Fort Worth’s 2026 bond program could have about $40 million more for projects, thanks to higher-than-expected property tax revenue.
Certified property values from the Tarrant Appraisal District on July 25 “exceeded our projections,” FWLab director Christianne Simmons told City Council members Aug. 5. Next year’s bond proposal is now expected to include $840 million in city infrastructure projects.
The FWLab leads planning efforts for the bond program and city budget. Until late July, estimates were based on projected property values after TAD board members approved a reappraisal plan that froze residential property values for 2025.
Now council members must decide what projects the extra $40 million will fund and what is most important to residents. The bond election is expected in May 2026.
City staff recommends putting the extra dollars into Proposition A, which would include street and mobility improvements, Simmons said. The money could be split, with $20 million dedicated to bridge renovations and the other $20 million dedicated to minor street repairs.
Street maintenance has taken the lead as a priority among the propositions, as well as in budget planning.
In June, staff detailed how the city is short about $66.1 million annually to maintain streets. Delaying maintenance only leads to pricier repairs down the road, they told council members.
Officials expect the bond package to include five propositions:
- Streets and mobility — $516.5 million, or 61.5% of proposed bond.
- Parks and open space — $185.1 million, or 22% of proposed bond.
- Public libraries — $14.6 million, or 1.7% of proposed bond.
- Public safety — $63.9 million, or 7.6% of proposed bond.
- Animal care and shelter facilities — $59.9 million, or 7.1% of proposed bond.
Fort Worth launches online public engagement website:
Using the 2026 bond story map, residents can explore information about proposed projects. Using an interactive budgeting simulation, they can allocate proposed bond funding across project categories and get automatic feedback about their choices and project prioritization.
In bond elections, each proposition appears as a separate item on the ballot for voters.
Municipal bond elections allow voters to decide whether local government entities may borrow money in exchange for interest payments plus the eventual repayment of the original borrowed amount.
The municipality must use the borrowed money — usually millions to billions of dollars — to pay for specific infrastructure projects in the city, such as street improvements and park renovations.
Balancing bond priorities
At Tuesday’s meeting, council members Elizabeth Beck and Chris Nettles pushed for a portion of the bond to go toward affordable housing — something housing advocates have long pushed for.
Fort Worth is the largest city in Texas that has not included a housing proposition in its bond. In 2024, Dallas voters approved that city’s first bond propositions specifically dedicated to housing efforts, including $26.4 million for housing infrastructure and $19 million toward tackling homelessness.
Fort Worth council members tossed around the idea of a $5 million housing proposition at Tuesday’s meeting.
Nettles, who represents much of southeast Fort Worth, said that could help developers in his district who are in need of subsidies from both the county and city for affordable housing projects.
“It’s going to be important that the city of Fort Worth stands strong in supporting housing,” he said.
Some council members worried that an additional housing proposition naturally takes away from other spending initiatives. Funneling funds to housing, for example, could mean less on streets, council member Charlie Lauersdorf said.
Balancing residents’ priorities will be a continued conversation among city staff and council members as they launch public engagement efforts over the fall to narrow down proposed projects.
In addition to the proposed list of bond projects, staff will present community members with a supplemental list of projects, made up of high-priority infrastructure projects that didn’t make the cut for the proposal. Community feedback could potentially lead to a revision of the project list.
Residents can weigh in on proposals through a website featuring an interactive bond project map, which the city launched early August.
Council members plan to finalize the project list by the end of December. That list will be sent to voters for final approval in May. Before then, residents can weigh in on the bond in person at community engagement events hosted in each district throughout October, Simmons said.
City Council members are expected to formally call the bond election in January.
Editor’s note: This story was updated Aug. 5 with updated information about the city’s interactive bond project map.
Cecilia Lenzen and Drew Shaw are government accountability reporters for the Fort Worth Report. Contact them at cecilia.lenzen@fortworthreport.org and drew.shaw@fortworthreport.org.
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