Education Code § 45.003

Sec. 45.003. BOND AND TAX ELECTIONS. (a) Bonds described by Section 45.001 may not be issued and taxes described by Section 45.001 or 45.002 may not be levied unless authorized by a majority of the qualified voters of the district, voting at an election held for that purpose, at the expense of the district, in accordance with the Election Code, except as provided by this section. Each election must be called by resolution or order of the governing board or commissioners court. The resolution or order must state the date of the election, the proposition or propositions to be submitted and voted on, the polling place or places, and any other matters considered necessary or advisable by the governing board or commissioners court. (b) A proposition submitted to authorize the issuance of bonds must include the question of whether the governing board or commissioners court may levy, pledge, assess, and collect annual ad valorem taxes, on all taxable property in the district, either: (1) sufficient, without limit as to rate or amount, to pay the principal of and interest on the bonds; or (2) sufficient to pay the principal of and interest on the bonds, provided that the annual aggregate bond taxes in the district may never be more than the rate stated in the proposition. (b-1) The ballot proposition under Subsection (b) must include the following statement: "THIS IS A PROPERTY TAX INCREASE." (c) If bonds are ever voted in a district pursuant to Subsection (b)(1), then all bonds thereafter proposed must be submitted pursuant to that subsection, and Subsection (b)(2) does not apply to the district. (d) A proposition submitted to authorize the levy of maintenance taxes must include the question of whether the governing board or commissioners court may levy, assess, and collect annual ad valorem taxes for the further maintenance of public schools, at a rate not to exceed the rate stated in the proposition. For any year, the maintenance tax rate per $100 of taxable value adopted by the district may not exceed the rate equal to the sum of $0.17 and the district's maximum compressed rate, as determined under Section 48.2551. (e) A rate that exceeds the maximum rate specified by Subsection (d) for the year in which the tax is to be imposed is void. A school district with a tax rate that is void under this subsection may, subject to requirements imposed by other law, adopt a rate for that year that does not exceed the maximum rate specified by Subsection (d) for that year. (f) Notwithstanding any other law, a district that levied a maintenance tax for the 2005 tax year at a rate greater than $1.50 per $100 of taxable value in the district as permitted by special law may not levy a maintenance tax at a rate that exceeds the rate per $100 of taxable value that is equal to the sum of: (1) $0.17; and (2) the product of 66.67 percent multiplied by the rate of the maintenance tax levied by the district for the 2005 tax year, minus the amount by which $1.00 exceeds the product of the state compression percentage, as determined under Section 48.255, multiplied by $1.00. (g) Notwithstanding Section 1251.052, Government Code, the question of whether to approve the issuance of bonds for the construction, acquisition, and equipment of school buildings in the district, the purchase of new school buses, and the purchase of necessary sites for school buildings may be submitted to the voters in a single ballot proposition, except that bonds for each of the following purposes must be stated in a separate proposition: (1) the construction, acquisition, or equipment of a stadium with seating capacity for more than 1,000 spectators; (2) the construction, acquisition, or equipment of a natatorium; (3) the construction, acquisition, or equipment of another recreational facility other than a gymnasium, playground, or play area; (4) the construction, acquisition, or equipment of a performing arts facility; (5) the construction, acquisition, or equipment of housing for teachers as determined by the district to be necessary to have a sufficient number of teachers for the district; and (6) an acquisition or update of technology equipment, other than equipment used for school security purposes or technology infrastructure integral to the construction of a facility. (h) The question of whether to approve the issuance of bonds for a building described by Subsection (g)(1), (2), (3), (4), or (5) must be printed on the ballot as a separate ballot proposition regardless of whether that building is proposed as part of the same complex or building that contains traditional classroom facilities. Each separate ballot proposition required by this subsection must state the principal amount of the bonds to be issued that constitutes the cost for construction of that portion of the building or complex attributable to the building described by Subsection (g)(1), (2), (3), (4), or (5) or to the traditional classroom facilities, as applicable. Added by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 260, Sec. 1, eff. May 30, 1995. Amended by Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 1071, Sec. 22, eff. Sept. 1, 1997; Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 678, Sec. 2, eff. Sept. 1, 2001. Amended by: Acts 2006, 79th Leg., 3rd C.S., Ch. 5 (H.B. 1), Sec. 1.12, eff. May 31, 2006. Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 505 (S.B. 30), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2019. Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 943 (H.B. 3), Sec. 1.008, eff. September 1, 2019. Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 943 (H.B. 3), Sec. 1A.003, eff. September 1, 2020.