issuance of $91,495,000 of Bonds for the purposes of constructing and improving County parks and the acquisition of land and interests in land in connection therewith, including the acquisition of open space park land, and acquiring conservation easements on land for any authorized purposes, including, without limitation, to retain or protect natural, scenic, or open-space values of real property or assure its availability for agricultural, recreational, or open-space use, protect natural resources, maintain or enhance air or water quality, or conserve water quantity or quality, and the levying of the tax in payment thereof”
Bond: AISD
Exhaustive list of all changes and improvements
I’m voting: FOR
What I love about this bond is that it’s already funded by increased tax revenues. Schools are in bad shape and need to be repaired. This is great for reviving neighborhoods and investing in the future.
Critics say it has socioeconomic/racist bias where schools are getting more attention in more affluent white areas. People actually came to my office to explain the bond and showed that improvements were being prioritized on an as-needed basis and schools that need repairs are all over the city, not just in rich white areas.
The school closures are controversial but it was explained to me that many of these schools just don’t make sense to operate. They’re too small to justify the overhead.
Plus, my teacher neighbor supports this bill and I trust she’s done her homework as well. Homework! Teacher!
Ballot language
“The issuance of $1,050,984,000 school building bonds for the construction, acquisition, rehabilitation, renovation, expansion, improvement, modernization and equipment of school buildings in the district, including (i) technology systems and equipment, (ii) safety and security systems and equipment, (iii) improvements to address overcrowding and safety concerns, (iv) improvements for students with special needs, and (v) reinvention programs for twenty-first century learning; the purchase of the necessary sites for school buildings; and the purchase of new school buses, and the levy, pledge, assessment and collection of ad valorem taxes on all taxable property in the district, sufficient, without limit as to rate or amount, to pay the principal of and interest on the bonds and the costs of credit agreements executed in connection with the bonds.”