In order to fulfill the Frisco Chamber of Commerce’s mission statement “to protect and promote commerce,” the Frisco Chamber’s Governmental Affairs division, along with the Board of Directors, takes a strong and pro-active stance on governmental issues. As the “Voice of Business” in Frisco and the surrounding area, it is our responsibility to keep our business community strong which in turn will strengthen our community as a whole. For this reason, the Frisco Chamber of Commerce has taken a position of support on three items on the November 6, 2018 ballot and we encourage you to vote FOR each of these proposals.
We urge you to become an educated, well-informed voter and utilize the many resources available, including friscoisd.org.
The first two items that the Frisco Chamber of Commerce is in support of are the Frisco ISD TRE (Tax Ratification Election) and Bond Proposal. These items will appear on the ballot as two separate propositions – A & B.
- The first, Proposition A, will increase the Maintenance and Operations (M&O) portion of the tax rate by $0.13 to help provide smaller classrooms, more student programming such as the International Baccalaureate program, STEM, and CTE center classes, increased competitive teacher salaries, and staffing for new campuses. To offset this increase to the taxpayer, the FISD Board of Trustees will also decrease the debt service portion of the tax rate (I&S) by $0.15 for a net result of a $0.02 decrease on the tax rate. This is possible because Frisco ISD has been able to slow down in building schools and pay off debt.
- The second, Proposition B, is a $691 million bond for capital projects including a new high school, two middle schools, and land for future schools as our student population in Frisco continues to grow by about 2,000 students each year. It will also include bringing some of our older, aging campuses up to date so that they are more energy efficient and comparable to our newer schools. The bond additionally includes the possibility of an expansion to our CTE career center and a fine arts auditorium that will hold larger audiences for all of our schools to enjoy concerts, theatrical performances, and competitions.
As you know, many residents relocate to Frisco specifically for our top-rated school district and businesses choose to relocate to Frisco because of the strength of our school district.
The result? The FISD portion of the tax rate will actually decrease by $0.02.
The Frisco Chamber of Commerce has also taken a position of support on a $750 million transportation bond that will appear on ballots in Collin County. The $750 million will help fund both Limited Access Roads (LARS–such as Highway 380) and the outer loop that will create another freeway system, five miles north of Highway 380 and to the eastern portion of the county. The bond will also provide monies for improving and widening arterial roads (major roads that move in between cities). This impacts our business community which relies on people being able to move about the region and transfer goods efficiently.
An important note – this bond proposition will not raise the tax rate for Collin County residents.
Please make note and make your employees and colleagues aware of these important dates:
- Early voting runs through November 2, 2018.
- Election Day is Tuesday, November 6, 2018. We anticipate the lines to be long on Election Day and encourage you to vote early.
As I like to say, decisions are made by those who show up! See you at the polls!
