‘You cannot dodge the holes’: $10M bond to repair roads in Lacy Lakeview

Fixing roads and infrastructure is a major focus for many Central Texas cities including The City of Lacy Lakeview ahead of May’s election.

However, some people are for it, and others have different thoughts.

The City of Lacy Lakeview is looking to improve parts of Walnut Street and West Craven.

Plans include improving water and sewer infrastructure through a bond that's estimated to be around nine and a half million dollars.

City Manager Calvin Hodde says any money left over will go towards fixing other roads in the city.

"Most of these streets have never been redone from the time they were put in" he said.

"85% to 95% of our streets are in very poor condition and there's a lot of potholes and things like that, so this is a very needed bond."

He says a similar bond was voted down 24 years ago.

Governor Greg Abbott signed the largest property tax cut in Texas history last Fall, giving property owners an $18 billion dollar break.

Hodde and others are banking on this tax cut to get this bond passed.

"They're still going to be paying less than what they were last year and that's what we're trying to get across as well."

Cody Daniel lives in Lacy Lakeview.

He spoke in favor of the bond at a town hall last week.

"If you could afford to pay your taxes then, you're still going to be able to afford to pay your taxes now," he said to the audience.

"Everybody in this town keeps screaming 'We need roads fixed, we need, roads fixed, we need roads fixed', well, you've gotta have money to do it."

If voted in, the estimated property tax increase would be $0.15 cents per $100,000 home valuation.

For example, if your home is valued at $150,000 — your estimated annual increase is $225.

Forty percent of the city's 2023-2024 General Fund Revenue Budget came from property taxes however, only 13% of that budget went to streets with more than half of those funds going to police.

Bobbi McCormick also spoke at the meeting and says no to the bond.

She questions where her tax dollars are going.

"How many years have we paid taxes to the City of Lacy Lakeview?", she said.

"You cannot dodge the holes — they come out and throw a little black crap in them and go about their business, within two or three days it's out again."

The election is on May 4 — you can read more about the tax adjustments in the documents provided in this story.