Schneider Report: Houston’s Bond Elections Made Simple

Early voting continues across Texas. There are five bond issues on Houston's ballot. The ballot language for those bonds can be confusing. News 88.7 provides the following guide.

There's one thing to remember for all five measures: A "yes" vote is a vote in favor of the City of Houston issuing bonds to borrow money. A "no" vote is a vote against issuing the bonds.

Proposition A is the pension bond. The retirement plans for Houston police and other municipal employees are several billion dollars in the red. Mayor Sylvester Turner and the City Council worked out a reform plan to pay down that debt over the next few decades. The plan involves benefit cuts, as well as a new bond issue of $1,010,000,000.

Propositions B through E are capital improvement bonds. They would let the city borrow close to half a billion dollars to pay for essential city services:

• Proposition B ($159,000,000) would pay for public safety improvements, including new rescue equipment and training for the police and fire departments for dealing with future hurricanes.
• Proposition C ($104,000,000) would pay to improve parks, as well as to conserve green spaces and improve water quality along the city's bayous.
• Proposition D ($109,000,000) would pay to improve the city's public health and sanitation systems.
• Proposition E ($123,000,000) would pay to improve the city's public library system.