Port Aransas has a new mayor after the May 7 city and state proposition elections. Wendy Moore garnered 901 votes, defeating Martin J. Phalen with 367 and Gregory Chittum with 96.
She replaces Mayor Charles Bujan, who died Feb. 9. Moore is the branch president of American Bank in Port Aransas and a fifth-generation resident.
In San Patricio County, incumbent Aransas Pass City Council member Jason Knight won against a write-in candidate for Place 2.
Joe Mireles defeated Joseph Ruiz for Place 1 on the Kingsville Independent School District Board of Trustees. Mireles received 1,129 votes to Ruiz’s 416.
Voters overwhelmingly approved two Texas constitutional amendment propositions in the joint election.
Proposition 1 passed with 1.1 million votes statewide. Only 169,011 voters opposed the state constitutional amendment giving disabled and elderly homeowners the benefit of the 2019 Legislature’s property tax reduction that other property owners received. Initially, elderly and disabled Texans couldn’t take advantage of the 2019 reduction because their property tax rates are frozen under the constitution.
Locally, Nueces County voters supported Proposition 1 by a vote of 8,374 to 1,201. Aransas County residents voted 2,573 to 470 in favor. San Patricio County voted 2,667 for the proposition and 357 against, and Kleberg County supported it 1,431 to 202.
The proposition takes effect Jan. 1, 2023.
Proposition 2 also passed by a large margin. Texans voted 1.1 million in favor and 197,960 against.
In Nueces County, voters supported it 8,249 to 1,380. In Aransas County, the vote was 2,623 for and 448 against. San Patricio County voted 2,640 to 416 in favor, and Kleberg County supported it 1,202 to 454.
This proposition amends the Texas constitution to increase the amount of the resident homestead exemption from ad valorem taxes for public school purposes to $40,000 from $25,000.
Proposition 2 takes effect immediately and is applied retroactively to Jan. 1, 2022.