Here’s a summary of the 14 propositions on the ballot in the upcoming November 2023 election. Number 4 is of particular importance to homeowners.

Source: Texas Legislative Council

Proposition 1
The constitutional amendment protecting the right to engage in farming, ranching, timber production, horticulture, and wildlife management.
Pro: Prevents municipal overregulation that could threaten agricultural production. 

Con: Limiting governments’ abilities to set reasonable standards would enable large, industrial factory farms to operate with less accountability.


Proposition 2
The constitutional amendment authorizing a local option exemption from ad valorem taxation by a county or municipality of all or part of the appraised value of real property used to operate a child-care facility.
Pro: Inflation makes it hard for child-care facilities to stay in business; high property taxes have contributed to the rising cost of child care. 

Con: No opposition to this was expressed during legislative consideration of the proposal.

Proposition 3
The constitutional amendment prohibiting the imposition of an individual wealth or net worth tax, including a tax on the difference between the assets and liabilities of an individual or family.
Pro: Enshrining a ban on a wealth tax in the Texas Constitution now will ensure that a future legislature cannot impose such a tax without the consent of voters. 

Con: The needs of the state may change over time, so it would be better to let future legislatures decide how to address future needs.

Proposition 4
The constitutional amendment to authorize the legislature to establish a temporary limit on the maximum appraised value of real property other than a residence homestead for ad valorem tax purposes; to increase the amount of the exemption from ad valorem taxation by a school district applicable to residence homesteads from $40,000 to $100,000; to adjust the amount of the limitation on school district ad valorem taxes imposed on the residence homesteads of the elderly or disabled to reflect increases in certain exemption amounts; to except certain appropriations to pay for ad valorem tax relief from the constitutional limitation on the rate of growth of appropriations; and to authorize the legislature to provide for a four-year term of office for a member of the board of directors of certain appraisal districts.
Pro: The state should ensure that some of its large surplus funds are returned to taxpayers; this will do so by helping to deliver the largest tax cut in state history.
Con: Increasing the residence homestead exemption by such a large amount could result in a shift of the tax burden from homeowners to business owners, which could result in higher prices for consumers. 


Proposition 5
The constitutional amendment relating to the Texas University Fund, which provides funding to certain institutions of higher education to achieve national prominence as major research universities and drive the state economy.
Pro: This will help ensure that the future workforce needs of the state are met and that the state’s economy continues to grow. 

Con: We should not use money from the economic stabilization fund (often referred to as the “rainy day fund”) to fund higher education initiatives since that fund was not designed for such purposes.

Proposition 6
The constitutional amendment creating the Texas water fund to assist in financing water projects in this state.
Pro: Needed to address aging infrastructure and support Texas’ growing population.
Con: The existing Texas Water Development Board should be able to address the state’s water
needs without the creation of new programs.

Proposition 7
The constitutional amendment providing for the creation of the Texas energy fund to support the construction, maintenance, modernization, and operation of electric generating facilities.
Pro: Needed to increase the reliability of the state’s electric market.
Con: It would be more appropriate to do this through the rate payer system as opposed to providing state subsidies funded by all taxpayers.

Proposition 8
The constitutional amendment creating the broadband infrastructure fund to expand high- speed broadband access and assist in the financing of connectivity projects.
Pro: Would provide resources to close the digital divide in Texas, which in turn could help to improve quality of life and lead to increased economic growth.
Con: Texas has previously allocated $600 million for broadband purposes, and the state is likely to receive billions of federal dollars for these purposes. The proposal is excessive and fiscally irresponsible. 


Proposition 9
The constitutional amendment authorizing the 88th Legislature to provide a cost-of-living adjustment to certain annuitants of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas.
Pro: Without having received a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) in nearly 20 years, retired teachers have lost considerable purchasing power due to cost increases and high inflation.
Con: No opposition to the proposed constitutional amendment was expressed during legislative consideration of the proposal.

Proposition 10
The constitutional amendment to authorize the legislature to exempt from ad valorem taxation equipment or inventory held by a manufacturer of medical or biomedical products to protect the Texas healthcare network and strengthen our medical supply chain.

Pro: Most medical and biomedical manufacturing is located abroad, and the cost to ship medical supplies to the United States increased more than 50 percent in 2021. Encouraging local manufacturing would eliminate the added shipping costs. 

Con: No opposition to the proposed constitutional amendment was expressed during legislative consideration of the proposal.

Proposition 11
The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to permit conservation and reclamation districts in El Paso County to issue bonds supported by ad valorem taxes to fund the development and maintenance of parks and recreational facilities.
Pro: This would extend a beneficial authority to conservation and reclamation districts in El Paso County that other counties have but El Paso does not.

Con: The proposed amendment would give certain conservation and reclamation districts in El Paso County the unnecessary authority to assess property taxes. 


Proposition 12
The constitutional amendment providing for the abolition of the office of county treasurer in Galveston County.
Pro: The Galveston County Treasurer’s Office does not provide a sufficient level of added protection for taxpayers to justify the amount of county funds needed to operate the office. 

Con: A stand-alone office of county treasurer that is headed by a person directly elected by county voters provides essential checks and balances in the operation of county government.

Proposition 13
The constitutional amendment to increase the mandatory age of retirement for state justices and judges.
Pro: Because people are living and working longer than in decades past, it is appropriate to allow judges and justices to serve beyond the current mandatory retirement age of 75. 

Con: No opposition to the proposed constitutional amendment was expressed during legislative consideration of the proposal.

Proposition 14
The constitutional amendment providing for the creation of the centennial parks conservation fund to be used for the creation and improvement of state parks.
Pro: Establishing a dedicated state fund for the purchase of land to develop new state parks would provide a stable and long-term funding source that will empower the state to protect Texas’ unique natural resources and cultural history while making them accessible to our growing population.
Con: No opposition to the proposed constitutional amendment was expressed during legislative consideration of the proposal.