Fort Worth 2026 Bond and Charter Amendment Public Education Meeting - April 14, 2026
Fort Worth 2026 Bond and Charter Amendment Public Education Meeting - April 14, 2026
This public education meeting, held at the Southwest Community Center, provided an overview of the proposed $845 million 2026 bond program and 10 charter amendment propositions for the May 2, 2026 election. City staff presented details on each proposition, answered questions, and clarified that the bond package is structured to avoid increasing the city's property tax rate. No votes were taken; the session was informational.
Public Comments & Testimony
- A resident questioned the bond financing structure, comparing it to a "maxed out credit card" and expressing concern about ongoing debt. He also criticized council attendance and pay raise proposition G, arguing pay increases could reduce the integrity of the job.
- Another resident, working in banking, raised concerns about the cost of borrowing for Proposition D (affordable housing) and asked what would happen if voters rejected the bonds. He questioned the necessity of maintaining the debt service tax rate.
- A speaker asked when council and mayor pay were last increased. Staff responded that the last increase was in 2006.
- A resident asked about the city's reliance on residential vs. commercial taxes and how the city recruits businesses without giving away too many incentives. Assistant City Manager Dana Burghdoff explained the city's economic development incentive policy and noted that Fort Worth turns down 95% of incentive requests.
- The same speaker also raised concerns about the prevalence of car washes, liquor stores, and vape shops in new developments, asking how zoning is determined. Staff clarified that the city cannot dictate specific retail types but can regulate alcohol sales.
- A resident expressed concern about accountability and potential fraud in Proposition D (affordable housing), noting a lack of specific projects. Neighborhood Services Director Casey Thomas stated that specific projects are not identified yet due to changing market conditions, and funds would be awarded through a competitive process with public reporting.
- A speaker asked whether developers pay for damage caused by construction trucks, referencing a broken water main on her street. Staff confirmed that impact fees are charged and that the city pursues claims against contractors when liable.
- A resident voiced support for the bond propositions, especially Proposition B (parks, recreation, and open space), noting past improvements and the ability to leverage private partnerships. He encouraged others to vote for the bond.
- A speaker asked about the timeline for the new animal shelter under Proposition F. Code Compliance Director Brian Smith said land acquisition and construction would start within one to two years after bond sale, with planning already underway.
- A resident asked about auditing and compliance for affordable housing funds. Casey Thomas and Dana Burghdoff explained that contracts require city council approval (public hearings), internal audit (separate from city manager), external annual audits, and the city council serves as the board of the Housing Finance Corporation.
- A speaker expressed opposition to incentives for data centers, specifically referencing a proposed $18 million abatement for a data center near I-20 and 2871, arguing data centers would come anyway and that the city should regulate their placement. Burghdoff agreed the issue needs revisiting.
- A resident questioned Proposition N, which aligns vacancy timelines with state election law. She worried that a vacancy after the November election could leave a seat open for up to six months. Assistant City Attorney Gavin Midgley explained that state law sets the next available election date and that the charter cannot override state law; holdover provisions can reduce the gap.
Discussion Items
- April Rose Escamia (Senior Capital Projects Officer, Fort Worth Lab) presented the 2026 bond program. She reviewed the development timeline (starting March 2025), community engagement numbers (1,109 YouTube views), and the six propositions:
- Proposition A ($511.48 million): Streets and mobility infrastructure.
- Proposition B ($185.14 million): Parks, recreation, and open space.
- Proposition C ($14.586 million): Public library improvements.
- Proposition D ($10 million): Affordable housing initiatives.
- Proposition E ($63.9 million): Police, fire, and emergency communications facilities.
- Proposition F ($59.874 million): Animal care and shelter improvements.
- Escamia explained that the bond package is designed to fit within the existing 14.75-cent debt service tax rate by using capacity from retiring bonds. She noted a state-mandated statement on ballots that the bond is "a tax increase," but the city's structure avoids an actual rate increase.
- Gavin Midgley (Assistant City Attorney) presented 10 charter amendment propositions (G–O), simplifying or modernizing various city charter provisions:
- Proposition G: Increase mayor pay from $29,000 to $60,000 and council pay from $25,000 to $50,000.
- Proposition H: Remove department director hearing requirements.
- Proposition I: Remove redundant hearing requirements for council appointees.
- Proposition J: Remove separate budget hearing requirement.
- Proposition K: Remove annual reporting requirements for public service corporations.
- Proposition L: Remove ordinance requirement for granting of privilege.
