Hays County voters are likely to vote on $450M transportation bond this November

HAYS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) – The Hays County Commissioners Court is close to finalizing its nearly half-billion-dollar bond program plan, which is likely to go in front of voters this November. 

The program would allow the municipality to take on around 30 projects, fairly evenly dispersed across the county. Officials said the project will improve safety and mobility, respond to the city’s continued growth, address existing roads, create new ones and support economic development across Hays County. 

“The bond is necessary because for a very long time [we have been] the fastest growing county in the nation of populations north of 100,000,” Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra said. “We have to keep up with the growth.” 

As the county has grown, certain areas have seen an increase in gridlock traffic. Becerra pointed to downtown Kyle, where at certain points of the day, a person could get stuck in a long line of vehicles. 

“It feels almost like if you're on a New York Street, just moving too slow,” Becerra said. 

If the bond is approved, one of the projects will redirect some traffic going through Kyle’s downtown to RM 150. 

“It will help the use of downtown in more meaningful ways. Because sometimes when you have a storefront, you think you want a lot of traffic but there is such a thing as too much traffic,” Becerra said. 

Becerra said the commissioner's court should finalize what is likely to be on the ballot by the end of August. 

If, in November, voters approve the bond program, it will increase property taxes by around two cents per $100 of home valuation. That would break down to about $80 a year for a home valued at $400,000 – just under $7 monthly. 

But the dollar amount per month may even be less, depending on how the county decides to roll out the program, Becerra said. 

“The thing that I'm most excited about is it will be supporting our municipalities,” Becerra said.