{"id":734105,"date":"2026-04-17T09:08:35","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T09:08:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/734105\/"},"modified":"2026-04-17T09:08:35","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T09:08:35","slug":"proposed-59-8m-animal-shelter-included-in-fort-worth-bond-election","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/734105\/","title":{"rendered":"Proposed $59.8M animal shelter included in Fort Worth bond election"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Cecilia Lenzen, Fort Worth Report
April 16, 2026<\/p>\n

Editor\u2019s note: Early voting for Fort Worth\u2019s May 2 election opens April 20. In the lead-up, the Report is breaking down each bond proposition and charter amendment on the ballot. Find the other articles here<\/a> as they are published.<\/p>\n

About 7% of Fort Worth\u2019s $845 million bond program would go toward building a new, expanded and modernized animal shelter if approved by voters May 2.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Updated facilities would help streamline operations, address capacity issues and ultimately help get animals out of the shelter quicker, said Chris McAllister, director of Fort Worth Animal Care & Control.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything we do in some way comes back to public safety and adoptability,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Fort Worth\u2019s bond election is divided into six propositions, which each appear separately on the May 2 ballot. Proposition F would dedicate $59.8 million to construct a new 45,000-square-foot shelter to replace the Chuck & Brenda Silcox Animal Care & Adoption Center in southeast Fort Worth.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Bond elections let voters choose whether their local government can borrow money from investors to pay for specific infrastructure projects, then eventually repay the loan with interest.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u2019s unclear where the new shelter would be located, but city staff said they\u2019re seeking land in southeast Fort Worth. The city\u2019s second animal shelter, Henry\u2019s Animal Campus in north Fort Worth, will continue operating.<\/p>\n

The existing Chuck & Brenda Silcox shelter would be torn down, but it\u2019s not known how the land it sits on would be used. The building has reached the end of its life, shelter staff say.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"(MariaA puppy sleeps by its mom inside the Chuck and Brenda Silcox Animal Care & Control Center on April 3, 2026, in Fort Worth. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report\/CatchLight Local\/Report for America)
\n\"(MariaSick dogs are kenneled inside the Chuck and Brenda Silcox Animal Care & Control Center on April 3, 2026, in Fort Worth. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report\/CatchLight Local\/Report for America)<\/p>\n

Built in 1998, the shelter went through four expansions to grow from 19,000 square feet to roughly 35,000.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The shelter\u2019s current capacity for housing 541 animals would stay the same in the new building, McAllister said. The additional square footage would allow for expanded vet facilities, modernized kennels and upgraded play areas.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, shelter staff celebrated reaching a 90% live-release rate<\/a> for animals, the highest since 2021 when stay-at-home orders during the COVID-19 pandemic drove a surge in animal adoptions.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A shelter\u2019s live-release rate measures how many animals leave through adoption, transfer to rescue groups or return to their owners. Shelters are considered \u201cno-kill\u201d when they reach a 90% live-release rate, according to the Animal Humane Society<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In January and February, Fort Worth\u2019s two shelters saw more than 1,200 adoptions and performed more than 1,100 spay and neuter surgeries, according to city reports.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Natural lighting and more outdoor space planned for the new shelter space would help animals better acclimate and improve behavioral issues, McAllister said. Happy, well-behaved animals get adopted more quickly, he added.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWith a better organized and more efficient shelter, I can get animals off the street faster,\u201d McAllister said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Early voting opens April 20, and Election Day is May 2.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In addition to the bond, Fort Worth voters will see several charter amendments<\/a>, including a proposal to increase salaries for the mayor and city council members, plus a special election to fill the District 10 council seat<\/a> in far north Fort Worth.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"(MariaA kitten rests inside the Chuck and Brenda Silcox Animal Care & Control Center on April 3, 2026, in Fort Worth. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report\/CatchLight Local\/Report for America)
\n\"(MariaThe laundry room of the Chuck and Brenda Silcox Animal Care & Control Center is busy on April 3, 2026, in Fort Worth. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report\/CatchLight Local\/Report for America)<\/p>\n

Cecilia Lenzen is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at cecilia.lenzen@fortworthreport.org<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This <a target=”_blank” href=”https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/2026\/04\/16\/proposed-59-8m-animal-shelter-included-in-fort-worth-bond-election\/”>article<\/a> first appeared on <a target=”_blank” href=”https:\/\/fortworthreport.org”>Fort Worth Report<\/a> and is republished here under a <a target=”_blank” href=”https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nd\/4.0\/”>Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License<\/a>.<img src=”https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fortworthreport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/cropped-favicon.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;quality=80&amp;ssl=1″ style=”width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;”><\/p>\n

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