By George Slaughter
Absentee balloting began Monday for races and bond elections in both the City of Katy and the Katy Independent School District. Election Day is May 1, but the city and school elections have different end dates for absentee balloting.
City of Katy
Two seats on the city council, a $6 million bond issue, and updates to the Katy City Charter, are on the ballot.
In the Ward A council race, incumbent Dusty Thiele, an insurance executive, is not seeking election. Running for the seat are Dan Smith, a territory senior manager, and Diane Walker, who works as a virtual assistant.
In the Ward B council, incumbent Jenifer Jordan Stockdick, a business owner, faces a challenge from Gina Hicks, a cybersecurity professional.
Voters will decide whether to approve a $6 million bond proposal. The proposal has two propositions:
- Proposition A, for $1.8 million, is for construction of improvements to municipal public buildings. These include reimbursement of expenses for Fire Station No. 1, construction of a training tower, expansion of the city’s fleet maintenance facility, and refurbishing of existing police facilities.
- Proposition B, for $4.2 million, is for constructions of city park improvements, including a hike and bile trail system, and the construction of a city parks administration building.
Voters will also decide whether to approve changes to the city charter, a summary of which can be seen at the city’s website.
Katy Independent School District
Two seats on the board of trustees, as well as a $676 million bond issue, are on the ballot. Absentee balloting for the school election runs through April 29.
In the race for the Position 6 seat, incumbent Susan Gesoff, an engineer, faces challenges from four opponents. They are Bonnie Anderson, an assessor quality management analyst; William X Branch, a truck driver; Garima DGupta, a teacher, and Rebecca Fox, a former trustee. Another candidate, Joe Wojcik, a security investigator and adjunct college professor, withdrew his candidacy last week. His name remains on the ballot, however.
In the race for the Position 7 seat, incumbent Dawn Champagne, who works in retail sales, faces a challenge from Walter Butler, who also works in sales.
Voters will also decide whether to approve a $676 million bond proposal. The bond package has four propositions:
- Proposition A: New schools, renovations, safety & security and building component replacements, for $591,368,568.
- Proposition B: Classroom & campus technology, for $59,755,242.
- Proposition C: Natatorium for the new High School #10, for $13,842,610.
- Proposition D: Campus athletic building component replacements, for $11,260,000.
The bond proposal was prepared by a community bond advisory community earlier this year and approved for placement by board trustees. To see list of projects by school campus, visit the website.