transparency HB 103

Local Government Bond, Tax and Project Transparency Database

The 89th Texas Legislature passed HB 103 in 2025 to increase transparency and accountability in local fiscal decisions. The bill requires the Comptroller to maintain a database of current and historical data on bond elections, tax-rate elections, and related information held by each taxing unit in the state.

Reporting Requirements

For each bond proposed or issued by a taxing unit the following are required:

• The ballot language submitted to the voters.
• Projected interest and sinking fund (I&S) tax rate rate for debt service related to that bond.
• Result of any election held for the purpose of approving the issuance of bonds.
• List of projects to be funded using the bond.
• Accounting of the use of the proceeds of any issued bond, including a project description and amount of each series of bonds issued pursuant to the election. This data should be updated as bonds are issued.
• Estimate of the minimum annual debt service requirement for the current fiscal year for each series of bonds issued pursuant to the election.

For Voter Approval Tax Rate Elections:

• The ballot language submitted to the voters.
• Preceding year tax rate.
• Voter approval rate.
• Current adopted rate.
• Difference between adopted and voter-approved tax rate.
• Current year tax rate if VATRE did not pass.
• Number of votes cast in the election in favor of the proposition and against the proposition.

For School District M&O Elections:

• The ballot language submitted to the voters.
• Proposed Tax Rate.
• Approved Tax Rate.

Reporting Deadlines

All taxing units are required to report bond and tax rate elections, either passed or failed, to the Comptroller’s office every election year. Reports for May elections are due no later than Aug. 7 of the same year; November elections are due no later than August 7 of the following year. For example, November 2025 elections and May 2026 elections are due on August 7, 2026. The database also allows updates or corrections to the data; in particular, the amount of bonds issued pursuant to each election should be updated as needed.

Information contained in the Comptroller’s Local Government Bond, Tax and Project Database has been reported to the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts by the entities named therein and subsequently organized and presented in a searchable format by the Comptroller in accordance with Texas Government Code Chapter 403, Subchapter V, Section 403.702.

The Comptroller does not independently verify information contained in the Bond, Tax and Project Database and does not represent or warrant that any information contained therein is accurate or complete.

Database contents are subject to change without notice, as the Comptroller strives to promptly incorporate new and updated information it receives throughout the year.

If you have questions or need assistance accessing the database or submitting your report, please contact the Transparency Team.

Transparency Hotline: 844-519-5676 transparency@cpa.texas.gov

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If you have any questions regarding an entity’s bonds, imposed taxes, projects or ballot initiatives, contact the entity directly. Comptroller staff are not able to advise in these matters.