Texas voters have several high-profile elections to decide this November, including a U.S. Senate race that’s attracting national attention.
Lower down the ballot, though, voters in some of the state’s biggest jurisdictions will also decide whether to let their county, city, or school district borrow more money through bonds.
As local governments finalize budgets before the end of the month, several of the five biggest cities and school districts in Texas have already authorized November elections to approve bonds, a form of debt typically used to finance improvements to government-owned buildings or infrastructure.
These elections in November will follow a May election that saw the approval of record-breaking bonds, though none issued by the same jurisdictions listed below. On May 2, Dallas Independent School District (ISD) voters approved the largest school district bond in Texas history, and Fort Worth voters approved a $645 million bond package mostly for street and park projects.
Out of the state’s five biggest counties, only Dallas County and Tarrant County have finalized budgets for the upcoming fiscal year, and neither authorized a November bond election. However, Dallas County will ask voters in November to approve a higher property tax rate.
Out of the five most populous cities in Texas, two have approved November bond propositions.
The City of Dallas will ask voters to approve a $443 million public safety bond package in November. The package includes $82 million for a new police academy, which was the purpose of a $50 million bond passed in 2024. The 2026 package would also fund upgrades to existing police facilities and help relocate the city’s 9-1-1 emergency operations.
The City of Austin put two bond propositions on the November ballot totaling $295 million. A $260 million bond for parkland improvements makes up the lion’s share of the package; a second proposition for $35 million would fund the construction of a new city library and improvements to existing libraries.
Two of the state’s five largest ISDs also plan to put bonds on the November ballot.
Cypress-Fairbanks ISD will ask voters to approve a $1.6 billion bond package for a variety of property improvements, including new technology fitouts, school buses, and building amenity improvements.
Northside ISD in San Antonio will ask voters to approve an $886 million bond package to fund several facility improvements, new instructional technology, and a new swimming facility.