Voters across North Texas on Saturday went to the polls in municipal elections, approving a large bond package in Dallas and increasing the hotel occupancy tax in Fort Worth.
Dallas voters approved a $1.25 billion bond package, which was split into 10 separate propositions, the priciest of which featured $521 million to improve streets, alleys, sidewalks, and other transportation projects.
Voters also approved $43 million for libraries and $90 million for public safety facilities, plus money for affordable housing and facilities to help the homeless.
In all, more than 5,000 projects in Dallas will be funded by the bonds.
Meanwhile, Fort Worth voters decided to increase the city's hotel occupancy tax from 15% to 17%. The additional revenue will be used to improve the city's convention center.
The first phase of the project will include new kitchens and loading docks, along with improvements to one of the main streets near the convention center downtown. The second part will involve tearing down part of the building to make room for new construction and expansion.
One of the larger school district bond packages facing voters on Saturday was in Mansfield ISD, where residents approved two of five propositions. The propositions totaled $777 million.
Propositions A and B passed, but three others were voted down. Proposition A, at $584 million, includes money for school renovations, replacing heating and air conditioning units, improving school security and buying school buses. Proposition B set aside $4 million for new classroom technology.
Propositions to improve the district's athletic stadiums, boost fine arts education and to pay for the third phase some multi-purpose athletic complexes were all rejected by voters.