[{"_1":2,"_123":-5,"_124":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99,111],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6384782,"mediaKeyId","2121505-900eee483dd39086c917864751d238e1","parentId",2121505,"title","Trinity Metro outlines growth, TexRail medical-district extension gains federal funding but few short-term operating revenues","audioSeconds",915,"startMs",5421790,"endMs",6336845,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2121505-900eee483dd39086c917864751d238e1&start=5421&end=6336","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2121505-900eee483dd39086c917864751d238e1/thumbnail_5421790.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6384782/Fort-Worth/Tarrant-County/Texas/Trinity-Metro-outlines-growth-TexRail-medical-district-extension-gains-federal-funding-but-few-short-term-operating-revenues","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6384782-0d76d228c72c9a18f2bf9189f838ed58/orig.mp4?Expires=1771041304&Signature=Dk0ZX4qdV7LCbXC4DA3GLhc36azxH1rYW~~hYMYglro-j~DuZt9NVYWJUnppHkNdNAEu4rTjM7inpAE5jWeTQ8tFjf34ahZpGGUak5A-sfhENKrpmmzMDYeYX2PKOncK3VI43-aaUappS30ddj-bfXB8o8s3XHvOsc50KAIvxryBKILwMnrHB5sDonJBoFn2HE8VD-U6kWtNPAj9AxvcKq429eqRmWL8wnY5thsg2P886wi4eCX1FqFew6v0wM1C82PQ~sme6z7WE3Vf0Xmu~Xz6xzJT8ACF50IDQuDjTDxhciKnQLk6WTWaIRtoFcSwDCAr0AHJROhVZR5c6simSA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of Fort Worth TX","date","2025-01-15T06:20:16Z","article","Rich Andreski, president and CEO of Trinity Metro, told Fort Worth council members at the Jan. 14 work session that ridership has recovered since the pandemic, new services such as the Orange Line were well received and the agency is rethinking its network to attract more “choice” riders.

Andreski said TexRail’s planned two‑mile extension to the Medical District, including a rail yard expansion and four new trains, is a roughly $295 million program and that “as of Friday” the project had $270 million secured, including an enhanced federal grant of $25 million. He asked council and the region to keep supporting the project, which he said could break ground by the end of this year if funding is finalized.

Nut graf: Trinity Metro officials said the system is seeing demand shifts — growing on‑demand and rail ridership in different markets — but cautioned the agency is financially exposed because it relies heavily on a half‑cent local sales tax and on federal formula dollars for operating and capital needs.

What Trinity Metro said: Andreski described several trends and projects. Ridership, he said, has returned and changed in composition: users are increasingly younger and more demographically diverse. The agency launched the Orange Line and plans to launch a Blue Line and a strategic action plan in 2025; it also will introduce Trinity Metro Bikes and expand on‑demand services. He said regional benchmarking showed peer cities invest roughly double Trinity Metro’s per‑capita transit spending, and that Trinity Metro currently supports a calculated $700 million in annual economic impact and about 37,100 jobs.

Financial concerns: Andreski warned the agency is “over‑dependent” on the half‑cent sales tax, which Trinity Metro uses for core operations, and on federal formula funds. He said the agency has increased use of federal formula money for operations and capital and that leaves fewer local funds for maintenance and replacement over time. Andreski and council members also discussed long‑range choices such as double‑tracking TRE segments, regional funding arrangements and how rail investments can catalyze transit‑oriented economic development.

TexRail specifics: The medical-district extension would add two miles of track, a rail yard expansion and four trains; Trinity Metro staff reported a $295 million program cost and that $270 million of the total was in place after a federal grant enhancement. Andreski said the region purchased four cars and that the car purchases were funded by the region. He said the agency still needs to finalize remaining funding and that the cost‑escalation risk remains until project bids are awarded.

Council reaction: Council members welcomed the update and pressed Trinity Metro on network redesign, service tradeoffs between fixed routes and on‑demand services and the need to diversify revenues. Several members said Trinity Metro’s board representation and stronger city‑agency coordination have helped operations and communication.

