Latest news with #PropB
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Anson ISD parents share their thoughts on $17M school bond election
ANSON, Texas () – Over the past few months, signs supporting and opposing a $17 million school bond have appeared in the residential streets of Anson. For example, outside the home of Anson ISD parent Leticia Hernandez, there is a sign that says, 'Vote No on Prop B.' In contrast, the sign in front of the home of Anson ISD parents Jeremiah and Nicole McCurdy encourages voters to support both Propositions A and B. This situation raises the question: What is causing this divide among residents? 'I plan to vote yes for Prop A and no for Prop B…I'm a very firm believer of living within your means,' said Hernandez. 'It's going to benefit so much of our community, so many of our kids. It's just worth it, and we will be voting for A and B,' Nicole said. EXPLAINER: $17 million bond for Anson ISD: What it means for residents Proposition A requests $9.2 million to fund additions to elementary schools, renovations of district facilities, resurfacing of parking lots, and enhancements to the high school's Career Technical Education (CTE) classrooms. 'We're looking to grow our CNA program and hoping to start a cosmetology program, but we need some classrooms,' Anson ISD Superintendent Troy Hinds said. Hernandez and the McCurdys agree that Prop A's expanded educational opportunity and improved facilities will benefit Anson students. Approval of Proposition B would see $7.8 million used for the resurfacing of the track, installing turf on all three athletic fields, and constructing a new field house. It is here that Hernandez and other Anson residents find an issue. 'You put turf on the field, but we still have stands that need attention, and we still have concession stands that need attention. And this work that's been done that's not completely finished yet. That should be addressed before we do something that extravagant,' Hernandez said. She is also concerned about how the increased taxes might impact Ansonians' financial future, saying, 'I have two kids that will be out of school. They'll be investing in our community soon. We own two businesses, my husband and I, and we want to be able to pass that on to them and them to be able to thrive with that,' said Hernandez. On the pro-Prop B side, the McCurdys spoke not only as parents but also as district members: Jeremiah as the Operations Director and Nicole in the district curriculum. 'If you look over the lifespan of the turf fields. It's going to be just about a break-even point on cost, man-hours, watering the fields, maintaining them, and such,' said Jeremiah. 'Athletics is there not just for them to compete in, but for their bodies to be healthy; for their minds to be healthy… I don't want people to think that we, as a district, are not going to spend money on our academics because we do care about academics every single day. But we're also trying to create well-rounded individuals and well-rounded kids, and that involves that CTE portion, that athletic portion, and that academic portion,' Nicole added. Jeremiah concluded their interview with a call to action for all Anson ISD residents, no matter what view they hold, to get out and make their voices heard. Superintendent Hinds stated that the district is excited to see these opportunities brought to Anson Students, whether Prop B passes or not, similarly to Jeremiah, saying he hopes everyone will come out to vote in this election. Early voting is scheduled from Tuesday, April 22, through April 29. Don't forget that Election Day is on May 3. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
St. Louis County voters reject Proposition B
ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – St. Louis County voters rejected a key measure in Tuesday's municipal election. Proposition B, a proposal that would have expanded the St. Louis County Council's authority, has failed. Had it passed, Proposition B would have granted the St. Louis County Council the authority to remove department heads with a 'super majority' vote, or approval from five of the county council's seven members. Instead, the vote failed. A majority of voters (61.8%) voted 'no' on Proposition B, while only 38.2% voted 'yes.' More than 94,000 people cast votes on the measure, per the county's preliminary election results. The proposition faced a great amount of scrutiny from St. Louis County department heads, even to the point of it reaching the Missouri Supreme Court. A lawsuit against the county council claimed that the ballot language was misleading to voters and failed to explain how the proposition would 'radically amend' St. Louis County law. Cara Spencer elected mayor; defeats Tishaura Jones in political rematch The Missouri Supreme Court ultimately sided with the county council to allow Proposition B to stay on the ballot. Leading up to the election, St. Louis County Executive Sam Page had also been accused of improperly using public funds for fliers in opposition to Prop B. Page shared the following statement via social media on voters rejecting Proposition B: 'Prop B was a bad idea. Voters saw through the deceptive language and saw it for what it was: an attempt to disrupt county government and make it harder to get business done. It is time to move on and focus on issues important to the daily lives of St. Louis County residents.' Greater St. Louis, Inc. Interim CEO Dustin Allison issued the following statement on Proposition B: 'As the voice of the St. Louis region's business community, Greater St. Louis, Inc. expressed our strong opposition to Proposition B and encouraged St. Louis County voters to cast a 'no' vote. We are proud to stand with the voters of St. Louis County who voted down Proposition B. 'We look forward to working with the leaders of St. Louis County to drive growth and create more opportunity for the future.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Proposition B to appear on St. Louis County ballots
ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – After a lengthy legal battle, voters in St. Louis County will have the chance to cast their vote on Proposition B Tuesday. Citizens heading to the polls for the April General Municipal Election will see Proposition B, which reads: 'Shall Section 2.190.3 be added to and Sections 4.020 and 5.020 of the Charter of County be amended to restore checks and balances, oversight, and accountabilityof the executive branch by authorizing removal of the St. Louis County Counselor or anyDepartment Director by five of the seven Councilmembers as set forth in Exhibit A ofOrdinance No. 29,241, on file with the St. Louis County Administrative Director and theSt. Louis County Board of Election Commissioners? The cost of legal counsel authorized ifthis amendment passes has no fiscal impact on taxes.' Essentially, the measure would grant the county council the authority to remove department heads with five of seven council members' votes, or a 'supermajority.' Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now The proposition faced a great amount of scrutiny by St. Louis County department heads—to the point of it reaching the Missouri Supreme Court. A lawsuit against the county council claimed that the ballot language was misleading to voters and failed to explain how the proposition would 'radically amend' St. Louis County law. In February, the Missouri Supreme Court sided with the county council, allowing Proposition B to stay on the ballot. A 'yes' vote on Proposition B would approve the St. Louis County Council's ability to remove department heads with a 'supermajority' vote, or with five out of seven members' votes. A 'no' vote on Proposition B would reject the St. Louis County Council from being able to remove department heads with a 'supermajority' vote, or with five out of seven members' votes. Most recently, County Executive Sam Page has been accused of improperly using public funds for fliers opposing Prop B. To see St. Louis County's sample ballots, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Complaint claims county exec used public funds on Prop B mailers
CLAYTON, Mo. – In a newly filed complaint with the Missouri Secretary of State's Office, St. Louis County Executive Sam Page is accused of improperly using public funds. Tom Sullivan submitted the complaint after postcards started arriving in voters' mail that contained information about Proposition B, the ballot measure that would give the county council the ability to remove department heads. Sullivan says he sent two separate complaints: one to the Secretary of State claiming Page spent public funding on the postcards, the other to the Missouri Ethics Commission claiming Page violated campaign finance disclosure laws. That complaint has to do with fliers that were distributed that contained similar information and wording to the postcards. Sullivan showed FOX 2 News an invoice which shows a company billing the county executive's office about $5,000 for close to 55,000 Prop B postcards. 'Anytime you have tax dollars being spent, I think it's a concern,' Sullivan said. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now When asked for an interview, the county executive's office sent FOX 2 a statement saying, 'We were happy to see Mr. Sullivan publicly come out against Prop B with letters to the editor. 'He understands how flawed the proposal is. He also understands that it is proper, legal, and necessary to educate voters on ballot language that the circuit court called 'misleading, insufficient, inaccurate, argumentative, prejudicial, and unfair.' Why Mr. Sullivan would want to keep voters in the dark goes against his long-time declaration as a government watchdog.' Sullivan says his complaint is about the finances, not Proposition B. He says the postcards went beyond educating voters. '100% is telling you how terrible things are going to be if Proposition B is passed. There's no objectivity. They're not informational. They're all opposed to Proposition B,' Sullivan said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Proposed Texas law would crack down on cities not enforcing state homeless camping ban
The Brief Senate Bill 241 proposes measures to crack down on cities that do not enforce the state's homeless camping ban. If cities don't uphold the ban, the bill says the Texas Department of Public Safety can come in and enforce it, Advocates for the homeless are worried the legislation won't actually help fix the problem. AUSTIN, Texas - It's been more than three years since Austin voters banned homeless camping in the city, and a statewide camping ban went into effect. However, camps remain in many areas, and now a new bill in the legislature could put pressure on cities like Austin to remove them. What we know The Senate Local Government Committee took up Senate Bill 241 on Monday afternoon to crack down on cities that do not enforce the state's homeless camping ban. S.B. 241 specifies that a "local entity may not prohibit or discourage the investigation or enforcement of violations of the public camping ban following official, written complaints made by a person." If cities don't uphold the ban, the bill says the Texas Department of Public Safety can come in and enforce it, and the state can withhold sales tax from the city to offset the cost. Under the legislation, cities can establish designated camping areas, but they must be approved by the state. What they're saying "This is a law that's not being followed," said the bill's sponsor, state Sen. Pete Flores (R-Pleasanton). "That's not fair to the citizens, both those that have homes and those that are homeless." "We were grateful for the state for for basically backing what voters demanded. Unfortunately, the enforcement aspects of that state law, I think were not strong enough," said Matt Mackowiak, co-founder of Save Austin Now. "It's another example of the state of Texas doing the job the city of Austin has been unable or unwilling to do," said Mackowiak. The other side "They want to make an example of Austin," said Austin Mutual Aid executive director Sasha Rose. Advocates like Rose are worried the legislation won't actually help fix the problem. "What are we criminalizing, really? We're criminalizing poverty. We're criminalizing our most vulnerable communities," said Rose. Some are worried SB 241 will create more barriers for people trying to escape homelessness. "I'm concerned that it will limit the ability of someone who works in law enforcement to show a little discretion and help people when they can, instead of issuing a citation," said Texas Homeless Network president and CEO Eric Samuels. The backstory In 2021, Austin voters approved Proposition B, which outlawed camping on public property. City to enact four-phase plan to reinstate camping ban Leaders, community react to Prop B passage, camping ban reinstatement Prop B passes, reinstates camping ban in downtown Austin Soon after that, the legislature passed a statewide camping ban. While many encampments have been cleared out, hundreds remain across Austin. What's next Austin is already using the Marshaling Yard and converted hotels for shelters, but people on both sides of this bill agree more needs to be done. "I would like to see our city investing in increasing shelter beds at a much more rapid rate," said Rose. Temporary emergency homeless shelter extends stay at Marshalling Yard New trade school at Austin homeless shelter hopes to give purpose, jobs to residents Marshalling Yard temporary shelter funded through September 2025 "Build more permanent, supportive and deeply affordable housing," said Samuels. "We want our homeless individuals to be safe and sheltered, but we want them to be receiving services," said Mackowiak. The Source Information in this report comes from reporting by FOX 7 Austin's John Krinjak.
