The Collin County Observer™

Court split as bond election draws near

By Brandi Hart, McKinney Courier-Gazette
Tuesday, October 9, 2007 1:28 AM CDT

As early voting for the Nov. 6 county bond election looms just around the corner, members of the Collin County Commissioners Court are split in the race to rally people to vote for or against the bond.

County Judge Keith Self has said in commissioners court meetings that he does not support the three bond proposals. The bond election includes $235.6 million in transportation projects, $17 million in open space projects and $76.3 million in county facilities. The facilities proposal includes the design and construction for phase two of the new Collin County Courthouse on Bloomdale Road for $47 million, which includes design work to begin in December; $10.6 million for the Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Program and Juvenile Probation Administration; $10.2 million to add 45,000 square feet to the Minimum Security Detention facility and; $8.5 million to add 48 new beds to the Juvenile Detention Center.

Self voted against each proposal when the commissioners officially called the election. He is affectionately calling the transportation bond proposal the “transportation pork proposal,” stating that the transportation bond proposal, and the other two proposals, will increase the county’s debt service ratio, Self said.

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