Dallas City Council sends $1.25B bond package to voters
DALLAS - The Dallas City Council debated one final time on how to allocate a $1.25 billion bond package. Voters will be the ones ultimately asked whether to approve it.
City council members voted 14 to 1 to put the bond propositions to voters this May.
The largest amounts of bond money would go to fund streets and parks.
Council members on Wednesday voted to increase the money for streets from $500 million to $521 million and also increased park and recreation from $310 million to $345 million.
The bond propositions would also fund libraries, housing, economic development, homeless housing, flood protection, a new Dallas police training facility and performing arts facilities.
$5 million is also proposed for improving the city's IT’s resources.
But before city council members approved the bond language, Councilman Adam Bazaldua proposed allocating $28 million for improvements to the aging city hall, and that created a lot of debate.
Dallas Zoo asks city council for $30M allocation from bond money for new projects
One year after the Dallas Zoo dealt with a missing clouded leopard, two stolen monkeys and the death of a vulture, the zoo told council members it is now on its way to being one of the safest in the country after more than $1 million in security upgrades. Now, the zoo is looking ahead to new projects, including one that will bring back the beloved rhinos.
"Every time the temperature falls or rises, I get phone calls from the council and hundreds in building about HVAC," said Dallas City Manager TC Broadnax.
"Never once was I told we have this huge problem at city hall, and we need to fund it," said Councilwoman Cara Mendelsohn. "I would have encouraged you fund it in other ways."
"Hearing a lot of excuses of why we should kick can down the road. I was not elected to keep the status quo," Bazaldua said.
In the end, Bazaldua cast the lone vote against the bond propositions because they failed to provide any money for city hall. His proposal only had the support of two other councilmembers.
In October, the Dallas Police & Fire Association presidents had asked the city council to consider using bond funding to help fill the $1.5 billion pension shortfall, but that idea never gained any traction.
The election date for this latest bond measure will be Saturday, May 4.