The City of Coppell will hold a special election on Tuesday, November 8, 2022, asking voters whether or not to reauthorize two propositions concerning the allocation of sales and use taxes paid on goods and services purchased within city limits. Reauthorization of the sales tax collection will NOT result in an increase to the sales tax rate.
Coppell’s current sales tax is 8.25%. The State of Texas receives 6.25%, and the City retains 2.0%. The City allocates its portion of sales tax revenue in the following manner:
- One percent of the sales tax is designated for general city operations.
- One-half of one percent is a sales tax used to fund specific park-related projects through the Coppell Recreation Development Corporation (CRDC).
- One-quarter of one percent is a sales tax used to fund specific street infrastructure maintenance.
- The final one-quarter of one percent is used to fund the Crime Control and Prevention District (CCPD).
The measures on the ballot will ask voters how they wish to allocate the quarter-cent sales and use taxes moving forward. If the ballot propositions do not pass, the portion of the sales tax collection will go away.
Proposition A
Whether or not to continue the adoption of one-fourth of one percent sales and use tax to provide revenue for maintenance and repair of municipal streets for a four (4) year period.
The Streets Infrastructure Maintenance Fund is funded by a quarter-cent sales tax established and reauthorized by Coppell voters. The quarter-cent sales tax that supports this fund provides a stable source of revenue for the maintenance of City infrastructure and projects such as street and sidewalk repairs, sign and signal maintenance, pavement improvements, and ADA improvements. Since the inception of this one-quarter-cent sales tax, the City has collected more than $65 million for this purpose.
If reauthorized by voters, revenue collected in this special revenue fund can only be used on the maintenance and repair of streets that exist at the time of the election. The money cannot be used for the construction of new roadways. Sidewalks and alleys may be repaired if they are part of a qualifying street maintenance or repair effort as defined by Texas law.
Proposition B
Whether or not to continue the adoption of one-fourth of one percent sales and use tax for crime reduction programs for a ten (10) year period.
The Crime Control and Prevention District (CCPD) is supported by a one-fourth of one percent sales tax established and reauthorized by Coppell voters. The quarter-cent sales tax that supports this fund helps ensure the safety of the community and allows public safety to take preventative actions that decrease the chances of a large-scale incident. Since the inception of this one-quarter-cent sales tax, the City has collected more than $64 million dedicated to crime control and prevention.
These tax dollars are used to support police programs and services geared toward preventing crime, such as:
- Half of the funding for School Resource Officers (SROs) that are present on Coppell ISD campuses to ensure the safety of students and teachers.
- Educational programs, such as the Junior Police Academy and self-defense courses for women and high school-aged girls.
- Police department staff, including a coordinator who oversees Criminal Justice Information Systems (CJIS) requirements and a crime analyst who uses detailed data to detect crime patterns to help officers proactively patrol areas with higher incident rates.
The fund is also used for the purchases of patrol vehicles and equipment for the Coppell Police Department, to fund all jail operations and use of the Grapevine jail facility, and to pay Coppell's portion of the North Texas Emergency Communications Center (NTECC), the joint dispatch (911) center that is shared with Addison, Carrollton, and Farmers Branch.
Election Day is Tuesday, November 8, 2022, from 7 am – 7 pm. The deadline to register for the election is Tuesday, October 11. The Application for Ballot by Mail deadline is October 28, 2022. Early voting for both Dallas and Denton Counties begins Monday, October 24, 2022, and goes through November 4, 2022. For additional information, please visit coppelltx.gov/election.