Lubbock's Street Bond a Two Way Street
By Barrett Bergez (Intern) for Latino Lubbock Magazine Digital Media
City Councilwoman Shelia Patterson Harris of District 2 is part of the team that put this bond together. In an interview, she showed her excitement over the prospect of the bond passing.
Patterson Harris said the funds for this street bond would be raised from a 2-cent increase in property taxes per $100 valuation on homes for citizens who pay property taxes.
“I know no one wants anything to impact their taxes, but you know, that’s kind of the world we live in,” Patterson Harris said.
Patterson Harris said while $174 million seems like a lot of money, when you are redoing city streets, it is not nearly enough.
According to the City of Lubbock website, the road fixes will include widening congested roads, addressing current infrastructure needs, and planning for the city’s growth in the future.
Patterson Harris said she believes this street bond is sharded across the city in the best way currently possible to ensure the whole city can benefit.
In an interview with KCBD, former City Council Member, Paul Beane shared his opposition to the street bond.
Driving around the city, the signs saying “Vote No!” are the product of Beane’s campaign against the bond.
In the KCBD interview, Beane said because of the debt the city is in, it is the wrong time to be spending millions of dollars fixing all of the roads that are proposed.
“Some are probably needed, and some are probably not,” Beane said.
Patterson Harris said it is important people understand that while this seems like a lot of money going to the street bond, streets are far more expensive to fix than most people realize.
“If we don’t take care of what we have, then it puts us in a really bad shape,” Patterson Harris said.
Early voting continues through Friday, Oct.29th, Election Day, Tues. Nov. 2nd.
For more information on the 2021 street bond, visit mylubbock.us/bond2021.
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Posted courtesy of Latino Lubbock Magazine Digital Media Read the October Issue of Latino Lubbock Magazine online at https://www.latinolubbock.net/magazine-preview Please visit www.latinolubbock.net for a centralized list of COVID-19 resources. For advertising call (806)792-1212