What’s next: Trinity Metro plans to release a strategic action plan, move forward on the Blue Line and complete federal‑funding steps for the TexRail extension; local officials and the agency will continue conversations about regional funding models for commuter rail improvements and doubling TRE segments.

Source: Remarks and slide presentation by Rich Andreski and Trinity Metro staff at the Fort Worth City Council work session, Jan. 14, 2025.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City Council Work Session of January 14, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Trinity Metro told Fort Worth council on Jan. 14 that ridership has recovered, on‑demand services are growing, and the TexRail extension to the Medical District has most of its capital secured after a federal grant boost.","taxTitle","Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Texas","taxId",2814,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6384785,"Fort Worth and Local 440 reach MOU for MedStar transition; council to consider agreement Jan. 28",8913,1277915,10191119,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2121505-900eee483dd39086c917864751d238e1&start=1277&end=10191","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2121505-900eee483dd39086c917864751d238e1/thumbnail_1277915.jpg","/articles/6384785/Fort-Worth/Tarrant-County/Texas/Fort-Worth-and-Local-440-reach-MOU-for-MedStar-transition-council-to-consider-agreement-Jan-28","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6384785-d2ff5da65d0e66fa95417d96bd0f161e/orig.mp4?Expires=1771041304&Signature=WJ7xOsKof4ulIv7aIwkq4EyXDj6yfn2e2bQJCeAlKDtJoe4ejWILafEa0cCAYC3Lr5pR-DtjBX1GB4MzqMAkQn~R0M1NnA-jz6JC3tmqL~Fcne60xOn5Y-f6yYO6tm~POY9Q0UQ8a5~WExxSl3BORyB4G4H5xXHM09QYUn12MZ5eBX5PWP6Jn0wIwwuPxQ4-937Twa6yzILhoohbXpm8-288xc9I50X2F6vb-GpAO1N1l-L5GoRAvfj~sjuUkRtiy1a35fhl1CjbmahHRqPi434~aDW-Pj4v3jijhumm~FUBOrotcv2ZeTM-4yN1BpB3hd7Tnfn9XWWR2OJhQbIGWA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Fort Worth city negotiators and Local 440 reached a memorandum of understanding (MOU) covering the transition of MedStar Emergency Medical Services (EMS) employees into the Fort Worth Fire Department and the city’s civil service structure, city staff said during the Jan. 14 work session.

The MOU, which city staff said the union’s membership already ratified, governs EMTs, paramedics and telecommunicators moving to the city and is intended to align EMS bargaining with the city’s existing fire collective bargaining cycle. City staff told council the MOU is effective July 1, 2025 — the day the transition is planned to conclude — and that the council will consider a Municipal Order (M&C) to approve the agreement at the Jan. 28 work session.

Why it matters: The agreement creates a promotional and rank structure for newly city‑employed EMS personnel, sets operational targets and lays out a two‑year financial framework staff said is needed to implement the change. Council members and staff said they are focused on ensuring service continuity, employee payroll accuracy and long‑term funding for EMS operations.

Key provisions and figures: City negotiators said the MOU term as drafted is short (July 1 through Sept. 30) to align future EMS bargaining with the city’s fire collective bargaining schedule. City staff reported a preliminary two‑year cost of approximately $54.4 million for salaries, benefits and related items tied to the transition; staff described that as the cost to bring existing MedStar positions and pay structures into the city payroll and benefit system.

Operational targets included in the agreement were described in the work session as: a reduction in unit‑hour utilization (a workload metric) from 0.67 to 0.50, a service goal of an 8‑minute travel time for 90% of Priority 1 calls, and a tiered mix of advanced life support (ALS) and basic life support (BLS) resources. Staff said achieving the planned service levels will require roughly 75 additional full‑time positions and nine additional ambulances under the plan.

