The upper floor and clock tower of the Bastrop County Courthouse framed by tree branches against a blue sky — The Bastrop County Courthouse. The main early voting site is at the courthouse annex at 804 Pecan St. (Photo: Billy Hathorn / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0)

October 18, 2026 · 2 min read

Bastrop ISD Asks Voters for Three More Pennies as Early Voting Begins

Early voting opens Monday in Bastrop County. On the ballot: a Bastrop ISD tax rate election the district says would raise about $6 million a year.

Early voting begins Monday in Bastrop County. Voters in Bastrop ISD will find a question on their ballot that touches every property tax bill in the district.

What is on the ballot

Trustees adopted a $1.0809 tax rate for 2026-27 on Aug. 13 and called a voter-approval tax rate election, or VATRE, according to Community Impact. That rate is 1.3 cents above the current rate.

The district's VATRE page says the election concerns the maintenance and operations, or M&O, rate only. That money pays day-to-day costs such as salaries, utilities and supplies. It is not a bond election, and the debt rate stays at 40.1 cents. Under state school funding rules, the district is asking for three "golden pennies." These are tax pennies that draw the most state matching money.

The numbers

If approved, the M&O rate would be 67.99 cents per $100 of value, Community Impact reports.
If voters say no, the district says the M&O rate drops from 66.69 cents to 64.99 cents.
The district projects the three pennies would raise about $6 million a year. That is about $2.4 million from local taxes and about $3.6 million from the state.
For the district's average home, valued at $378,000 with a $140,000 homestead exemption, the district estimates about $32 more a year if approved. A no vote would save that owner about $40.
A $500,000 home would pay about $48 more a year, the district says.
Homeowners 65 and older with a homestead exemption would not see an increase, Community Impact reports.

What the money would do

The district lists higher employee pay to recruit and keep teachers, more police officers and equipment to meet state school-safety rules, and help balancing the general fund. Community Impact reported the adopted budget already plans a $1.7 million draw from fund balance. The district notes that its tax rate has fallen from $1.441 in 2018 to $1.0679 today, mostly because of state compression.

Voters can weigh that against a fair question: should a growing district close a budget gap with a tax increase, or by tightening spending? The district's own figures help answer it either way.

When and where to vote early

The county schedule lists the main early voting site at the Bastrop County Courthouse Annex, 804 Pecan St., lower level. Branch sites are the Smithville Recreation Center, 106 Royston St.; the Cedar Creek Annex, 5785 FM 535; and the North Bastrop County Community Annex, 702 Bull Run, Elgin.

Oct. 19–23: 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 24: 7 a.m.–7 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 25: 9 a.m.–3 p.m.
Oct. 26–30: 7 a.m.–7 p.m.

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voters may use any county polling place.