Fort Worth may sell green energy bragging rights to fund fixes to old city hall
The city of Fort Worth may sell its remaining renewable energy credits to chip away at a budget shortfall to fix its old city hall building.
The credits have served as a way to guarantee that about half of the city’s power use comes from renewable sources, however, up to this point they’ve had no effect on the city financially.
That could change if the City Council votes to approve selling the credits to generate some cash.
The city has had the credits since 2021 through a deal with its electricity provider Reliant Energy, according to a city report.
Under the deal, Reliant “retires” the credits annually, meaning it guarantees part of the city’s power usage comes from renewable sources. The program is overseen by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which makes sure each credit is tied to a specific renewable energy producer.
Up to this point, Fort Worth has received the “environmental attributes associated with renewable energy generation,” city property manager Marilyn Marvin said in an email to the Star-Telegram.
The credits have no effect on residents, Marvin said, adding they are part of the city’s internal electricity contract and sustainability profile.
Selling the credits is the only way for the city to receive any kind of direct financial value, she said.
If approved by the City Council, the money could be used to renovate the old city hall location at 200 Texas St.
The city moved out of the building in March 2025 after completing renovations on the new city hall building at 100 Fort Worth Trail.
Fort Worth wants to consolidate several city departments — including parts of the police department, library and information technology department — into the Texas Street building.
The multiphase project is expected to cost $50 million, however, the city has only $43 million set aside.
Those include funds from the Crime Control Prevention District sales tax and the anticipated passage of Proposition C on May 2, which would allocate $2.2 million for the History Center.
Fort Worth anticipates the sale will generate about $934,800 of which the city will get about $794,000 after paying a fee to a third-party seller.
That won’t come close to covering the $7 million gap for the renovations, however, city staff is expected to come up with a plan by late summer with more information on how to close the gap.
The City Council will vote on whether to sell the credits at its 11 a.m. meeting on April 28.
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