Cole Ranch and Sanctuary Water Districts Put $1.38 Billion and $532.6 Million on the Nov. 3 Ballot

If your property sits inside Cole Ranch Improvement District No. 2 or Sanctuary Municipal Utility District No. 2, you have a bond vote coming up Tuesday, Nov. 3 — and the ballot language for every proposition calls it, plainly, a tax increase.

Two southern Denton County water districts are asking their voters to authorize new debt. Here is what each district is asking.

Cole Ranch Improvement District No. 2 has two propositions. Proposition A would authorize up to $1,379,490,000 in bonds for water, sanitary sewer, and drainage and storm sewer systems, replacing $478,250,000 in previously voted but unissued bond authority from May 2026. Proposition B would authorize $1,525,260,000 in bonds for roads. The two Cole Ranch propositions together represent nearly $2.9 billion in bond authority.

Sanctuary Municipal Utility District No. 2 has four propositions on the same ballot. Proposition A covers $532,582,901 in bonds for water, sanitary sewer, drainage and storm sewer systems, and district organization and administration. Proposition B covers $226,654,764 in bonds for paved roads and turnpikes. Sanctuary also has two refunding propositions. Proposition C would issue $798,874,352 in refunding bonds to replace existing water, sewer, and drainage bonds. Proposition D would issue $339,982,146 in refunding bonds for road facilities. Refunding bonds replace existing debt rather than authorizing new spending — what they mean for taxpayers depends on whether the refinancing changes the district's overall debt load.

Who actually votes on these matters. These are district elections, not countywide ones. Denton County does not use countywide vote centers, so residents vote at their own precinct's polling place. If your property falls outside these two districts, none of these propositions appear on your ballot and none of them touch your taxes.

Sanctuary is a large development in the area. Cole Ranch has been described as a large development west of Interstate 35W in southwest Denton. Check your property records or the Denton County Central Appraisal District's website to confirm which district, if any, your parcel falls in.

The ballot language for every proposition authorizes taxes "without limit as to rate or amount" sufficient to pay principal and interest. Standard Texas water district language — but worth reading before you mark your ballot.

Early voting runs through Friday, Oct. 30. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, with polls open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Find your polling place at votedenton.gov. The full ballot text for both districts is available through Denton County's public notices portal.