Collin County voters face $817.5 million bond decision Nov. 3

Prosper and Celina residents who live in Collin County will help decide Nov. 3 whether to authorize $817.5 million in bonds for roads, courts, detention facilities, parks and a new elections and records building.

The package contains four propositions, allowing voters to approve or reject each separately. Early voting runs Oct. 19–30. Election Day polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The county’s published bond proposal assigns $475 million to roads, $296.5 million to courts and detention facilities, $40 million to an elections and records facility, and $6 million to parks and open space.

The propositions would authorize borrowing repaid through property taxes. Each carries the ballot language “THIS IS A TAX INCREASE.”

County officials have projected a potential debt service tax rate of 4.95 cents per $100 of assessed value by 2031, according to Community Impact. That projection depends on future growth and is not guaranteed.

Proposition B: Roads and bridges

At $475 million, the road proposition accounts for more than half the package. It would fund non-tolled roads and bridges, land acquisition and projects undertaken with cities or the state.

County Engineering Director Clarence Daughtery identified possible projects including service roads along the Dallas North Tollway and Outer Loop west of U.S. 75, as well as a route from Farmersville toward Rockwall County, Community Impact reported.

Commissioners said they wanted flexibility to direct funding as transportation needs change rather than commit the entire amount to a fixed list of corridors.

Proposition A: Courts and detention facilities

The $296.5 million proposition would support court and detention projects.

About $90 million would fund two jail housing clusters with a combined 550 beds, according to Community Impact. The county jail housed about 1,200 inmates as of Aug. 10.

County Administrator Yoon Kim said the remaining funding would support completion of 15 unfinished courtrooms in the courthouse expansion associated with the county’s 2023 bond program.

The additional borrowing would allow the county to finish space that its existing construction budget cannot fully equip, Kim told commissioners.

Proposition D: Elections and records facility

The $40 million proposition would fund a building for elections operations, training, equipment storage, county records and historical documents.

The county currently pays about $650,000 annually to lease space for elections operations and records storage, Kim said, according to Community Impact. Construction could begin in 2027 if voters approve.

Commissioner Susan Fletcher, whose district includes parts of Prosper and Celina, supported the proposal while emphasizing the need to balance borrowing with the county’s long-term operating needs.

Proposition C: Parks and open space

The $6 million parks proposition would fund land acquisition, design and construction, including projects undertaken jointly with cities.

It is the smallest of the four proposed authorizations.

Separate from the county’s adopted tax increase

The bond election follows the Commissioners Court’s approval of a higher county property tax rate for fiscal year 2027.

The adopted rate is $0.151414 per $100 of assessed value, according to Frisco’s official tax-rate listing. County Judge Chris Hill cast the lone opposing vote in the 4-1 decision, KERA reported.

KERA reported an estimated county tax bill of $744.98 for this year’s median-value home with a homestead exemption, compared with $682.10 under the previous year’s figures. The $62.88 difference reflects both the tax rate and the change in median home value.

That adopted tax rate is separate from voters’ decision on the four bond propositions.

How to vote

Early voting begins Monday, Oct. 19, and ends Friday, Oct. 30. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. The voter registration deadline was Oct. 5.

Polling locations and ballot-by-mail information are available through Collin County Elections. Residents can also call 972-547-1990.

A separate Collin College proposition asks voters to authorize $600 million for campus improvements and expansion. That measure is distinct from the county’s four-part bond package.