GRAPEVINE -- Voters will be asked to consider two propositions totaling nearly $70 million in bond sales when they go to the polls Tuesday.
Proposition 1 calls for general obligation bonds for a 108,000-square-foot public safety building that would house municipal court, a police detention center, law enforcement facilities and fire headquarters. Cost is estimated at $38.5 million.Proposition 2 is to add 60,000 square feet to the Community Activities Center. The center would include a senior citizens' center, indoor pool, multipurpose rooms and other amenities. The proposal would double the size of the facility. The estimated cost is $30 million.A general obligation bond is a common type of municipal bond secured by a government's pledge to use legally available resources, including tax revenue, to repay bondholders. City officials have said no tax increase will be needed to pay back the bonds.Jennifer Hibbs, assistant city manager, said the current public safety building was never a good fit."That building was built as an office building originally for Braniff, so it was never meant to be a police department and certainly not for a city of our size," Hibbs said. "We've grown in population quite a lot since we moved in there in 1978 and it just doesn't fit the needs of the department at all."Hibbs said the building would help "the efficiency of both departments working together under one roof."The building also would house the city's information technology department in a state-of-the-art facility and would make things more secure, Hibbs said."It's really important because IT plays such a critical function in the city, especially in the Police Department. It's important that those servers be housed in a safe location," Hibbs said.Other Tarrant County electionsIn Benbrook, Charlie Anderson and Candace Spoon Blair are running for Council Place 2; in Everman, there are two bond propositions addressing street and drainage work and parks; and in Pelican Bay, John Shumante and William Morley are vying for Alderman Place 3, as Sabra Swaim, Glen Oberg and write-in candidate Rusty Rogers are seeking the post of Alderman Place 4.In Saginaw, Chris Barngrover, Gary Barber and Jackie Nethery square off over Council Place 6; in Trophy Club, voters weigh in on a proposition to change sales and use taxes for economic development; and in White Settlement, Daniel Munoz Sr., Danny Anderson, Paul Moore and George Klecan vie for Council Place 4, as Garry Wilson and Steve Ott seek Council Place 5. White Settlement voters will also weigh in on propositions addressing applications for a place on ballots, forfeitures, emergency management, mayor pro tem qualifications and requirements for holding council meetings.In the Lake Worth school district, Steve Atchison and Gary Stuard are vying for Trustee, Place 5, as Donna Hutson and Liane Price seek the post of Trustee, Place 6. And in the Northwest school district, voters will weigh in on a bond proposition.Anna M. Tinsley contributed to this report.Marty Sabota, 817-431-2231Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
