Midlothian's $192 Million Bond Ballot Says 'Tax Increase.' The City Says No Rate Hike.

Midlothian voters have until Friday to vote early on five city bond propositions totaling $192.45 million for roads, a police substation, drainage and parks. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Every proposition on the ballot opens with the words "THIS IS A PROPERTY TAX INCREASE." The city's bond website promises "no tax rate increase." Both statements appear in the city's own materials, and voters should understand what each one means.

What is on the ballot

The city council unanimously called the election on Aug. 11, according to the city's bond facts page. The page says the package came from a Citizens Planning Group formed in May. It also says nearly 47,000 people now live in Midlothian, up 33% in five years.

• Proposition A, $102.3 million: Streets and thoroughfares. The city's project list includes extending Hayes Road about three miles from FM 1387 to U.S. 287 with two lanes. It also includes widening Mt. Zion, Shady Grove, Walnut Grove and Mockingbird, building Dr. Rick Davis Drive, and intersection work at FM 1387 and Walnut Grove and at Midlothian Parkway, Main Street and FM 1387.

• Proposition B, $6.805 million: A police substation in the eastern part of town. The city says it would sit on the grounds of The Heights, a domestic violence center, on land provided at no cost to the city.

• Proposition C, $10 million: Drainage and flood-control studies and projects across the city.

• Proposition D, $47.26 million: Rebuilding existing parks. The Sports Complex would go from four to six softball fields, Jaycee Park's baseball fields would get synthetic turf infields, and Mountain Peak Neighborhood Park would be refurbished.

• Proposition E, $26.085 million: Two new parks. One is the Mockingbird Multipurpose Fields for soccer and football. The other is a 34-acre Ledgestone Park with a bike pump track, mountain bike trails and a skate park.

The city says the projects would be funded over five years and finished within seven.

The Trotter House in Midlothian. Photo: Renelibrary / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

What it would cost

The voter information document estimates the interest on each proposition at an assumed 5% rate. Added together, that comes to about $116.97 million in interest on top of the $192.45 million borrowed, or about $309.4 million in all if every proposition passes and the bonds sell at that rate. That sum is ours, from the city's figures. The election order says the bonds would likely be paid off over 20 years.

Midlothian already owes $160,676,590 in principal and $53,351,852 in interest on property tax-backed debt, according to the same documents. The city's debt service tax rate was $0.3165 per $100 of value when the election was called.

For each proposition, the voter information document estimates that the maximum yearly tax increase on a $100,000 homestead to repay the new bonds would be $0. That estimate assumes taxable values grow 3% a year from 2027 through 2034 and then stop growing.

That is the heart of it. The city expects growth in the tax base to cover the new debt without raising the rate. The tax-impact page says the city's plan "anticipates a lower property tax rate." But a flat rate on rising values can still mean a bigger tax bill, and the new debt would be paid by taxpayers for about two decades. The ballot warning is there for a reason, and the city's growth projections are just that, projections.

How to vote

The election order lists the Midlothian Conference Center, 1 Community Circle Drive, as an early voting site. Hours are 1 to 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25, and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, Oct. 26-30. Other Ellis County sites are listed on the county's elections page. The city's election page has the notices, sample ballot and voter information document.

Each proposition stands alone, so voters can approve some and reject others. Read them before you go.

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