Athens Review, Athens, Texas

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November 3, 2009

County voters approve majority of amendments

By Rich Flowers News Editor

Henderson County voters gave a strong nod of approval Tuesday to most of the 11 propositions on the 2009 Constitutional Amendment Election ballot. Statewide all of the propositions swept to wins by comfortable margins.

In local elections, Payne Springs off-premises liquor sales won approval, while in a Trinidad Independent School District rollback election, voters ratified a tax increase approved by the school board in September.

The Payne Springs vote was the third in three years to decide whether or not to allow liquor sales for off-premises consumption, but with a different result. The proposition’s 66-48, yes vote reversed the decisions of 2006 and 2008. The proposition went down 74-66 in 2006, in an election not decided until provisional ballots were counted days after the election. In a large 2008 turnout the proposition was rejected 100-86.

Trinidad Independent School District roll-back voters approved a 13-cent tax increase by a 63 to 50 count. The increase, to help the district offset a looming budget deficit, will cost the average homeowner about $56 in property tax.

In the amendment election, County voters gave their most lopsided margin to Proposition 11, prohibiting the taking of private property for transfer to a private entity for the purpose of economic development or to increase tax revenues. The county vote of 3,098 to 791 was close to the state percentage on the proposition.

Proposition 2 carried the county by more than a 2-to-1 margin, 2,558 to 1,242. The amendment authorizes the legislature to provide for the taxation of a residence homestead solely on the basis of the property's value as a residence homestead, regardless of whether the property may have a higher value if it were used for other purposes.

A majority of county voters disapproved of Proposition 1, which failed in the county 1,984 to 1,772. The amendment changes the constitution to authorize the legislature to allow a municipality or a county to issue bonds and notes to finance the purchase of buffer areas, or open spaces adjacent to military installations.

They also rejected Proposition 4 by a total of 2,104 to 1,630. The amendment would have enabled use of the national research university funds to enable emerging research universities in this state.

The county turnout was light. There were 3,800 votes cast, accounting for 7.82 percent of the 48,574 registered voters. That’s better than the previous amendment election in 2007, which drew only 2,346 votes in the county, about 5 percent of the 46,916 registered voters.

The Henderson County vote totals for the 11 propositions:

Proposition 1

For — 1,772

Against — 1,984



Proposition 2

For — 2,558

Against — 1,242



Proposition 3

For — 2,164

Against — 1,604



Proposition 4

For — 1,630

Against — 2,104



Proposition 5

For — 1,911

Against — 1,807



Proposition 6

For — 2,170

Against — 2.151



Proposition 7

For — 2,501

Against — 1,251



Proposition 8

For — 2,568

Against — 1,198



Proposition 9

For — 2,611

Against — 1,130



Proposition 10

For — 2,527

Against — 1,230



Proposition 11

For — 3,098

Against — 701

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