Incumbents Re-Elected to School Board

Castillo Wins with 61%, Trevino 100%, Texas Voters Approve Nine Constitutional Amendments

Voters went to the polls to elect two Los Fresnos CISD Trustees and to decide on nine State of Texas propositions on election day, Nov.7

In the Los Fresnos School Board election for position 1, Incumbent Martin Castillo defeated Janice Metsker-Galarza 360-229.

Position 2 Incumbent Ruben R. Trevino was unopposed for his slot of the board and received 467 votes.
A total of 621 votes were cast in the election with 253 voting early and 366 chosing to vote on Election Day. The school district has 16,633 registered voters.

Here is a summary of the nine propositions to the Texas Constitution approved by voters:

• Proposition 1 amends Texas’ Constitution to provide property tax relief to surviving spouses of military members. Spouses of service members killed in action will be exempt from some or all taxes on their homes, as long as they haven’t remarried.
• Proposition 2 eliminates the constitutional requirement for a State Medical Education Board and a State Medical Education Fund, which haven’t been operational in Texas for decades.
• Proposition 3 gives tax relief to manufacturers who hold aircraft parts in their inventories in Texas for extended periods of time. Current law exempts aircraft parts from taxation if they remain in the state for up to 175 days; this measure, backed by General Electric and others, will allow localities to extend that to up to 730 days.
• Proposition 4 exempts partially disabled veterans or their surviving spouses from some property taxes on their homes that were donated to them by charitable organizations. It was prompted by concerns of foreclosures on veterans who couldn’t pay the property taxes on those donated homes.
• Proposition 5 authorizes reverse mortgages used to buy homes while requiring more disclosures to be given to the borrower in advance. The Texas Constitution currently only allows traditional reverse mortgages, which allow anyone aged 62 or older to borrow against the equity of their homes.
• Proposition 6 on the ballot, had by far the highest profile of the nine proposals. It will move the money from the state’s savings account into a revolving account to provide public entities with low-cost loans for water supply and conservation projects.
• Proposition 7 allows home-rule cities in Texas to fill vacancies of elected offices by appointment instead of requiring special elections, as long as less than 12 months remain in the office’s term. The amendment is designed to lessen the burden on municipalities that may be asked to conduct special elections within just a few months of each other if elected officials leave their positions early.
• Proposition 8 repeals the constitutional cap on the tax rate for Hidalgo County’s hospital district. The current maximum tax rate is far lower than other such districts across the state, and supporters said that prevented the South Texas county from establishing a viable district.
• Proposition 9 expands what the State Commission on Judicial Conduct can do to discipline judges and justices in Texas. The amendment allows the commission to issue various warnings or reprimands to those under its purview after a formal hearing process, or require training, in addition to its current duties, which include issuing public censures or recommending the removal of a judge or justice. Senate Joint Resolution 42proposes the measure, which was sponsored by state Rep. Harold Dutton Jr., D-Houston, and recommended by the state’s Sunset Review Commission.