Schulenburg Voters Reject $8 Million Certificates of Obligation
Unofficial Fayette County returns show Proposition A failing 568–193. The measure covered City Hall and police renovations plus water and sewer work.
Schulenburg voters rejected Proposition A, an $8 million certificates-of-obligation question, according to Fayette County's unofficial summary results. The county PDF is labeled unofficial and carries a creation time of 9:52:53 p.m. CST on Nov. 3. The city's posted unofficial results sheet matches the same totals and is also labeled unofficial.
The unofficial count shows 193 votes for and 568 against, out of 761 total votes cast in the city contest. The PDF lists those shares as 25.36% for and 74.64% against. By our math, the margin is 375 votes. Absentee ballots accounted for 43 of the city votes, early voting 289 and Election Day 429, according to the same unofficial summary. These returns are not a canvass. As of this writing, Fayette County's elections page still lists only unofficial November summary and precinct reports, and the city's "2026 Canvas" link points to the May 2026 local election, not the Nov. 3 certificates vote.
The Fayette County Record reported the measure failed 193 to 658. That against total does not match the county or city unofficial sheets, which both show 568 against. This report uses the county PDF.
What was on the ballot
The city's election order, passed Aug. 17, 2026, called the vote after a petition signed by at least 5% of qualified voters protested issuance of the certificates. Ballot language carried the warning “THIS IS A TAX INCREASE.”
Authorized purposes were (1) City Hall and police station renovations, (2) water and sewer system improvements including a water well and wastewater plant, and (3) contractual obligations for professional services. The certificates would have matured within 40 years, with taxes sufficient, within legal limits, to pay principal and interest.
The order's disclosure section listed $1,167,000 in outstanding principal debt and a $0.0564 per $100 debt-service tax rate as of the order date. Those figures describe the city's position when the election was called; they are not a new tax bill created by this failed vote.
The Record reported that most of the money was aimed at renovating the old City Hall building downtown, shuttered because of structural issues since July 2024. The paper also reported that property owner Chad Zimmermann led the petition that forced the public vote after the council first tried to use certificates of obligation without a public election.
What local leaders said
Mayor Connie Koopmann told the Record she had no further comment beyond the outcome. “The citizens have spoken. Council will have to decide if we move forward or just sit,” she said, adding that she had remained neutral through the process and would stay neutral.
Zimmermann told the Record he was not celebrating. “We woke up today facing the same issues we had yesterday,” he said. He argued the city's master plan ranked water, streets and jobs ahead of historic downtown needs and urged residents to keep showing up at council meetings.
Those statements do not invent a replacement financing plan. The unofficial result simply means the $8 million certificates authorization on this ballot did not pass. City Hall's structural problems and the utility needs listed on the ballot remain for the council to face by other means.
Local reference
The city election page lists City Hall at 210 East Avenue, Schulenburg, Texas 78956, phone 979-743-4126. Election Day voting for the city contest was at Schulenburg Public Library, 310 Simpson St., according to the order's Exhibit A.
Related reading: Coupland ISD Voters Reject Tax Rate for New Secondary Campus.
