Fort Worth wants to borrow money for roads, library, pools. Here’s our view on bond props

Seems like every election, some government is asking for permission to sell bonds. With inflation and huge property tax increases, you might ask why you should vote for more spending.

But Fort Worth’s bond proposals are worthy to address needs in one of the fastest growing cities in the U.S. We recommend that voters approve all five propositions.

The City Council is asking for a whopping $560 million in five bond proposals for roads, facilities, parks, and more. About 66 percent of the funds, or $369.2 million is in Proposition A to improve roads.

There’s a strong focus on fast-growing areas, especially the north and northwest parts of the city. Residents in this area have been vocal about their need for better roads, and with no sign that growth will abate soon, the focus is warranted.

The next-largest chunk, about 22 percent, is nearly $124 million toward city parks and recreation amenities — especially pools. Proposition B would provide funds for a new aquatics center in Stop Six and a revamped Forest Park Pool.

Kudos go to District 9 council member Elizabeth Beck for advocating for improvements to the Forest Park Pool on behalf of her constituents, who vocalized a desire to keep the area’s only Olympic-sized pool. The city made similar modifications to its plans to build a Stop Six aquatics center to keep facilities equal, which is commendable.

Proposition C would allocate a bit more than $12 million to public library improvements, specifically for a new 18,000 square foot library facility in northwest Fort Worth. Most of the libraries in Fort Worth are located inside Loop 820 but serve only about 40 percent of the population, city officials say. A library like this should get considerable use.

Around $39 million, or 7 percent of the total, would go toward police and fire public safety improvements in Proposition D. This will include new facilities to replace a temporary fire station in north Fort Worth and to replace an obsolete west Fort Worth facility that’s more than 60 years old.

And in northwest Fort Worth, a new police facility will consolidate operations and ultimately save money currently going to rented space.

Proposition E would allocate $15 million to improve the natural, green space areas throughout the city. The city has worked to acquire this land in partnership with conservation groups, most notably at Broadcast Hill in east Fort Worth. It’s important to keep the momentum going because once the land is gone, it’s gone.

Bond elections are tricky for voters: There’s a lot of numbers to review and huge chunks of money involved. In a year when inflation is setting records, it may seem hard to justify more borrowing and spending. Mayor Mattie Parker and City Manager David Cooke noted that the money would help the city implement large goals even though they’ll be racing against inflation and supply chain issues. The city must be vigilant in pushing for projects to get done.

It’s worth noting that some tasks from the last two bond elections, in 2014 and 2018, remain incomplete. Fire Station 43 in the Walsh area is only about 11 percent complete. The Heritage Park Development hasn’t even been started. These were all from the 2014 bond program.

The majority of the facility projects from the 2018 bond program aren’t complete — though they are projected to be complete in May. About half of the park projects from the 2018 program are complete.

And yet, it’s important to get going on the city’s other pressing needs, especially to alleviate traffic. We recommend yes votes on all five propositions.

Early voting starts Monday; Election Day is May 7.

An earlier version incorrectly said that the Reby Cary Youth Library was still incomplete and incorrectly described the fire stations that would be constructed under the bond proposal.

This story was originally published April 22, 2022 at 5:08 AM.