- Proposition M: Remove ordinance requirement for city department reorganization.
- Proposition N: Align vacancy timelines with election code.
- Proposition O: Modernize language documentation requirements for paying claims.
- Staff answered various questions about bond financing, debt capacity, project readiness, and transparency. Alex Loffer (Assistant Finance Director) and Dana Burghdoff (Assistant City Manager) provided additional details on tax rate stability and economic development.
Key Outcomes
- No formal votes or decisions were made; the meeting was an education session.
- Early voting for the May 2, 2026 election runs from April 20 to April 28, 2026. The last day to register to vote was April 2, 2026.
- Additional education meetings will be held through April 18, 2026.
- Staff committed to providing public tracking of bond project expenditures on the city website.
Meeting Transcript
All right, so if you haven't had a chance to, uh, we do have a bond detail, some QR codes uh related to the bond book, the bond itself, as well as the charter details. Um, feel free to share that link with your friends, your family. I believe there's also physical copies of the bond book that were handed out, as well as uh just informational as well as for the charter amendments. Um, if we haven't met yet, my name is April Rose Escamia. I'm with the Fort Worth Lab, uh Senior Capital Projects Officer, and I've been really working through the 2026 bond. Uh, we also have Gavin Midgley here who'll be presenting on the charter amendments uh that's coming through on May 2nd. Uh so here we are today. Uh just the purpose of the presentation and kind of give you a big overview as well as dive into the 2026 bond program itself, the development of the bond program, an overall summary, as well as what to what to look forward to when it comes to the sample ballot, different elements uh within the sample, it's the ballot itself, as well as a dive into the bond propositions. Again, moving into charter amendments, the upcoming schedule, and then really have that opportunity for question and answer. Come on through, come on in. Yeah, take your time. There's some seats right here at the front. Um, in any area. No, you're good. Hi, welcome. Come on in, come on in. Perfect. All right. So the purpose of today's presentation is really to uh provide information as it's related to the to the proposed 2026 bond program as well as charter amendments. Uh, feel free to come on take a seat if you'd like right up front. Okay. Um, as well as to offer opportunities to ask questions regarding uh the two, as well as review further opportunities uh for public education and the timing related to the election itself. So we've already mentioned that. Again, we will reiterate this QR code. It's it's uh it's a hot little uh link right here just to continuously share with with people. Um, if you've had a chance to at least open it up, uh know that we do dive into the various project scopes uh as it relates to the propositions um themselves, even some of the dollar amounts associated with each of the propositions. Um, you'll see here today that we'll have some images on here. You can see it both in your bond book, or if not, uh the various tables do have a larger 24 by 36 inch exhibit, very large with more finer detail in that. Uh but before we begin, here's a quick little video. Every four years, the city prepares a bond program. One way of funding large capital projects such as roads, parks, libraries, and public facilities that are appropriate for long-term financing. During this election, you might notice language on the ballot that says this is a tax increase. This is new language mandated statewide for all bond elections. However, here in Fort Worth, we need structured the bond package so that we don't anticipate a tax increase. The City of Fort Worth's 2026 bond program, totaling 845 million, is organized into several propositions. Each proposition outlines a set of projects that could be funded through bonds, pending voter authorization. Proposition A proposes 511 million dollars for streets and mobility infrastructure projects. It represents the largest portion of the 26 bond package and is intended to fund long-term transportation projects. The proposal includes funds for 12 major roadways. The largest amount of money in proposition A, roughly 328 million will go towards rehabilitating our streets. Other funds will go towards intersections, bridges, traffic signals, street lights, adding sidewalks, and improving safety for street crossings around our schools. Proposition B includes 185 million dollars for parks, recreation, and open spaces, including land acquisition, facility improvements, and trail enhancements. Park improvements may include renovations to existing community park areas, as well as development of new outdoor park amenities. Some projects in the proposition include a new outdoor pool, renovations and expansion of some athletic complexes, provide more open space areas throughout the city, and replacement of an aging community center. Proposition C allocates 14 million dollars for public library projects. This will include remodeling three of our existing locations. Proposition D provides 10 million dollars for affordable housing initiatives across the city. This proposition would provide funding aimed at creating new affordable home ownership and rental housing opportunities, specifically for households earning up to 120% of the city's area median income. Activities under this proposition acquisition and construction of affordable housing, construction of infrastructure to support affordable housing, home repair programs, and loans and grants for affordable housing. Proposition E proposes $64 million for police, fire, and emergency communications facilities, including new construction and renovations to existing buildings.
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