(The Center Square) – There are 472 bond measures on local ballots statewide totaling a minimum of $90,247,334,088 in new debt, according to Nov. 4, 2025, records list in the Texas Bond Review Board (TBRB) public database.
This total excludes current debt obligations for principal and interest on debt taxpayers already owe – meaning, taxpayers will owe far more if the propositions pass.
Early voting is underway through Oct. 31. Election Day is Nov. 4.
“Upcoming Bond Election data are incomplete and may be complete 2 weeks after the election,” the board notes. It also states that it obtained the bond information “from a variety of sources that we believe are accurate including newspaper articles, the Municipal Advisory Council’s Texas Bond Reporter, official statements, and the US Department of Justice. Due to the fact that this information is not required by statute to be reported, it is possible that some bond election results may go unreported.”
The National Taxpayers Union also breaks down the measures by county here.
The overwhelming majority of bond propositions are for local Municipal Utility Districts (MUDs) for stated water, sewage, drainage, road infrastructure improvements or new projects. A MUD is a political subdivision that provides water, sewage, drainage, and other services. Roughly 10% were proposed by city, county, hospital or other special districts for a range of projects.
Roughly 25% of bond propositions are for independent school districts to build new buildings, purchase new technology, buses or other projects, with interest and other terms lasting up to 40 years.
Many propositions include bond refinancing “refundings” to service outstanding bond debt.
The TBRB and National Taxpayers Union databases provide information about each bond issuer, bond type and amount, proposition number, and stated purpose for tax increases. But taxpayers must find the specific bond information on their own by going to city, county or school district websites. Key documents to review are “Notice of Election” and “Voter Information Notice,” which detail bond terms, total debt and tax increases, Amy Teal told The Center Square. Teal, a leader with Texans for Freedom, launched an advocacy campaign called, “It’s OK to vote NO” against the bonds.
In Milam and Williamson counties, voters have more than $10 billion in proposed property tax increases on the ballot. One Notice of Election lists multiple propositions for Sandow MUD 1C, including Proposition B ($3.69 billion), Proposition C ($498 million), Proposition D ($1.98 billion), among others. The Texas Bond Review Board also lists Sandow MUD 1A propositions A ($3 billion), B ($86.5 million) and C ($868 million).
School district notices provide information about total costs that aren’t expressly stated in pitches posted on their websites asking taxpayers to pass the bonds.
Richardson ISD, which has three propositions on the ballot totaling $1.4 billion, claims the average property tax bill for a $500,000 home would go up $10 a month if the propositions pass. According to the district’s Notice of Election, the fund’s purposes are vague, the debt obligations are for 40 years, and taxpayers will owe far more.
According to the district’s Voter Information Notice, when adding the estimated $911 million in interest to the principal, taxpayers would owe $2.2 billion for Proposition A. Proposition B’s estimated combined principal and interest is nearly $62 million; Proposition C’s is $8.6 million.
These totals exclude the estimated combined principal and interest required to pay outstanding debt obligations of nearly $1.5 billion. Combined, Richardson ISD property owners would owe an estimated $3.7 billion in taxes if the propositions pass.
Pharr-San Jaun-Alamo ISD’s propositions A ($54.3 million) and B ($5.7 million) will cost taxpayers $248 million, according to the district’s bond notice. Estimated interest for Proposition A is nearly as much as the bond: $51.89 million. Outstanding principal and interest the district owes is $197.7 million.
The same pattern exists for other school district propositions: taxpayers owe more in principal, interest and outstanding debt than the stated bond amount.
The propositions state they are property tax increases and “annual ad valorem taxes on all taxable property” and would be taxed “without limit as to rate or amount, to pay the principal of and interest on the bonds,” among other costs.
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“These long-term debt authorizations, up to 40 years, are on top of existing debt of billions of dollars and don’t include VATRE increases, which are permanent rate hikes in the school district maintenance and operation rate,” Teal said. “Voters should take note that any ‘allocations’ to various district projects are almost never guaranteed in the legal proposition. If taxpayers want accountability to specific amounts, they need to vote these vague propositions down and insist on line item propositions for each project.”
Texas is the only Republican-led state among the worst five states with the most debt, The Center Square reported.