Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Bond Election topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Eagle Pass ISD facilities committee outlines up to $150 million in needs; advisors explain tax impacts and new ballot rules
Summary
Facilities committee recommended prioritized repairs and replacements across Eagle Pass ISD campuses, estimating up to $150 million to cover all items and outlining options for $125M–$150M bond scenarios; bond counsel warned new laws require separate propositions for many project types and a prominent 'THIS IS A PROPERTY TAX INCREASE' label on the ballot.
The Eagle Pass Independent School District’s facilities review committee presented the board on Nov. 11 a districtwide ranking of facility needs that includes reroofing, HVAC and chiller replacement, controlled entry points and accessibility upgrades, replacement of aging portables and districtwide public-address-system upgrades. The committee estimated that addressing every identified item would cost approximately $150 million; the top 25 ranked items would total about $78 million.
Committee members said they separated "needs" from "wants" and visited campuses to collect written input and on-site observations. The committee identified ECC and Kennedy Hall as candidates for replacing portable classrooms and listed replacement of chillers at Eagle Pass High School and CC Wynne among top priorities.
David Gonzales of PFM Financial Advisors reviewed the district’s financial position and modeled homeowner impacts for illustrative bond amounts. He said the district currently has about $34 million in outstanding debt and strong credit ratings from Standard & Poor’s and Fitch, and that state assistance now covers roughly 26¢ on the dollar for new debt. "For a $200,000 house, what that looks like on a monthly basis ... $7 for a $125,000,000 bond, $9 for a $150,000,000 bond," Gonzales said. He cautioned these are illustrative figures and depend on final sale terms and state-assistance calculations.
Bond counsel Juana Aguilera and attorney Humberto Aguilar outlined the legal timeline and recent statutory changes that govern how bond propositions must be presented. Aguilar flagged SB 30 (2019), which requires certain categories (stadiums with 1,000+ seats, natatoriums, many recreational/athletic improvements and performing-arts facilities) to be broken into separate propositions in many cases, and requires a statement in capital letters at the top of each applicable proposition: "THIS IS A PROPERTY TAX INCREASE." Aguilar recommended a potential board adoption of an order by Feb. 10, 2026, to target a May 2, 2026, election date, subject to county and secretary-of-state procedures.
Board members asked whether the committee recommended closing or consolidating campuses with low enrollment. Committee members said some campuses may be candidates for consolidation but emphasized weighing history and community concerns against cost and practicality.
Presenters and trustees repeatedly emphasized the presentation was preliminary. The board did not call or adopt a bond order during the Nov. 11 meeting; presenters and counsel said they will return with more detailed budgets, proposition language and a timeline for any formal action.
If the board moves forward, Aguilar cautioned it may need to present multiple propositions to voters under the current law, and the district will prepare legally required voter-information documents and notices as part of the statutory timeline.
