LAMPASAS COUNTY, Texas (KXXV) — After nearly a decade of legal battles, a school land dispute between Lampasas ISD and Copperas Cove ISD is headed back to the Texas Supreme Court.
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“This issue is something that we've been dealing with for nearly 10 years,” Lampasas ISD Superintendent Chane Roscoe said.
The case centers on more than 300 acres near Taylor Creek Elementary — property a developer wants moved from Lampasas into Copperas Cove.
“It's gone to the appellate court, to the Supreme Court, back to the appellate court, and now we're back to the Supreme Court and headed to the Supreme Court, and it all hinges on the annexation of the property that is there,” Roscoe said.
Earlier this year, the Texas education commissioner ruled the land could shift to Copperas Cove ISD. Lampasas ISD is now pushing back with an appeal.
“We built the school of Taylor Creek with plans for the INS coverage of taxation to be able to pay for the school and the other developments that are there. So when you start losing those developments, you lose the ability to be able to pay for the indebtedness that we have. So it's a serious issue,” Roscoe said.
Copperas Cove ISD declined to comment, but one resident voiced concerns about the ongoing legal fight.
“How are we going to maintain it? How are we going to maintain the roads? Where is the money for the infrastructure going to come from and how are we going to pay that if we are already in debt?" Copperas Cove resident Jana Lumley-Smith asked.
"Now here we are, that we find out 9 years in the making, and that's roughly $500 million I think, or more in attorneys' fees, just a rough estimate."
For Lampasas ISD, district leaders said the case is about more than boundaries.
“When we do go out for bonds and we do build these schools, there's a lot of planning that goes into those and we make sure that the taxpayers' money is spent in a way that's gonna be best for the kids themselves and so we're just being a steward for that to make sure that we're doing our due diligence when it comes to these types of things,” Roscoe said.
