AUSTIN, Texas (AP) _ Texas voters rejected a tax exemption proposed to promote water conservation, along with new bonding power for El Paso County.
They also shot down a constitutional amendment that would have given counties the same bonding powers as cities and town.
Proposition 8 would have given tax breaks to landowners who take measures to conserve water and preserve water quality. The proposal was hailed as one of the few measures approved by the Legislature last session that received bipartisan support. But conservative groups rejected the measure, saying it was redundant and costly to taxpayers.
Meanwhile, Proposition 7 would have allowed El Paso county to use property taxes from newly created conservation and reclamation districts to develop and maintain parks and recreation facilities. Critics said the measure would have allowed elected officials to avoid getting voter approval for new construction projects.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)