By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
Val Verde County voters will begin casting ballots Monday in the Nov. 4 constitutional
amendment and joint election.
There will be 21 measures on the ballot for most county voters – 17 proposed
amendments to the Texas Constitution, three Val Verde County measures and one San
Felipe Del Rio Consolidated Independent School District measure.
Most voters in Val Verde County will have the school district measure on their ballots.
Only voters in county voting precincts 32, 42 and 43 will not vote for or against the San
Felipe Del Rio Consolidated Independent School District $50 million bond issue
proposal.
Voters who live inside the school district’s boundaries will decide for or against the
following proposition: “The issuance of $50,000,000 of school building bonds by the San
Felipe Consolidated Independent School District for the construction, renovation,
acquisition and equipment of school facilities within the district and the levy of taxes
sufficient to pay the principal of and the interest on the bonds.”
All of the county’s voters will consider three Val Verde County referenda on the ballot.
All three deal with the proposed construction of a second international bridge being
considered by the city of Del Rio.
The first referendum asks voters if they are for or against the following: “Are you for or
against Val Verde County supporting the construction of a 2nd International Bridge?”
The second referendum asks voters if they are for or against the following: “If Val Verde
County supports the construction of a 2 nd International Bridge, do you support the
location of the 2nd International Bridge to be NORTH of the current International
Bridge?”
The third referendum asks voters if they are for or against the following: “If Val Verde
County supports the construction of a 2 nd International Bridge, do you support the
location of the 2nd International Bridge to be SOUTH of the current International
Bridge?”
All of the county’s voters will also get to mark “for” or “against” 17 proposed
amendments to the Texas Constitution.
The amendments are as follows:
• Proposition 1 – “The constitutional amendment providing for the creation of the
permanent technical institution infrastructure fund and the available workforce education
fund to support the capital needs of the educational programs offered by the Texas State
Technical College System.”
• Proposition 2 – “The constitutional amendment prohibiting the imposition of a tax on
the realized or unrealized capital gains of an individual, family, estate or trust.”
• Proposition 3 – “The constitutional amendment requiring the denial of bail under certain
circumstances to persons accused of certain offenses punishable as a felony.”
• Proposition 4 – “The constitutional amendment to dedicate a portion of the revenue
derived from state sales and use taxes to the Texas water fund and to provide for the
allocation and use of that revenue.”
• Proposition 5 – “The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to exempt
from ad valorem taxation tangible personal property consisting of animal feed held by the
owner of the property for sale at retail.”
• Proposition 6 – “The constitutional amendment prohibiting the legislature from enacting
a law imposing an occupation tax on certain entities that enter into transactions
conveying securities or imposing a tax on certain securities transactions.”
• Proposition 7 – “The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to provide
for an exemption from ad valorem taxation of all or part of the market value of the
residence homestead of the surviving spouse of a veteran who died as a result of a
condition or disease that is presumed under federal law to have been service-connected.”
• Proposition 8 – “The constitutional amendment to prohibit the legislature from
imposing death taxes applicable to a decedent’s property or the transfer of an estate,
inheritance, legacy, succession or gift.”
• Proposition 9 – “The constitutional amendment to authorize the legislature to exempt
from ad valorem taxation a portion of the market value of tangible personal property a
person owns that is held or used for the production of income.”
• Proposition 10 – “The constitutional amendment to authorize the legislature to provide
for a temporary exemption from ad valorem taxation of the appraised value of an
improvement to a residence homestead that is completely destroyed by fire.”
• Proposition 11 – “The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to increase
the amount of the exemption from ad valorem taxation by a school district of the market
value of the residence homestead of a person who is elderly or disabled.”
• Proposition 12 – “The constitutional amendment regarding the membership of the State
Commission on Judicial Conduct, the membership of the tribunal to review the
commission’s recommendations, and the authority of the commission, the tribunal, and
the Texas Supreme Court to more effectively sanction judges and justices for judicial
misconduct.”
• Proposition 13 – “The constitutional amendment to increase the amount of the
exemption of residence homesteads from ad valorem taxation by a school district from
$100,000 to $140,000.”
• Proposition 14 – “The constitutional amendment providing for the establishment of the
Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, establishing the Dementia
Prevention and Research Fund to provide money for research on and treatment of
dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and related disorders in this state,
and transferring to that fund $3 billion from state general revenue.”
• Proposition 15 – “The constitutional amendment affirming that parents are the primary
decision makers for their children.”
• Proposition 16 – “The constitutional amendment clarifying that a voter must be a
United States citizen.”
• Proposition 17 – “The constitutional amendment to authorize the legislature to provide
an exemption from ad valorem taxation of the amount of the market value of real
property located in a county that borders the United Mexican States that arises from the installation or construction on the property of border security infrastructure and related
improvements.”
An excellent, in-depth look at all 17 of the proposed amendments, including videos and
arguments for and against each measure, can be found on the website of the Texas
League of Women Voters at www.lwvtexas.org
Scroll down the site’s home page to a portal labeled “2025 Constitutional Amendment
Election Voters Guide.” The guide is available in English, Spanish, Vietnamese and
Chinese.
The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com