City staff described workforce and implementation steps: MedStar employees will be offered civil service positions without reapplying; new job classifications and a single‑role firefighter classification were developed for personnel moving from MedStar into the fire department structure. The city’s negotiators said they built parity into some incentive and benefit language so the incoming EMS employees see similar structures to existing fire department employees.

Payroll and billing: City staff told council they will keep MedStar billing and payroll operations on a third‑party platform during the transition to avoid disruption. City Human Resources and finance staff said the city will contract with ADP to manage payroll in the interim while IT and payroll integration projects continue; staff said onboarding EMS employees into the city payroll will be staged so as not to disrupt ongoing transitions already under way for police and fire payroll modernization. City and MedStar staff also said MedStar’s ambulance-transport billing is operating through an outside vendor (identified as EMSMC in staff remarks), and city staff will evaluate contracts and options during and after the transition.

Employee outreach and conditions: City negotiators described a significant communication effort with MedStar employees, including town halls, committee-level private sessions, and access to bargaining sessions. City staff emphasized support services and a “last chance” policy negotiated with the union — a program to route employees into dependency counseling in lieu of immediate termination in certain cases, with union and city cooperation.

Next steps: City staff presented the draft MOU and asked the council to consider a Municipal Order on Jan. 28 that would approve the agreement. City staff said they will continue work on final payroll integration, vendor contracting for EMS billing and a detailed fiscal plan for FY26 to present to the member cities and council.

Speakers on the topic included Assistant City Manager Valerie Washington, Fire Chief John Davis, City HR Director Diana Giordano and city negotiators; Local 440 leadership attended the work session and the union membership ratified the agreement, staff said.

Sources: Presentation and remarks by Assistant City Manager Valerie Washington, Fire Chief John Davis and HR and finance staff during the Fort Worth City Council work session, Jan. 14, 2025.","City negotiators and Local 440 reached a memorandum of understanding to move MedStar EMS employees into Fort Worth’s civil service structure; the agreement sets pay, benefits and staffing assumptions and will be presented to council Jan. 28.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6384790,"Fort Worth names Sonny Saxton emergency management lead after winter storm; city says response kept shelters and critical services running",156,371840,528350,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2121505-900eee483dd39086c917864751d238e1&start=371&end=528","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2121505-900eee483dd39086c917864751d238e1/thumbnail_371840.jpg","/articles/6384790/Fort-Worth/Tarrant-County/Texas/Fort-Worth-names-Sonny-Saxton-emergency-management-lead-after-winter-storm-city-says-response-kept-shelters-and-critical-services-running","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6384790-fd1cd033e08d0cc05ce0b457fef40501/orig.mp4?Expires=1771041304&Signature=lVp~blHV6KNLNUym9D7dCkqNDk-VKEBLzb2jOn78j2N5xyHHlyRetOc4tOFizyRIvuCw92dcHImGicDMrXjKEAzWhbsY5iDwmSuC7HSJZ-vD7dlyH95u7Y1L2JygbSghRYaR3OoBs7haYbwmDpTrfOum9~JSsE7mR41jTodkWJ8erwbVnR6BfQuEBatHlCWmBaWEhuDssSlKJbtE-8GkvTcBgRxEPZdhJU4UYpgIdrpCT8lYPMnWDW8Tmvobm4Aj4drkj8KqK7ZCgmxGhY~2KWbd54nxgBp-TRImwrIzAQLIKhDMMhh~Ez4Ax9YNF7cMCs27v-l6L1xEt42~GQW7jw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Sonny “Sunny” Saxton, the city’s new emergency management hire, introduced himself at the Fort Worth City Council work session on Jan. 14 and gave a brief overview of the city’s response to a multi-day winter storm that included extended sub-freezing temperatures, ice and snow.

City officials said the Joint Emergency Operations Center activated at Level 3 during the event, with 12-hour shifts, broad interdepartmental staffing and a focus on protecting vulnerable populations and maintaining mission-critical access. The city reported 1,236 guests used shelter or overflow services; the 9-1-1 center handled 38,100 calls during the event, and Transportation & Public Works applied roughly 98,100 gallons of brine pre-event and during response operations. Saxton said the city is evaluating tools and processes ahead of an additional cold front.

