Hickory Creek Voters Reject Plan to End Economic Development Corporation

Hickory Creek voters turned down a plan that would have shut down the town's Type B Economic Development Corporation and replaced its sales-tax setup with a higher local rate.

Unofficial Denton County results, last updated at 1:40:12 a.m. CST on Nov. 4 with 2 of 2 precincts reporting, show Proposition A failing 1,649 to 1,154. That is 58.83% against and 41.17% for, by our math, with a margin of 495 votes.

What the ballot asked

NBC 5 published the ballot language for the Town of Hickory Creek special election. Proposition A called for "Termination of the Hickory Creek Economic Development Corporation, and the adoption of a local sales and use tax in the Town of Hickory Creek at the rate of one and three-quarters percent (1.75%)."

A Town Council agenda from Aug. 10, 2026, shows the council was set to consider an ordinance ordering that Nov. 3 special election. The agenda item covered dissolving the Type B Economic Development Corporation, eliminating the sales tax tied to it, and adopting a 1.75% local sales and use tax.

In plain terms, a "for" vote would have ended the EDC and moved the town to that 1.75% local sales-tax rate. A "against" vote, which is what won, leaves the Economic Development Corporation in place and does not adopt that new rate.

Open land at the Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area Nature Preserve in Denton County, September 2017. Photo: Gail Frederick / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.

Where the numbers stand

The Denton County Clarity elections site matches the NBC 5 tally exactly: 1,154 for and 1,649 against, with both precincts in. The site marks the results as current as of 1:40:12 a.m. CST on Nov. 4. They remain unofficial until the county canvass.

Hickory Creek was one of five Denton County towns with a sales-tax question on the Nov. 3 ballot. Neighboring towns mostly faced street-maintenance reauthorizations. Hickory Creek's measure was different because it tied the tax change to ending the EDC.

The town's own voter and election information page lists a "November 3, 2026 Special Election" among upcoming elections. It also notes that Hickory Creek is a Type A general-law city, with a mayor and five council members elected at large.

What stays in place

The Economic Development Corporation page is still live. It says the board meets on the third Thursday of each month at 6 p.m., with agendas posted 72 hours ahead. The next regular meeting on the calendar is Nov. 19 at 6 p.m.

The town lists seven board members and says the corporation is available to assist existing businesses, potential employers, developers and retailers. Tuesday's vote does not dissolve that board. Any future change would have to come back through the council and, if state law requires it, another election.

Town Hall is at 1075 Ronald Reagan Avenue, Hickory Creek, Texas 75065, according to the town's contact page. The main number is (940) 497-2528.

Our view

Voters said no to shutting down a local development board and remaking the sales-tax rate in one package. That is their call. Elected officials who want a different structure will have to make the case again, in the open, with the numbers on the table.

Hero photo: Lewisville Lake and Dam in Denton County, photographed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Hickory Creek sits on the lake's north shore. Photo: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain.