Waller (Texas) district sues to get bond funds released
The Waller (Texas) school district is asking the state Supreme Court to force the attorney general to immediately release a $49.3 million school bond issue approved by voters last spring. The district's lawyer says that in refusing to release the bonds, the state has allowed a few critics to delay crucial construction projects and hold the district hostage.
Click here to read The Houston Chronicle article.
EARLIER: The Texas attorney general's office continues to refuse to release $49.3 million in bond funds that were approved by voters in the Waller school district. The move could spell construction delays and cost increases for two area school districts. The attorney general's office is withholding the cash until bond opponents have exhausted all their legal appeals--effectively stalling a recent court order to free up the money. The decision could eventually affect the Houston school district's $805 million bond approved by voters last year. That approval is being challenged in state and federal court.
Click here to read The Houston Chronicle article.
FROM OCTOBER 2007: A legal battle in Waller County, Texas, over a $49.3 million school bond continues to threaten construction projects in the Waller Independent School District and has left some wondering whether the case will have a chilling effect on neighboring districts that also have contested bond elections. Despite voters approving the bond issue this spring and a judge declaring the election legal earlier this month, the Texas Attorney General's Office says the money won't be distributed until the plaintiffs exhaust their appeals — illustrating how a small group of critics can jeopardize school construction. (Houston Chronicle)