The nut graf: City leaders framed the storm response as a cross-department effort aimed at keeping roads clear for emergency access, operating shelter and overflow capacity for people experiencing homelessness, and preserving continuity of emergency services such as police, fire and EMS.

Saxton, introduced by Assistant City Manager Valerie Washington, described a planning period that began about five days before the storm and emphasized the role of the JEOC (Joint Emergency Operations Center). “Ensuring health and safety was always top of mind while minimizing disruptions across our essential services,” Saxton said during the work session. He highlighted food and hydration outreach partners and thanked Parks & Recreation for facility support. He also recognized Trinity Metro for providing transportation during the event.

Council members praised staff. Council Member Williams and others commended Saxton and the interdepartmental team; Council Member Blaylock noted continuing needs for urban forestry and other maintenance work and thanked staff for post-storm cleanup. Saxton told council the city continues to support overflows for people in shelters and that cold weather persisted, with an additional cold front forecast.

Context and clarity: City staff said the JEOC used 12-hour rotations and that some crews responded to fires, medical calls and vehicle crashes even during the storm. Saxton and Washington stressed this update was a preliminary operational review and that staff will continue after‑action analysis to identify lessons and funding implications. Finance will monitor costs; city officials said they will consider whether to seek state or federal reimbursement if the event meets disaster thresholds.

Looking ahead: Saxton urged residents to take precautions during continued cold weather and said the city will continue evaluating response systems and sheltering capacity.

Sources: Remarks by Assistant City Manager Valerie Washington and Sonny Saxton at the Fort Worth City Council work session, Jan. 14, 2025.","The City of Fort Worth introduced Sonny (“Sunny”) Saxton as a new emergency management leader during the Jan. 14 council work session and provided an overview of the city’s response to a recent multi-day winter storm, including sheltering and brine use, while cautioning that cold weather risks remain.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6384770,"Fort Worth proposes refocused homelessness spending and stronger camp cleanup enforcement after stakeholder review",713,6964750,7677960,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2121505-900eee483dd39086c917864751d238e1&start=6964&end=7677","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2121505-900eee483dd39086c917864751d238e1/thumbnail_6964750.jpg","/articles/6384770/Fort-Worth/Tarrant-County/Texas/Fort-Worth-proposes-refocused-homelessness-spending-and-stronger-camp-cleanup-enforcement-after-stakeholder-review","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6384770-1715c7465531acdef0b92330b0223f1a/orig.mp4?Expires=1771041304&Signature=Rp-UN30o0fP9oMGgU8B8lfK8pPxxUO7tNyJEqzg1wR4J8fK1L-xAX-d34v~0ae93LKCxaxWG7FgtFM7BGv10f54UqQJ1uEiTpUQ0Fcpjn9hEFPMa0gzSZHklOvFe9Qh1vTtt8zzM429UhZJq2ZuLO7zYK1ALtetGzIV3zw0P~VYA0uxN4JSX6jFoOzJuynJBM4PKsGhtl0knUXIjdg9ka1avcWQteTvGSiUjHGvuexmPzBdEEsSwM4cSoKpUCh9J4XuAwZx-a~s-a9rHuSCnV0Sl7ORtBLuywfON5zrzjlquzH5~xwc9dWXHAq~BHPGQk9lurttaWG7DK6fKgOq7Dw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City staff told Fort Worth council on Jan. 14 they plan to realign portions of the city’s homeless services funding to prioritize unsheltered homelessness, increase street outreach, and expand rapid housing flow, while continuing interdepartmental enforcement and outreach to reduce public-health and public-safety impacts from encampments.

Nut graf: After meetings with nearly 300 stakeholders, city staff proposed changes to how Directions Home funds are allocated — prioritizing programs that directly affect unsheltered people and expanding support for a 17‑month “high‑impact” pilot that provides intensive psychiatric and housing support to unsheltered individuals with serious mental illness.

