NOTICE OF ELECTION: TAX RATE FOR THE 2024 TAX YEAR

• Early Voting Locations
• Election Day Locations

Preamble

1. On August 13, 2024, the Commissioners Court of Travis County, Texas (the “Commissioners Court”) approved an order adopting and levying the ad valorem taxes for the 2024 tax year.
2. For the 2024 tax year, the voter-approval tax rate, as defined in the Texas Tax Code, is $0.319445 per $100 valuation.
3. The Commissioners Court adopted an ad valorem tax rate of $0.344445 per $100 valuation, which is higher than the voter-approval tax rate.
4. The purpose for which the Commissioners Court adopted a tax rate exceeding the voter-approval tax rate is to increase access to affordable and high-quality child care and afterschool/summer programming and related services for low-income families and develop and administer related workforce and economic development programs.
5. Texas Tax Code §26.07 provides that if the Commissioners Court adopts a tax rate that exceeds the voter-approval tax rate, the Commissioners Court must order that an election be held in the County so that voters may accept or reject the proposed tax rate. If a majority of the voters reject the proposed tax rate, the tax rate of the County of Travis will be the voter-approval tax rate.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDERED BY THE COMMISSIONERS COURT OF TRAVIS COUNTY, TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Findings. The statements contained in the preamble of this Order are true and correct and are hereby adopted as findings of fact and as part of the operative provisions hereof.

SECTION 2. Election Ordered; Date; Proposition. An election (the "Election") shall be held for and within Travis County, Texas on Tuesday, November 5, 2024 ("Election Day"), a uniform election date established by Section 41.001(a) of the Texas Election Code, as amended (the "Code"). At the Election the following proposition (the "Proposition") shall be submitted to the qualified voters of the County in accordance with law:

TRAVIS COUNTY PROPOSITION A

"Approving the ad valorem tax rate of $0.344445 per $100 valuation in County of Travis for the current year, a rate that is $0.025 higher per $100 valuation than the voter-approval tax rate of County of Travis, for the purpose of increasing access to affordable and high-quality child care and afterschool/summer programming and related services for low-income families and developing and administering related workforce and economic development programs.  Last year, the ad valorem tax rate in County of Travis was $0.304655 per $100 valuation.  

SECTION 3. Official Ballot. The Proposition shall be set forth substantially in the following form, so as to permit the voters to vote "FOR" or "AGAINST" the Proposition, which shall be set forth on the ballot in English and in Spanish in substantially the following form:

OFFICIAL BALLOT

TRAVIS COUNTY PROPOSITION A

Approving the ad valorem tax rate of $0.344445 per $100 valuation in County of Travis for the current year, a rate that is $0.025 higher per $100 valuation than the voter-approval tax rate of County of tRAVIS, for the purpose of increasing access to affordable and high-quality child care and afterschool/summer programming and related services for low-income families and developing and administering related workforce and economic development programs.  Last year, the ad valorem tax rate in County of Travis was $0.304655 per $100 VALUATION.

FOR

AGAINST

SECTION 4. Persons Qualified to Vote. All resident, qualified electors of the County shall be eligible to vote at the Election.

SECTION 5. Election Precincts. Voting Locations and Voting Hours on Election Day. The polling places for the Election are hereby designated to be those locations identified by Dyana Limon-Mercado, the Travis County Clerk (the “County Clerk”).  Voting on Election Day shall be conducted at the countywide polling locations designated on Exhibit A attached hereto, with such locations being incorporated herein by reference and made a part hereof for all purposes; provided, however, such locations may be changed if so directed by the County Clerk without further action by the Commissioners Court and without amendment of this Order.  The County Clerk is hereby authorized and directed to make such changes in precinct numbers and polling locations as may be necessary for the proper conduct of the Election, without further action by the Commissioners Court and without amendment of this Order, and the County Judge or his designee is hereby authorized to update Exhibit A to reflect the locations designated by the County Clerk, which locations are hereby approved.  Each polling place shall be open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Election Day.

SECTION 6.  Early Voting Clerk; Early Voting Locations, Dates and Times.

