The City of Helotes will hold an election on Tuesday, November 7, 2023, asking voters to reauthorize the 0.25% street maintenance sales tax to continue to provide revenue for the maintenance and repair of existing city streets. The street maintenance sales tax expires on March 31, 2024. The tax is not new, it does not increase the sales tax rate in Helotes, nor does it affect the property tax rate.
The purpose of the following section is to provide factual information on the street maintenance sales tax.
Texas Tax Code, Chapter 327, authorizes all cities to establish a special sales tax rate of up to 1/4th of one percent (0.25%) for the repair and maintenance of existing city streets. The establishment or continuation of the tax has a four-year term unless it is reauthorized through an election by city’s voters.
Currently, a one-fourth cent sales tax is collected from all sales transactions occurring within the City of Helotes that are subject to sales tax. This equals 2.5 cents on a $10 purchase or 25 cents on a $100 purchase. Non-residents who purchase goods in Helotes and utilize the city streets share the cost in maintaining/repairing the streets through the sales tax.
The taxes collected provide funds for rehabilitation and preventive maintenance of public streets within the city limits of Helotes. The goal is to improve mobility infrastructure and maintain roadways to prevent deterioration and costly rebuilds.
Funds collected from the street maintenance sales tax are dedicated to the maintenance or repair of municipal streets and sidewalks in existence on the date of the election to adopt or reauthorize the tax. Funds collected may not be legally used to build new roads.
Helotes voters initially approved the street maintenance sales tax in November 2015 and the City began collecting the dedicated tax revenue in April 2016. Most recently, voters reauthorized the tax in May 2019. The following chart shows the street maintenance sales tax revenue since April 2016:
Helotes has approximately 45.65 miles of City-owned streets. Included within these roadways are 31 miles of curbs and over 100 stormwater structures such as inlets, bridges, outflows, and culverts.
In 2018, Public Works established a street maintenance program, which schedules the maintenance and repair of all city-owned streets. After staff prepares their recommendation, a Street Maintenance Plan is presented to the City Council to finalize the streets program. This meeting is posted publicly and citizen participation is welcomed. View approved Street Maintenance Plans below:
Registered voters in Helotes will be able to vote “FOR” or “AGAINST” the following proposition:
“The reauthorization of the local sales and use tax in the City of Helotes, Texas, at the rate of one-fourth of one percent to continue providing revenue for maintenance and repair of municipal streets. The tax expires on the fourth anniversary of the date of this election unless the imposition of the tax is reauthorized.“
If the reauthorization of the street maintenance sales tax is disapproved, the City would not be able to maintain or repair municipal streets and sidewalks as it has in the past.
The current total sales and use tax rate in the City of Helotes is 8.25%. The rate breakdown is:
No, this election has nothing to do with property tax rates in Helotes.
Election Code states that if the county clerk or elections administrator serves as the early voting clerk for a local political subdivision, the local political subdivision must also post the early voting roster on its municipal website. At a minimum, the early voting rosters posted online should include the voter’s name, the voter’s voter registration number (VUID), and the voter’s precinct. The below voting rosters are for Helotes only.
Voter Information
Election Resources