What the city presented: Staff reported FY24 city-directed homelessness spending of roughly $10.4 million across departments, with Directions Home accounting for about $6.3 million of that total. The city also identified roughly $31 million invested in permanent supportive housing (PSH) projects and set-aside units across several projects in the pipeline. Staff said FY24 point-in-time (PIT) data showed a 12% decrease in homelessness overall, including a 33% drop in family homelessness attributed mainly to newly available vouchers; national PIT figures showed increases in most subgroups.

Camp cleanups and enforcement: Staff reviewed complaint volumes and camp-cleanup costs and said the My Fort Worth app’s camp-related reporting increased; the city also shared modeled costs of small, medium and large campsite abatements. Legal staff advised the council that the city’s ordinance requiring 10 days’ prior notice for private-property abatement can be aligned with state law to a seven‑day notice period, which staff said could expedite private‑property abatements. Council members encouraged a consistent citywide approach to camp cleanup and enforcement and emphasized the need to pair enforcement with sheltering options.

High-impact pilot: The Directions Home high-impact pilot — funded in part by the city and designed to house and serve unsheltered people with suspected severe mental illness — aims to enroll 80 clients over 17 months and had housed 30 clients by early October under a small‑case-manager ratio. Staff said the pilot’s median client had been unsheltered about 7.5 years, that the program’s engagement-to‑housing acceptance rate exceeded 90% in early program data, and that a small number of clients required multiple contacts before accepting housing.

Agency response and capacity: Union Gospel Mission (UGM) told the council it plans to increase bed capacity by about 300 beds in 2025, and Presbyterian Night Shelter and other nonprofit partners are part of the shelter flow and outreach network. Staff noted shelter capacity is a limiting factor in the system and that portions of the city’s response rely on nonprofit partner capacity and regional vouchers.

Proposed funding shifts and next steps: Staff recommended carving the high‑impact pilot out of an upcoming RFP and redirecting several city contract lines to emphasize unsheltered-focused casework, document services, rapid rehousing and street outreach. They proposed an RFP release in January–February 2025 and program changes to take effect in October 2025. Staff also proposed renaming the City’s “Directions Home” unit to “Homeless Strategies” to clarify the office’s role as a coordinator rather than a direct-service nonprofit.

Council input and concerns: Council members urged consistent enforcement across neighborhoods, stronger communications and signage to direct public reporting, and more prevention and diversion resources earlier in the housing continuum. Several council members praised rapid joint response during high‑impact encampment interventions in late 2024 and urged quicker private‑property abatement where safety concerns exist.

Source: Presentation and remarks by Mark McDaniel, Bethany Warner and Tara Perez at the Fort Worth City Council work session, Jan. 14, 2025; comments from Union Gospel Mission CEO Charles Wolford; stakeholder engagement summarized by staff.","City staff proposed refocusing Directions Home funding toward unsheltered homelessness, expanding street outreach and aligning a 17‑month high‑impact pilot for people with severe mental illness; staff said the city spent about $10.4 million on homelessness-related activities in FY24 and will issue an updated RFP in early 2025.",{"_33":112,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":113,"_41":114,"_43":115,"_45":116,"_47":117,"_49":118,"_51":119,"_53":120,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":121,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":122,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6384774,"Fort Worth reports $29 million in net FY24 operations gain; $47 million identified for capital but council urged to weigh priorities",207,8279530,8486730,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2121505-900eee483dd39086c917864751d238e1&start=8279&end=8486","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2121505-900eee483dd39086c917864751d238e1/thumbnail_8279530.jpg","/articles/6384774/Fort-Worth/Tarrant-County/Texas/Fort-Worth-reports-29-million-in-net-FY24-operations-gain-47-million-identified-for-capital-but-council-urged-to-weigh-priorities","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6384774-4d947f7897591914dcf3ccc552f43bf3/orig.mp4?Expires=1771041304&Signature=oQYEoQ8JVcu~aDecih2tknoeREJNVgUmkLpQAIYkTiBfl3Lx3goannC2wwpLY5JB3oE4j6WgqZAUQ55yF-XDsKgdBE7DtQtarvQuc4HkSkTg7A~Tag2FznXd9JxVPbD8hqYGcpfcDWikFKyIlJWWYXBP5po6a0yIapi0kUjkhpucUaJSIxwKIYA8S~JsSYQYl25M~CJ0-kjzmzRl44GC9hOD1bWmjsMypM7UwCVOvfU0rya9Va5UMJBguid-1CL45MvHuv0n~S5f0rKfQ2r2i9-sPSnaG8bRfIjTTvXrse~ltAEXnfSBQEuhrYJC-9UdzmlaRTnBjUZRi4BTLtBUeA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Fort Worth’s preliminary, unaudited financial results for fiscal year 2024 show the city closed the year with an improved general-fund position, the city manager reported at the Jan. 14 work session.

