Voters in Collin County passed all five propositions in the county’s $683 million bond package on Tuesday.
Almost 14% of the county's registered voters — about 98,000 people — had participated in this election.
Most of the bond package — $380 million — will pay for improving county that are being overloaded by the county’s exploding population. the committee that wrote the bond package previously recommended increasing Proposition E to $600 million, which would raise the bond total to $1 billion.
The committee chair, Rusty Glover, told county commissioners the county needed more money for roads to keep up with population growth. The commissioners didn’t follow that suggestion.
“That need is just going to continue to grow year after year after year, and we're going to be behind that,” Glover said.
Collin County has a population of more than one million and is the third-fastest developing county in the nation, according to the U.S. Census. That means more cars on county roads that weren’t designed to handle a lot of traffic.
Other propositions will also address growing pains caused by the county’s rapid population expansion. Proposition A will put $216.9 million toward expanding the county’s jail, courthouse and juvenile justice facilities. Proposition C’s $13.4 million will fund a new Medical Examiner’s office.
Proposition B, which passed with about 65% of the vote, will double the size of the county’s animal shelter by February 2027. The $5.7 million proposition will also pay for a cat quarantine room and a clinic with two surgery bays.
Marla Fields, the administrator of animal advocacy group Frisco’s Pet Project, said the shelter has been overcrowded for at least a decade.
“They’re just scrambling,” Fields said. “There’s cages on top of cages.”
She said the expansion isn’t enough to solve the shelter’s overcrowding problem, calling it a band-aid on a bigger issue.
The other county bond proposition on the ballot will pay for parks and open space projects in the county.
Allen residents also had a $156.5 million city bond package with five propositions to consider. Voters in Allen approved $47 million for street improvements and $17 million to expand Ford Park. They also passed $8 million for infrastructure and street improvements in Allen’s downtown and $83 million for a new police headquarters. Proposition C, which would’ve put $1.5 million toward public art projects, didn’t pass.
Vicki L. Sanson was reelected as mayor in Lavon with more than half of the votes. Bob Petitt, who ran unopposed, was elected as mayor of Lowry Crossing.
Got a tip? Email Caroline Love at clove@kera.org.
Caroline Love is a Report For AmericaCorps member for KERA News.
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