Tarrant County voters could cast ballots in the special election to fill the vacant Senate District 9 seat. Results show a close race between Democrat Taylor Rehmet and Republican Leigh Wambsganss, with final totals expected to be certified soon.

The details: If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, a runoff election will be held Dec. 13.

The background: The special election was called to fill the spot vacated when Sen. Kelly Hancock resigned to take a position with the state comptroller’s office as acting comptroller.

The winner will serve the remainder of Hancock’s term, through the end of 2026. Hancock served as both a representative and senator since 2007, according to previous reporting.

The REC of Grapevine is one step closer to renovations and expansion.

During the Nov. 4 city council meeting, a $1.23 million contract with Barker Rinker Seacat Architecture was approved for schematic design, design development and construction documents for the facility that includes a walking track, workout room, basketball courts and aquatics.

The overview: Park & Recreation Director Chris Smith discussed the plan during a meeting that lasted less than 40 minutes on Election Night.

He said a survey of members showed the need for more space in the classroom and fitness areas.

The details: According to city documents from Barker Rinker Seacat Architecture, the renovation would be between $12 million and $14 million.

Smith said the renovations would include 15,600 square feet added and 16,938 square feet in total renovations. 

A rendering presented during the meeting shows a new fitness area in the outside area near the pool area. That would turn into two levels of space for fitness workouts, with 13,000 square feet. 

Tarrant County voters showed support for CISD's proposed tax rate Nov. 4, with more votes being cast in favor than against the measure.

In a nutshell: CISD announced the tax rate election at an August board meeting. If the measure passes, the district’s maintenance and operations tax rate, which funds the district’s daily operations like staff salaries and utilities, would go up by about $0.02 per $100 of assessed property value.

The tax rate election would reduce the interest and sinking tax rate, which the district uses to pay off debt, by about $0.05, resulting in a net tax cut of roughly $0.03 per $100 valuation for CISD residents.

Unofficial Tarrant County election results show Mandy Reece leads Scott Martindale in the special election for Place 3 on the Carroll ISD’s board of trustees.

In a nutshell: Scott Martindale and Mandy Reece are running in CISD’s special election for Place 3. About 111,000 people voted early in Tarrant County, roughly 9% of the county’s 1.2 million registered voters, according to data from the county elections office.

Some background: CISD trustees called the special election in June, after board member Dudley Jordan moved out of the district and resigned.

As of press time, all 17 constitutional amendments on the Texas ballot were poised to become law. The state propositions with the most support would either expand property tax exemptions or prohibit new taxes, while voters also favored measures aimed at funding infrastructure and research.

The overview: Some of the state propositions on the ballot included:

• Proposition 1: new funding to support the Texas State Technical College System
• Proposition 3: tighter restrictions on when Texas judges can grant bail for felony offenses
• Proposition 4: $20 billion for water supply projects and infrastructure
• Proposition 9: a $125,000 property tax exemption for businesses
• Propositions 11 and 13: expanded property tax exemptions for Texas homeowners
• Proposition 14: $3 billion to create a state dementia research institute