In June 2014, Abilene City Council appointed a seventeen-member citizen advisory committee to study the needs of our community. The Abilene Bond Election Advisory Committee met ten times to study pertinent issues, held public hearings to receive public input, and took field trips to survey proposed areas of need.
The result of the committee's research was a recommendation to put before Abilene voters $80.69 million bond package. City voters approved each of nine proposed projects in a May 2015 election.
The debt service on the 2015 bonds will be paid by Abilene citizens, which will cause an estimated property tax increase that will peak over five years at 16.94 cents per $100 valuation. After the fifth year, the tax rate for the bond projects is estimated to decrease.
Taylor County, Abilene Independent School District, and Wylie Independent School District tax rates will not be affected by these projects.