HAYS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) -- A district court judge ruled Monday that the $440 million road bond approved by Hays County voters in November 2024 is now void.
419th Civil District Court Judge Catherine Mauzy found the Hays County Commissioners Court violated the Texas Open Meetings Act when calling for the bond election in August 2024.
"Because the Hays County special election for Proposition A road bond on November 5, 2024, was never lawfully ordered by the Hays County Commissioners Court, the Court declares the election void," according to court documents.
An attorney representing the plaintiffs told KXAN that Hays County will have an opportunity to appeal this decision. We have reached out to the County to determine if it will do this. It is not clear if any of the road projects have already started.
On Aug. 14, in a 5-0 vote, the Commissioners Court approved pushing the bond election forward, setting in motions 30 transportation projects across the county by adding $0.02 per $100 valuation to the county tax rate – that would break down to about $80 a year for a home valued at $400,000.
According to previous reporting, four Hays County homeowners filed a lawsuit, alleging that the Commissioners Court violated the Texas Open Meetings Act by not specifically outlining the scope of the bond package.
Hays County residents sue Commissioners Court over the transportation bond election“County commissioners hatched this bond package in secret, ordering it onto the ballot at the last minute and in blatant violation of the Texas Open Meetings Act,” said Les Carnes, one of the plaintiffs, in an October press release.
“Hays County residents were deprived of both the required public notice that a bond proposal was being considered and the right to participate in determining what should be included or excluded, what the total price should be, and what it will mean for our taxes,” he continued.
The lawsuit said that several controversial projects were included in the package – some that would go over environmentally sensitive areas like the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone.
County officials said the bond improved safety and mobility, responded to the city’s continued growth, addressed existing roads, created new ones and supported economic development across Hays County.
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