Houstonian Corner – Nearly $5 billion in Local Bond Issues on Tap for Nov. 5 Elections

Bond document outlines millions of dollars in contracting opportunities

School Bus:

Private-sector vendors will find millions of dollars’ worth of contracting opportunities available following Nov. 5 statewide bond elections. Voters in Texas will decide nearly $5 billion in bond issues throughout the state on that date.

Sixty-six bond referendums are on tap in both large and small communities throughout Texas. They include 19 city bond elections with a combined value of $584 million, two community college votes to decide the fate of $174 million in proposed projects, eight county elections worth $914 million total, a $12 million hospital district vote and three-dozen public school district votes with a combined value of $3.13 billion.

Vendors who can provide these services will have millions of dollars’ worth of projects on which to bid once the bond issues are held. Strategic Partnerships, Inc. has available now its November 2013 Bond Report that includes a listing of each entity holding a bond election, the total amount of each proposal and a detailed description of each bond package. The report also includes an after-election report of the bond issues that passed. The Bond Report is available for purchase now.

The November election is the first since last May, when Texas voters approved more than $4.6 billion in bond projects. The November election is slightly larger, at $4.83 billion.
Among the projects that would benefit from a successful bond referendum are a $65 million affordable housing bond issue for a city in Central Texas, a North Texas city bond issue valued at $75 million that would result in $43 million in street and traffic control improvements, a $14.5 million new police station and fire training facilities and $8.5 million for parks and recreation facilities, including senior center improvements.

Also in the bond vote are other proposals in various cities for aquatics projects, new fire stations, library improvements and expansions, road improvements and more.

In West Texas, county voters will decide the fate of a $95 million proposal for a new courthouse, while another Texas county will try to pass an $8.5 million bond vote for renovations to its courthouse.
And, school districts in all areas of the state will be seeking voter approval of bond issues valued from $5.5 million to $490 million. Schools would use the proceeds of their successful bond votes for new schools, athletic facilities, security improvements, technology upgrades, new buses, HVAC upgrades and more.

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