The Village of Salado and Salado Public Library District will hold joint elections with in-person early voting beginning April 22 at the Salado ISD Administration Building, 601 N. Main St.
April 22 is the last day to apply for a ballot by mail. May 3 is the last day to receive ballot by mail (by 7 p.m. if envelope is NOT postmarked. May 5 is the last day to receive ballot by mail (by 5 p.m. if envelope IS postmarked.
In-person early voting will be 8 a.m.-5 p.m. April 22-25 and April 29; 10 a.m.-2 p.m. April 26 and 7 a.m.-7 p.m. April 28;.
Election Day, polls will be open 7 a.m.-7 p.m. May 3 at Salado ISD Administration Building, 601 N. Main St. Salado.
The Village of Salado election will decide three two-year terms on the Board of Aldermen. Seven candidates will appear on the ballot in the following order: Jesse Mondragon, James (Jim) Lassiter, JoAnn Purser, Allen Sandor, Scott Hamilton, Neil Dunch, Gail Allard II.
The following Proposition A will appear on the Village of Salado ballot: “Reducing the tax rate in the Village of Salado, Texas for the current year from the adopted rate of $0.4860 per $100 of valuation to $0.3612 per $100 of valuation.
Question 1: do you support or oppose Proposition 1 on the ballot to rollback the tax rate? Why or why not? 150 word limit
Question 2: if the tax rollback election should pass, what departments or expenditures will you support to meet the Village responsibility of returning more than $500,000 to local taxpayers? 150 word limit
Jesse Mondragon
Question 1: Due to the current financial situation of the village I beleive it would not be in the best interest of the Village to approve the tax roll back. In my opinion this is something that could be looked at in the future once the village is in a better financial position.
Question 2: I would need to be able to take a closer look at each departments budget. It would be ill advised to make any hasty decisions in cutting any funding. Maybe a more complex plan involving possible smaller future payouts to residents so each department would not take such a hit to thier respective budget. It would possibly involve smaller cuts to budgets.
James (Jim) Lassiter
Question 1: Fiscal responsibility is tantamount to the long-term success of any organization, be it for-profit or non-profit. Toward that end, the Village is in a precarious fiscal state presently, as most of us know. What happened to cause the 2023-2024 budget is still …. “under investigation”. Yes, 9+ months later and counting, we are still waiting to hear. Without understanding what happened, we are asked to support an unprecedented tax increase in 2025 to rectify the problem. “Let’s move forward” and “focus on the future” for the growth of Salado is here and now. That is true …..and I will support growth albeit not unbridled. As for me…..I desire fiscal discipline, financial accountability and a village that never loses sight of its’ past. So, in conclusion, give me a written report on where we went astray, assure me that our leadership has duly addressed our fiscal deficiencies and I will support the tax increase.
Question 2: It is a daunting task to properly address this question in a few words, but a viable one nonetheless. I believe the best way to accomplish this is to initiate and implement a zero-based budgeting process in lieu of a less thorough, traditional historical-based one. In this process, ALL expenses start at ZERO each period and are justified in light of those priorities and goals established by city leadership. In addition, this “approach” to budgeting is known to improve overall fiscal responsibility. With regard to specific cost reductions totaling $500K. Obviously, our largest departmental expenditures (though ALL will be evaluated) are the Administration Department and Development Services Department ($930K) and the Police Department ($1.1M). There are many questions to ask and due consideration must be given to all expenditures. It can be done, with cost value relationships carefully, very carefully considered.
JoAnn Purser
Question 1: As a property owner and stakeholder I am against a rollback on the tax rate. With the election of three new members to the board I would not want to limit their ability to provide services or be too restrictive in the needs of the infrastructure or public safety for our community. I am grateful the voters are being given a voice and I know the voters want to encourage transparency and fiscal discipline. My goal in the opposition of the rollback is to allow flexibility for the local leaders in securing a healthy local budget.
Question 2: Obviously, if this were to happen, there would be potential departmental impacts to include reductions in administrative services and scaled back maintenance projects in our public work department. I would try to avoid impacting community programs and events as the quality of life in Salado is what makes this community so appealing. But at the end of the day, the rollback will lead to reductions in services in our community and residents should be made aware of this fact when they consider their vote.
