At Tuesday’s Fort Worth City Council Work Session, officials reviewed updates on the 2026 Bond Program, including Financial Management Services’ latest findings, which peg the City’s debt capacity for the bond at around $800 million. Debt capacity refers to the maximum amount the City can borrow while maintaining the ability to repay.
The bond working group, composed of City department representatives, has met to evaluate projects, growth trends, and projected financial resources, applying a project scoring methodology to assess requests. Proposed projects submitted by various departments total approximately $2.7 billion, with key highlights as follows:
- Transportation & Public Works: $1.73 billion for arterials, neighborhood streets, and intersections.
- Park & Recreation: $516.5 million for park and community center improvements.
- Fire Department: $102.9 million for new fire stations and refurbishments.
- Code Compliance: $97 million for the South Animal Shelter.
- Neighborhood Services: $40 million for the Housing Affordability Bond Program.
- Police Department: $81.7 million for a communications center and a new patrol division.
- Public Library: $49.1 million for new library facilities.
- Open Space Initiative: $22.5 million for land acquisitions.
- Property Management: $66.6 million for the combined West Service Center.
These requests, exceeding current debt capacity, will be refined as draft recommendations are prepared. Unfunded projects, such as the TexRail extension and the Community Arts Center, may also be considered during public engagement.
Next steps include City Council review of recommended projects, with public outreach set to begin in early 2025. The finalized bond project list, shaped by public input, will be up for Council approval by late 2025. A bond election is anticipated for May 2026.
