Voting is underway on 17 Texas Constitutional Amendments and Proposition 4 deserves your attention, because there is no greater need in Texas right now than building out our water infrastructure and supply. Water is the most critical priority for all state spending—without it, our families, farms and communities cannot survive.
Across Texas, because of age, explosive population growth and drought, agricultural well levels are declining, small towns’ water lines are old and deteriorating and city water systems are stretched beyond their means. We talk about the importance of roads, schools and border security, but none of that matters if we run out of water. It’s past time for a serious, long-term investment in the one resource that sustains everything else we care about.
What Proposition 4 Does
Proposition 4 will provide a dependable, long-term funding mechanism for water projects in Texas. If passed, it will create a dedicated revenue source of about $1 billion per year for 20 years from existing state sales-tax revenue to the already established Texas Water Fund, by placing the commitment directly in the state Constitution. That means these are protected dollars, reserved solely for water projects—not up for grabs by Austin for lesser priorities when budgets get tight.
Here’s how the money supports local communities: The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) manages the fund. Cities, counties, water districts, co-ops, and special utility districts apply for grants and low-interest loans. Their systems and projects aren’t dictated from Austin—they come from the ground up. The TWDB prioritizes applications based on need, readiness, regional impact, and affordability—this means a rural water system facing aging infrastructure and limited tax base can compete for the same dollars as larger cities.
The fund can be used locally to repair broken pipes, replace outdated treatment plants, to drill new wells. It can also be used to build storage capacity and invest in new-supply technologies like reuse, aquifer storage, and desalination. According to TWDB’s most recent Needs Assessment, Texas communities face over $61 billion in drinking-water infrastructure needs over the next 20 years. Proposition 4 gives rural communities a stable pipeline of funding to keep the faucets running and local economies alive.
Why It Belongs in the Constitution
Some critics argue this doesn’t belong in the Constitution. But that betrays Texas’ conservative tradition. The framers of the 1876 Texas Constitution—nearly all rural conservatives—wrote the document so that big spending decisions must go before the voters, not simply be left to the lawmakers. That’s why our Highway Fund, Permanent School Fund, and Rainy Day Fund are constitutional. Proposition 4 follows that same model—locking in taxpayer-approved funds, protecting them from political games, and keeping water a top priority even when competing needs crowd the budget. This is conservative governance at its best: limited government, local control, taxpayer protection.
What It Means for Rural Texas
Coming from a fifth-generation farming and ranching family in Hansford County, I know how important water is to our future. Without reliable water, our farms will shut down, families will be forced to leave, and our communities will become ghost towns. Proposition 4 isn’t about politics—it’s about survival.
And let’s be clear to address the rumors out there: Proposition 4 does not authorize the sale of state water or tie into any water-export scheme. The legislation (SB 7 in the 2025 session) and the amendment itself focus solely on infrastructure and supply development under the TWDB.
Dirt Democracy in Action
Texans taking control of what’s under their feet—the land, the water, and their future. Proposition 4 is exactly that—local communities get the tools and funds to secure their water future through voter-approved, Constitution-protected investment.
Early voting is underway right now, and November 3rd is Election Day. It will only take a few minutes to vote to protect our water, strengthen our communities, and ensure that every Texas family—from Hansford County to Houston—can count on clean, reliable water for generations to come.
That’s Dirt Democracy in action.
Suzanne Bellsnyder is editor and publisher of the Hansford County Reporter-Statesman and Sherman County Gazette. A former Capitol staffer with decades of experience in Texas politics and policy, she now focuses on how state decisions shape rural life through her newspapers and the Texas Rural Reporter. You can subscribe to the newsletter at www.TexasRuralReporter.Substack.com