1. The County Clerk is hereby appointed as Early Voting Clerk for the Election. Deputy early voting judges/clerks will be appointed as needed to process early voting mail and to conduct early voting. Early voting by mail shall be conducted in conformance with the requirements of the Code.  The County Clerk is hereby authorized to appoint the members of the Early Voting Ballot Board and the presiding judges and alternate judges in accordance with the requirements of the Code and/or by separate order of the Commissioners Court.  Early voting shall be conducted by the Early Voting Clerk, at the main early voting polling location listed below; provided, such location may be changed or additional early voting locations may be added by the County Clerk, without further action of the Commissioners Court and without amendment of this Order, as is necessary for the proper conduct of the Election.  
2. The address for the Early Voting Clerk is Dyana Limon-Mercado, Travis County Elections, P.O. Box 149325, Austin, Texas 78714-9325, and the Early Voting Clerk may be reached at the following: (i) Telephone: (512) 238 - 8683, (ii) Email: [email protected], and (iii) Website: https://elections.traviscountytx.gov/current-election-information/current-election/.
3. Applications for early voting in the County by mail shall be submitted to the Travis County Elections, P.O. Box 149325, Austin, TX 78714-9325, or in person by the individual voter or by common or contract carrier to Travis County Election Division, 5501 Airport Blvd, Suite #100, Austin, TX 78751-1410. Applications for voting by mail must be received (not post-marked) no later than the close of business (5:00 p.m. Central Time) on October 25, 2024.
4. The main early voting polling place for the County is hereby designated to be the Travis County Clerk’s Office, 5501 Airport Blvd., Training Room, Austin, Texas 78751.
5. Early voting by personal appearance for all election precincts begins on Monday, October 21, 2024 and shall end on Friday, November 1, 2024 and shall be held at the locations, at the times and on the days set forth in Exhibit A attached hereto and incorporated herein, or at such other locations, times, and days as hereafter may be designated by the County Clerk, without further action by the Commissioners Court and without amendment of this Order. The County Judge or his designee is hereby authorized to update Exhibit A to reflect the locations and times designated by the County Clerk, and such locations are hereby approved.
6. The Early Voting Clerk is hereby authorized to appoint the members of the early voting ballot board and the presiding judges and alternate judges for each polling location in accordance with the requirements of the Code. Each of the presiding judges shall be authorized to approve the necessary election clerks to assist in conducting the Election.
7. Voting times may be changed if so directed by the County Clerk without further action of the Commissioners Court and without amendment of this Order. The County Clerk is hereby authorized and directed to make such changes in voting hours as may be necessary for the proper conduct of the Election.

SECTION 7. Notice of Election.  Notice of the Election shall be given by: (a) publishing a substantial copy of this Order, in English and Spanish, at least once not earlier than the 30th day nor later than the 10th day prior to the date set for the Election, in a newspaper of general circulation in the County, (b) posting a copy of this Order, in English and Spanish, on the County’s website, prominently and together with the notice of the Election and the contents of the Proposition, not later than the 21st day prior to the date set for the Election through Election Day and (c) posting a copy of this Order, in English and Spanish, at the County courthouse on the bulletin board used for posting notices of the meetings of the Commissioners Court, not later than the 21st day prior to the date set for the Election.  Additionally, on Election Day and during early voting by personal appearance, this Order shall be posted in a prominent location at each polling place.  For each precinct that is combined to form a consolidated precinct under Section 42.008, Election Code, not later than the 10th day before election day, notice of each precinct’s consolidation and the location of the polling place in the consolidated precinct shall be posted at the polling place used in the preceding General Election and such notice shall remain posted continuously through Election Day.

SECTION 8.  Conduct of Election.

1. The Election shall be conducted under the jurisdiction of the County Clerk.
2. Election judges, alternate judges and clerks shall be paid, as determined by separate order of the Commissioners Court, for their service in the Election.
3. The voting system or equipment heretofore adopted by the Commissioners Court for County elections shall be used for the Election.
4. The Election shall be held and conducted in compliance with the Code except as modified by other applicable provisions of law.
5. The election officers shall make returns for the Election in the manner required by law, and the ballots that are properly marked in conformance with the provisions of the Code for votes cast by mail, during the period of early voting and on Election Day shall be counted in the manner required by law.

SECTION 9. Necessary Actions.  The County Judge and the County Clerk, in consultation with the County Attorney, are hereby authorized and directed to take any and all actions necessary to comply with the provisions of the Code, including particularly, Chapter 272 of the Code pertaining to bilingual requirements, and, to the extent applicable, the Federal Voting Rights Act, in carrying out and conducting the Election, whether or not expressly authorized herein, including making changes or additions to polling places or procedures to the extent required or desirable or as may become necessary due to circumstances arising after the date of this Order.

SECTION 10. Severability.  If any provision, section, subsection, sentence, clause or phrase of this Order, or the application of same to any person or set of circumstances is for any reason held to be unconstitutional, void, invalid, or unenforceable, neither the remaining portions of this Order nor their application to other persons or sets of circumstances shall be affected thereby, it being the intent of the Commissioners Court in adopting this Order that no portion hereof or provision or regulation contained herein shall become inoperative or fail by reason of any unconstitutionality, voidness, invalidity or unenforceability of any other portion hereof, and all provisions of this Order are declared to be severable for that purpose.

SECTION 11. Open Meeting Compliance. The Commissioners Court officially finds and determines that the meeting at which this Order is adopted was open to the public and that public notice of the time, place, and purpose of that meeting was given, all as required by Chapter 551, Texas Government Code.

SECTION 12.  Effective Date.  This Order shall take effect immediately upon adoption.