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Dallas City Council considers putting $960M bond package on November ballot
Dallas leaders vote on whether to place a $960M bond package on the November ballot to fund a new police academy, 911 operations, and the police and fire pension system.
DALLAS - Dallas city leaders are deciding whether to put a nearly $1 billion bond package on the November ballot.
By the numbers:
City leaders are not looking to spend all the cash in one place. Instead, the $960 million bond package would be split up.
About $443 million would go to supporting public safety, including the construction of a new Dallas police training facility at the University of North Texas at Dallas.
It would also include moving 911 and emergency center operations out of the Dallas City Hall basement and would allocate money for a new Dallas police property room and evidence storage facility.
Another $500 million would go toward the Dallas police and fire pension system.
The remaining $17 million would be used to pay for upgrades to the city’s fleet maintenance facilities.
What they're saying:
District 12 Councilwoman Cara Mendelsohn is not a huge fan of the bond proposal.
"I hope voters won’t give politicians $500 million of debt authorization for an uncertain future," she posted on social media.
She is calling on voters to not consider signing off on the proposal unless there’s a single proposal for just the new police academy.
District 7 Councilman Adam Bazaldua agreed, saying he is opposing the bond package every step of the way. He added that city leaders asked voters two years ago to approve money for similar projects and that the city needs to learn to live within its means.
Dallas proposes $5.7 billion budget with employee layoffs, funding for police
The latest version of a proposed budget for the city of Dallas includes over 100 layoffs, a property tax rate reduction, and plans to expand the police force despite rising costs and slowing growth.
What's next:
The Dallas City Council will vote on the issue on Wednesday.
If it passes, Dallas residents will see three bond propositions on the November ballot.
The Source: The information in this story comes from the Dallas City Council and comments council members made on social media.