On June 24, Hays County Commissioners were informed that District Judge Catherine Mauzy had ruled the $440M Hays County Road Bond election passed in November 2024 to be void, invalid from the beginning and therefore, unable to be legally executed or enforced. The judgement came as a result of a lawsuit filed by four Hays County residents who argued that county officials failed to make the bond proceedings accessible to the public and to allow public comment.
The lawsuit, which was filed in Hays County District Court on October 21, alleged Hays County officials violated the Texas Open Meetings Act when they approved the bond election in August, saying officials misled residents by not adequately announcing a scheduled meeting to approve the bond election and limiting the amount of time people could speak on the item. The plaintiffs also claim residents didn’t receive key information on how the bond would impact local property taxes.
On the ballot under Proposition A, the bond included 31 road projects aimed to ease traffic congestion throughout the rapidly expanding region.
The ruling prevents the county from issuing any bonds relating to the election.
In a press release issued by Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra, who presides over the Commissioner Court, said, “At this point the Court must make some critical decisions including whether or not to appeal the ruling.”
“The commissioner’s court will not make any decisions on an appeal until after the final judgment has been rendered,” Becerra wrote. “I am not inclined to appeal and spend another hundred thousand dollars only to find us at the exact same point we are now. However, I will reserve judgement until we receive all of the facts.”
“While I respect the ruling issued, I’m very disappointed in the lack of transparency and public input we had on this bond issue. Unfortunately, every chance I had to bring up transparency and input was shut down by the special interests on our court,” he continued.
Becerra ended the statement by saying, “For now, my immediate concern is to find the resources necessary to address the most dire segments of our infrastructure and bring relief to so many of our residents who had faith in our ability to fund these vital road projects and improve our Community.”
