Early voting for the November election is open through Friday, October 29. On the ballot for Lubbock voters are Texas Constitutional Amendments, a Lubbock County public safety bond, and a City of Lubbock street improvements bond. The Lubbock Chamber of Commerce board of directors voted to support the street improvement bond, listed on the ballot as Proposition A. Here are the top five reasons to vote FOR Prop A.

Timing

The last City of Lubbock streets bond was more than a decade ago in 2009. The population of Lubbock has grown by tens of thousands since then. The additional traffic means roadways need to be rebuilt and additional lanes need to be added to ensure Lubbock remains a city that ranks among the five best in the country for fastest work commutes.

Growth

I’m originally from Austin, a city whose residents put “NO VACANCY” bumper stickers on their cars several decades ago to illustrate that they didn’t want to keep growing as a community. The strategy didn’t work, and Austin’s population boomed anyway. But the City of Austin didn’t properly plan for that growth, so the infrastructure to this day is behind the curve. As a result, Austinites deal with some of the worst traffic in the country.
 
Prop A would widen streets that have seen an increase in traffic and nearby population growth to make sure we don’t wind up in the same boat as Austin a few years down the road.
 
Core City Streets
 
In addition to accounting for Lubbock’s growth, Prop A also rebuilds core city streets at the heart of our community. Three segments of 34th St. – Slide to Quaker, Avenue Q to I-27, and I-27 to Avenue A – are set to be rebuilt if Prop A passes. These segments would complete an entire rebuild of 34th St., as the segments between Quaker and Avenue Q were completed previously.
 
Downtown
 
The landscape of Downtown Lubbock is quickly shifting. The momentum of development has reached a tipping point, evidenced by additions such as Buddy Holly Hall and businesses like Burklee Hill Vineyards, Two Docs, and the Cotton Court Hotel. Prop A includes a curb-to-curb rebuild of Broadway from University Ave. to Canyon Lakes Dr. This rebuild would further enhance Downtown Lubbock and spur additional private development while promoting connectivity between Texas Tech, downtown, and the canyon lakes.
 
Financial Cost
 
Like any large-scale infrastructure investment, there are associated costs. The 2009 city streets bond had a 2.2-cent tax rate impact and secured roughly $50 million worth of projects. Prop A would secure more than $174 million worth of projects for the same 2-cent property tax rate impact over a span of five years. The owner of a $150,000 home in Lubbock would see less than a $9 property tax increase next year if the bond were to pass. When surveyed this summer, 70% of respondents from the Lubbock Chamber supported making the necessary financial investment for the projects outlined in Prop A.