TEMPLE, Texas — Back in 2021, the $178 million Temple Independent School District bond failed by just two votes.
In response, the district went back to the drawing board.
After some fine-tuning, the bond passed last weekend with 55 percent of voters supporting the bond.
However, not everyone is on board.
Temple Resident Rob Nicholson said, "I think that the taxes are getting a little out of hand, so I decided to come out and vote against the Temple bond."
Mr. Nicholson and his wife headed out to the polls to make sure their voices were heard.
Mrs. Nicholson had a difference of opinion when it comes to to the Temple ISD bond.
"I think the local school bond is a good thing, I voted for it," said Nicholson.
"I believe in increasing the chances and opportunities for the local children,
"I would have voted against it in the last one because they were trying to build a new stadium,
"But they took that off of the bond this time so that satisfied my requirements."
The changes made after Proposition A failed in 2021 were vital in swaying voters like Mrs. Nicholson.
"In terms of feedback, we made every single adjustment that we were asked to make," said Temple ISD Superintendent Boby Ott.
After dropping the cost of the bond by $13 million dollars and cutting 7 projects from the initial bond, Ott said the growing district is ready to get to work.
"We're growing at a rate where we need to add an elementary school," said Ott.
"Which is exciting, because in Temple that hasn't happened since 1996,
"Then also adding 12 classrooms to the district, so that'll allow us to accommodate growth, at least for the near future,
"I certainly suspect down the road that we're gonna have to probably look at additional schools as we continue to grow,"
Three campuses will be expanded, and portable buildings will soon be replaced with permanent structures in the coming years... but what can taxpayers expect?
Ott said, "Right now, we're at $1.23 and it would go to $1.26,"
"However, that's projected, that would be the max, I think it may end up being lower,
"We will do a final adoption in August,
"It would go no higher than $1.26,
"Which still puts us as the lowest tax rate by at least nine cents of any school district our size anywhere around us."
Since 2018, the district has been lowering the tax rate.
Ott said right now it is too early to tell exactly how much taxpayers will be paying, those numbers will come in after August.
Ott predicted the tax rate will drop below his expected max, with multi-million-dollar companies like Meta making a home in Temple.
"Whether it's Meta or Facebook, FedEx several others, that has helped increase our tax base tremendously, which also lowers the tax impact for our residents," said Ott.
Superintendent Ott said the seven projects removed from the original bond in 2021 will eventually come back around.
To take a more detailed look at what the approved $168.8 million dollar bond will cover click here.
