Streets will take priority in the 2024 Dallas bond package, officials announced during a briefing last week.
Jennifer Nicewander, interim director of Bond and Construction Management, said the city is forecasting a $1 billion bond election, but needs totaling at least $14 billion have been identified.
Therefore, the City Council is tasked with prioritizing and assigning dollar allocations to projects, with guidance from a recommending task force and a slew of subcommittees.
Last week’s presentation tentatively proposed $485 million for streets and transportation.
City Manager T.C. Broadnax said during the March 1 briefing that this is the beginning of the process. A task force and subcommittees will be appointed later this month.
“When you look at this list, obviously the most weighted is streets because that’s what we hear a lot about,” Broadnax said. “One thing we did a little differently this year is we broke out streets from transportation improvements. From the housing policy piece of it, you see an amount in there for housing. The reality is that we started with $1 billion, similar to last time. If I’m putting in a whole new infusion of housing at $125 million, something is not going to get done at the level it historically has been.”
Presentations, memoranda, and a project request form for the 2024 bond are posted online.
Project Scoring
Nicewander reviewed how priority areas are selected, adding that, for example, high-crime areas get more points toward prioritization. Repeated 311 calls related to infrastructure challenges, flooding, and sidewalk disrepair have been mapped, city officials explained, as council members emphasized the weight given to particular areas.
“It’s important to understand the scoring,” said District 1 Councilman Chad West. “This is how stuff is going to get repaired over the next 10 years in the city.”
The task force, composed of a chair appointed by the mayor and 14 council-appointed members to represent each district, will recommend the 2024 bond program in January or February, Nicewander said. The Dallas City Council will ultimately vote on the projects and allocations.
“I look at a bond not as an extension to our general fund but actually making a real impact,” said District 7 Councilman Adam Bazaldua. “If we’re going to continue to invest the lion’s share of these opportunities in our potholes, that’s not going to give grocery stores to my constituents. That’s not going to help the affordable housing opportunities for our most vulnerable. That’s not closing the gap of the haves and have-nots.”
Main Task Force — The Community Bond Task Force will assist the City Manager and the Mayor and City Council in reviewing and selecting projects for the 2024 Capital Bond Program. The Subcommittees will assist the Citizens Bond Program Task Force and staff to identify citywide and district specific projects for each proposition.
Streets — Review and recommend projects that improve streets and mobility such as thoroughfare improvements, street resurfacing, local street improvements, sidewalks, alleys, bridges and traffic signals.
Parks and Trails — Review and recommend projects to improve and enhance park facilities including neighborhood community parks, signature parks, recreation centers, athletic fields, aquatics and trails.
Critical Facilities — Review and recommend projects to improve and enhance critical facilities that serve the public including police, fire, libraries, cultural buildings, and essential City service centers.
Flood Protection and Storm Drainage — Review and recommend projects to improve the City’s overall flood protection and storm drainage system such as pump stations, bridges, levees, channels and erosion control projects .
Economic Development and Housing — Review and recommend a funding strategy to target and foster City-wide redevelopment of commercial areas, transit oriented development projects, permanent supportive housing initiatives, mixed income housing developments and neighborhood revitalization efforts.
Council Members Question Preliminary Allocations
District 12 Councilwoman and Mayor Pro Tem Carolyn King Arnold expressed interest in allocating funds toward maintenance and repair, rather than shiny, new, and “sexy” projects that typically appeal to voters.
District 14 Councilman Paul Ridley recognized that more than 20 residents representing the local arts community showed up at City Hall for the March 1 briefing.
“I think there is a concern that they are being tentatively allocated only $15 million in the bond scenario,” he said.
Their total needs amount to almost $90 million, Ridley added.
District 9 Councilwoman Paula Blackmon asked why environmental projects were not included in the initial framework, suggesting that perhaps “it’s more of a guiding principle than, ‘We’re building a wind farm.’”
She said she wanted to ensure that the city is doing its part to comply with the Comprehensive Environmental and Climate Action Plan and sustainability measures.
“We’re trying to create projects that have a shelf life and carry us through versus just getting us a short-term fix,” Blackmon said.
Broadnax assured council members they would get to advocate for their individual districts and priority projects.
“When you start to think about why the way this looks today and whether the council is going to have input, we’ve got a whole year and a whole community engagement process,” he said. “The stakeholders will see our needs inventories and scoring criteria, but what I think is more beneficial is that they’ll actually be out in communities seeing these projects. While the scoring will matter at a technical level, many of the decisions they will recommend will be what they see in certain communities and what they don’t see.”
