North Hays County ESD sales tax issue is back on, throwing wrench in somebody's plan

If the ESD issue and the new Driftwood development sales tax issue pass, they will both be voided

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Editor's Note: Uh oh.

Read the whole story at this link:
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/2009/11/03/1103esd.
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Austin American-Statesman

By Patrick George
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Tuesday, November 03, 2009

SAN MARCOS - The previously canceled sales tax referendum proposed to raise money for firefighter salaries in northern Hays County is back on after state officials said Monday that, by law, the show must go on.

Though it was never taken off the ballot, the Hays County Emergency Services District 6 proposal to raise the current 7-cent sales tax by 1 cent had been reported canceled Oct. 14. The district's board of directors decided to nix the election after learning it would compete with another sales tax referendum to fund a project by Salt Lick owner and developer Scott Roberts.

Roberts wants to raise the sales tax by 1.25 cents on items sold at the Salt Lick to raise money for his proposed 540-acre residential and commercial Driftwood development. He would be the sole voter in that election.

However, passage of both referendums would push sales tax in the area to 9.25 cents - past the 8.25-cent legal limit set by the state. Should voters pass both referendums, both sales taxes would be voided. District 6 and the Driftwood Municipal Management District board, of which Roberts is a member, would have to wait a year before they could go to voters again.

Instead, District 6 board members opted to cancel their election and hold it in May, when they would carve Roberts' property out of the taxing jurisdiction.

But state officials said under state law, an emergency services district is required to hold an election when it calls one and doesn't have the authority to cancel it.

"It is going forth to the voters, and the county will tally it," said Randall Dillard, a spokesman for the secretary of state's elections division.