SAN ANGELO – Polls are open in San Angelo and across Texas Saturday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. for the special Constitutional Amendment Election. There are two propositions on the ballot about lowering property taxes.
Elections in Texas can be confusing and the current election cycle is no exception with three local runoff elections just two weeks away and a Constitutional Amendment election Saturday, May 7.
Texas voters Saturday will decide if the Texas Constitution will be amended to reduce local property taxes. Then there is a Runoff Election on May 24 to determine the GOP nominees for Tom Green County Justice of the Peace, Pct.3, County Commissioner Pct. 4, and County Judge and several statewide races.
On the ballot for the May 7 elections are two constitutional amendments which were approved by two-thirds of both the Texas House and Senate during the second and third special sessions in 2021.
The first amendment would allow the Legislature to reduce the amount of a limitation on the total property taxes on the homestead of someone who is elderly or disabled for elementary and secondary school purposes. This would reduce the amount of taxes these residents would pay to local school districts.
The second amendment would raise the homestead exemption from $25,000 to $40,000 for school district property taxes.
While this is the first election since the March 1 primary, voters will not find any runoff elections on this ballot. This year’s runoff election will take place on May 24, with early voting running from May 16-20.
Here's what's on the ballot Saturday:
Proposition One: “The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to provide for the reduction of the amount of a limitation on the total amount of ad valorem taxes that may be imposed for general elementary and secondary public school purposes on the residence homestead of a person who is elderly or disabled to reflect any statutory reduction from the preceding tax year in the maximum compressed rate of the maintenance and operations taxes imposed for those purposes on the homestead.”
Homeowners who are disabled or 65 years and older can qualify for having school district property taxes capped or frozen. But when lawmakers in 2019 passed legislation to offset rising property values with lower school district tax rates for all homeowners, those adjustments did not account for elderly and disabled homeowners whose property taxes were already frozen.
Proposition Two: “The constitutional amendment increasing the amount of the residence homestead exemption from ad valorem taxation for public school purposes from $25,000 to $40,000.”
Currently, homeowners can subtract $25,000 from their home’s value before school tax rates are levied. Proposition 2 would increase that deduction to $40,000 in value. The measure could save the average homeowner about $175 on their annual property tax bill, Bettencourt said, and would go into effect this year.
May 7, 2022 Special Election polling locations below are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Angelo Bible Church 3506 Sherwood Way Lobby
- Belmore Baptist Church 1214 South Bell Fellowship Hall
- Calvary Baptist Church 2401 Armstrong St. Fellowship Center
- Christoval Community Center 20022 Main, Christoval, TX 76935 Multi-Purpose Room
- Concho Valley Transit District (Bus Depot) 506 N. Chadbourne Annex Building
- Grape Creek ISD 8207 US Hwy 87 N Gene Marsh Board Room
- Keating Paint and Body 5050 N. Chadbourne Reception Area
- Paulann Baptist Church 2531 Smith Blvd. The Chapel
- Oak Grove Senior Apartments 4359 Oak Grove Blvd. Multi-Purpose Room
- Southgate Church of Christ 528 Country Club Road Fellowship Hall
- Southside Recreation Center 2750 Ben Ficklin Rd. Multi-Purpose Room
- Wall Brethren Church 7921 Loop 570 Fellowship Hall
- MHMR 1501 W. Beauregard Jack Ray Room
- Veribest Baptist Church 50 FM 2334, Veribest, TX 76886 Fellowship Hall
- Wesley Trinity United Methodist Church 301 West 18 th St. Fellowship Hall
- TxDOT 4502 Knickerbocker Rd. Bldg. E Training Room
- St. Mark Presbyterian Church 2506 Johnson Ave. Fellowship Hall
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