Fran Bonilla - Irving City Council District 4.
Fran has made her home in Irving since 1959. Fran exhibits pride that has grown from years of active involvement in the community. As an active leader, she has served on boards of the following organizations:
- Irving Cares
- Interfaith Housing
- Infant Intervention Center
- YWCA
- Greater Irving-Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce
She has helped to shape our community by serving as:
- Chairman of the Image Task Force IISD
- Member of the Site Based Committee for John Haley Elementary School
- Helped to establish Teen Court for Irving
To honor her contributions to the City of Irving, Fran was named High Spirited Citizen
Fran previously served on City Council and participated in committees that have enhanced the position of Irving in the Metroplex.
- Chair of the Planning and Development Committee
- Member of Planning and Zoning Board
- Member of the Finance Committee
- Charter member of the Steering Committee for the Trinity River Authority of the North Texas Council of Governments (COG)
- Member Air Quality Committee for North Texas COG
- Member Environmental and Economic Development Task Force for North Texas COG
Fran is a leader and a level headed thinker, bringing expertise to the strategic development of our region. Her continued service to Irving has made a positive difference to our past, present and will continue into our future
1. What are your qualifications and experience that will make you an effective council member?
I served on the Irving City Council for ten years previously and on many Boards and Commissions and feel this previous experience will help me make knowledgeable decisions. Many issues that come before the council involve development, land use, and zoning. My 40-plus years in the commercial real estate industry will give me insight into these issues that come before the council.
2. What policies will you initiate and support that will increase the commercial tax base for Irving where the business sector pays approximately 70% of the taxes?
We already have this great tax base, but with new development of quality corporations and businesses that will come to our city (because of our location), this should be even greater. I look forward to being a part of the new partnerships that come to our city as we bring quality development, both in the north and in the south.
3. What priority would you give to upgrading Irving’s aging infrastructure, specifically its water and sewer facilities, and what policies would you initiate and support to implement such upgrades?
Presently, our city is replacing the older water and sewer infrastructure in the south part of our city and we must continue that in order to bring new development and revitalization to that area. We must encourage city participation in order to service new development in the south, or any portion of our city with the needed utilities.
4. What is your vision for assuring that the city is going “green;” in other words, what initiatives will you support that will encourage the city to conserve water and energy use?
Our city has made great progress in this direction. The city has put into law, resolutions to help new development and redevelopment; however, we must always be mindful of working with both business and land owners to help us create a “green friendly” city.
5. What initiatives would you support to achieve a balanced budget and where would you focus reductions in light of reduced City revenue caused by the economy?
It is law that cities must balance their budget each year and Irving has been very successful at this because we have been a triple-A bond rated city for years. The city of Irving always addresses the basic needs of our city first before moving forward with new opportunities and I believe we should continue with this practice moving forward.
6. What do you see as the top two pressing issues in Irving and what are your solutions or recommendations?
1) There has been so much negativity in our city recently. We must bring it back to the issues at hand and I want to work with the citizens to focus on our future, not dwell on our past.
2) The revitalization to the South part of Irving. We must find quality developers to work with the citizens in this effort to bring economic growth and more tax benefits for the people of Irving
On Irving Issues:
I am deeply committed to bringing a fair, experienced voice to my tenure on City Council. I will make decisions with common sense and respond with wisdom on each issue.
I have a deep sense of community and desire to see District 4 get the most experienced representation possible. I desire to see progress of the improvements of South Irving infrastructure. The City has taken great initial steps in the redevelopment of South Irving. The time is NOW to bring South Irving to the level of quality that this City and its residents deserve.
I will continue to support the utmost quality of City services including fire, police, utilities, arts, libraries, parks, etc.
I am appreciative about how the City has handled the loss in revenue over the past several years. At the same time, there comes a point where we bottom out. We are at the discussion point on how to proceed. Our City has been proactive. Compared to other cities, Irving is in a great position to attract businesses, which helps keep our residential taxes low. I am committed to continued fiscal responsibility and creative ideas on how to move forward in the future.