Lede: City Manager David Cook told council the city fell short of its FY24 revenue forecast by about $11 million — chiefly $6 million in property tax and $12 million in sales tax shortfalls — but spent about $40 million less than budgeted, yielding a $29 million net operations surplus. Combined with strong interest income for the year, the unaudited ending fund balance was roughly $332 million.

Why it matters: Cook and finance staff outlined both the improvement in available funds and the trade‑offs the council faces. Staff recommended modestly increasing the unassigned general-fund reserve target to 22 percent of operations while reserving money to fill capital funding gaps from prior bond programs.

Fiscal highlights: The presentation displayed these key figures — a beginning FY24 general-fund balance of about $306 million; a revenue shortfall of roughly $11 million compared with budget (primarily lower property and sales tax receipts); operating expenditures that trailed budget by about $40 million; and net operations surplus of approximately $29 million. Interest and investment income for FY24 added another $29.7 million. Finance recommended transferring $5 million to the risk-management fund to cover claims exposures and leaving about $24.7 million of net interest income available for one‑time uses.

Reserves and capital availability: After accounting for previously committed and rolled-over obligations and proposed assignments, staff identified about $47 million available for capital projects. Staff proposed raising the unassigned reserve target from the existing baseline to 22 percent of the general-fund budget (about $232.6 million unassigned) and noted the city’s multi-year debt capacity modeling has been revised to reflect a slightly lower property-tax base and a plan to use a larger tax-note authorization to fund ambulance replacement tied to the MedStar transition.

Debt and capacity: Cook walked the council through an updated debt-capacity forecast that showed available capacity depends on assumptions including assessed-value growth (staff modeled a conservative 3 percent scenario vs. an earlier 4 percent assumption), and an adjustment to tax-note issuance to support ambulance purchases. Staff said the revised forecast and the $47 million available for capital do not solve an estimated roughly $108 million shortfall across the 2014–2022 bond programs and that council would be asked to prioritize allocations in subsequent meetings.

Next steps: Finance will present the city’s annual audited comprehensive financial report at a Feb. 18 council briefing and return with recommendations for allocating the $47 million for capital uses and options for addressing bond-program gaps. City staff urged caution about relying on higher interest income as a recurring revenue source because market rates may change.

Source: Presentation and remarks by City Manager David Cook and finance staff at the Fort Worth City Council work session, Jan. 14, 2025.","City Manager David Cook reported preliminary unaudited FY2024 figures showing a $29 million net operations surplus, higher interest income and a projected ending general fund balance of about $332 million; staff identified roughly $47 million available for capital projects and proposed increasing the unassigned reserve target to 22 percent.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Trinity Metro outlines growth, TexRail medical-district extension gains federal funding but few short-term operating revenues

Fort Worth and Local 440 reach MOU for MedStar transition; council to consider agreement Jan. 28

Fort Worth names Sonny Saxton emergency management lead after winter storm; city says response kept shelters and critical services running

Fort Worth proposes refocused homelessness spending and stronger camp cleanup enforcement after stakeholder review

Fort Worth reports $29 million in net FY24 operations gain; $47 million identified for capital but council urged to weigh priorities