Allen Sandor
Question 1: I prefer lower tax rates no differently than anyone else that I know. That said, I will not vote in support of the tax rollback in 2025.
The Village of Salado continues to need additional capital to better maintain and improve our roads, safety, operations and infrastructure in preparation for the inevitable growth that we are currently facing.
Question 2: It is my understanding that the Board of Alderman have already made cuts in areas like mowing Village owned property to the tune of more than $30,000 a year as one example in preparation to address this item should the tax rollback pass. I support that idea currently. I am willing to review and help consider any additional options available to the Board of Alderman should that be needed. I would not be in support of cutting back in any areas that would jeopardize public safety.
Scott Hamilton
Question 1: Proposition A is a perfect example of democracy in action — when residents and local government disagree, the people have the final say. This rollback election gives voters the power to decide whether they want to contribute more or less to the financial future of Salado. As an Alderman, my job is not to override that process, but to cast a responsible vote on behalf of the people within the bounds of the tax rate that they approve. I take that role seriously. Whether Proposition A passes or not on May 3rd, I’ll work to ensure that our budget reflects community priorities, protects essential services, and respects the will of the voters.
Question 2: I support the decisive steps the Board of Aldermen took on December 19, 2024 to prepare for the potential rollback. They acted responsibly — freezing wages, halting full-time hires, ending lease agreements, cutting non-essential insurance, and suspending several maintenance and road projects. These aren’t easy decisions, but they reflect the seriousness of the Village’s financial obligations if Proposition A passes. I believe this is the right approach: lead early, act decisively, and protect core services while honoring the will of the voters. As Alderman, I’ll support cost-saving measures that minimize long-term damage and ensure taxpayer dollars are used wisely. That includes pushing for a more conservative, zero-based budgeting model — where every expense must be justified, not carried forward by habit. Fiscal discipline means living within our means, respecting the taxpayer, and making local government work smarter, not bigger.
Neil Dunch
Question 1 and 2: I am strongly against the proposed rollback of the village tax rate. Given the previous administration’s misallocation of funds, where funds that should have been reserved for a developer were unfortunately placed in the general fund and spent elsewhere, it is understandable why there might be hesitation.
Our village is experiencing unprecedented growth, and with this growth comes the need for improved infrastructure, particularly our roads.
If we vote yes to roll back the tax rate, we will have to make significant cuts. We would need to pay the taxpayers back, meet our obligations to current developers, and without full knowledge of our rate of spending for the past six months, I am confident the Alderman will be forced to eliminate all non-essential spending.
As an Alderman, I would quickly work with our Village Manager to assess our financial reality. I would not support cutting our police force, and we must ensure we support our sewer needs. Given the severity of the situation, I am not sure there would be any additional funds to support anything else.
We have a federal grant available for $2.2 million to rebuild Royal Street from Main Street all the way to Drakes Landing, which would include sidewalks. This is a desperately needed infrastructure improvement to enhance the safety of our community. We need to come up with $400,000 of matching funds to make this enhancement a reality. If this rollback happens, we will lose this grant.
I am committed to leveraging my business experience to help us navigate our growth and provide the necessary checks and balances going forward. I urge you to consider the long-term benefits of maintaining the current tax rate. Together, we can ensure that our village continues to thrive and that our infrastructure keeps pace with our growth.
Gail Allard II
Question 1: I DO NOT support the tax rollback as stated in Proposition 1 that will be included in this election cycle. It will take away over $500,000 in operating funds for the Village. While there might be some new tax revenue coming in with the new growth North, we are in need of every dollar we can get for the next few years to correct our balance sheet and get out of the hole we were led in. We can’t do anything without cash flow.
Question 2: If the tax rollback is passed? I don’t know where we slim down or what we take away. We should not trim Law Enforcement, that’s for sure. We still need our Village administration intact. You know, If we don’t have flour and yeast, we can’t make bread. Once the budget gets in place, some rate reduction could be discussed but I think our citizens need to hold tight and not vote this through.