The City of Fort Worth’s City Council members were presented with an early overview of the proposed 2026 bond program on Tuesday, which is currently under consideration by city staff. The $800 million bond program aims to address a wide range of infrastructure and community improvements, including congestion mitigation, economic development, and capital replacement.
The proposal comes as Fort Worth follows a four-year cycle for bond programs, with the last bond measure approved by voters in 2022. City officials have committed to developing the 2026 bond program without a property tax increase.
The preliminary list of proposed projects for the bond program reveals that the largest portion of funding will be allocated to streets and mobility infrastructure improvements, which account for 59.6% of the total bond amount. Parks and open space improvements will receive the second-largest portion, with 23.1% of the funds directed towards community spaces. Other proposed allocations include funding for public safety improvements, animal shelter upgrades, and public library improvements.
City Manager Jay Chapa stated, “In addition to this initial list of proposed projects that City staff has offered based on the available funding constraints, we know residents have interest in numerous other projects. So besides the current recommended list, there is an additional menu of options that were just below the funding line that will be put forward for public comment. That list of projects totals $125 million.”
Key proposed funding allocations include:
-
Streets and Mobility: $227.3 million for major roadways, $101.6 million for neighborhood streets, $42.9 million for intersection improvements, and $25 million for traffic signals, among other projects.
- Major roadways, $227.3 million, 10 projects.
- Neighborhood streets, $101.6 million, 15 projects.
- Intersection, $42.9 million, nine projects.
- Traffic signals, $25 million, 26 projects.
- Bridges, $25.8 million, four projects.
- Sidewalks, $19.2 million, nine projects.
- School safety, $8.3 million, six projects.
- Streetlights, $5.2 million, eight projects.
- Railroad crossings, $3 million, five projects.
- Vision Zero, a strategy to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries, $6.25 million.
- Active transportation, $8 million.
- Public art, $4.6 million.
-
Park and Open Space: $53 million for community parks, $30 million for rebuilding the Atatiana Carr-Jefferson at Hillside Community Center, $25 million for open space land acquisition, and $22 million for new aquatic facilities.
- Community parks, $53 million, six projects.
- Community centers, $30 million to rebuild Atatiana Carr-Jefferson at Hillside Community Center.
- Fort Worth Botanic Garden, a contractual obligation, $10 million.
- Fort Worth Zoo, a contractual obligation, $4 million.
- Fort Worth Water Gardens, $10 million.
- Open space land acquisition, $25 million to be spent on land acquisitions and capital projects to prepare sites for public use.
- Aquatic facilities, $22 million, two new locations: North Z Boaz and an aquatic and gym expansion of the YMCA.
- Golf courses, $5 million for the Meadowbrook Golf Course clubhouse and cart barn.
- Athletic complexes and infrastructure, $23 million, four projects.
- Public art, $3.1 million.
-
Public Safety: $34.4 million for new fire stations and $28.3 million for upgrading the 911 emergency communication system.
- Fire, $34.4 million to build a new Station 46 in far south Fort Worth near the Tarleton State University campus, and rebuild Station 40, originally built in 1983.
- 911 emergency communication, $28.3 million to renovate a City-owned building into a new 911 Call Center.
- Public art, $1.2 million.
-
Animal Care: $58.7 million for the construction of a new 45,000-square-foot animal shelter
Community input will play a key role in shaping the final proposal. Beginning this spring, public meetings and online tools will be made available to gather feedback. The City Council is expected to finalize the list of projects later this year, with the bond election scheduled for May 2026.
