La Marque council delays final vote on police-station bond after questions on cost, site and timing

La Marque city council members on Aug. 11 debated whether to place a proposed general obligation bond for a new police station on the Nov. 4 ballot, ultimately voting to delay a final decision until a special meeting next Monday so members can gather missing cost, site and committee recommendations.

The discussion centered on an ordinance on the agenda (Ordinance O-2025-0015) calling a bond election. "In connection with a bond election, you levy the tax only when you issue the bonds," Jonathan Frels, bond counsel with Bracewell, told the council, explaining that voters' approval alone does not immediately change the tax levy. "Having the election and gaining the authorization, the issuance of the bonds does not allow you to levy the tax at that time. It is only when you come back and take action as a council at the time that you issue the debt that you're gonna be levying the tax for that particular debt."

Why it matters: Council members and several residents said voters need clearer costing and siting information before being asked for approval. Several speakers warned the measure could fail if placed on the ballot without clearer voter materials, while others said delaying would prolong the department's time in a building they described as unsafe. The council voted to reconvene before 5 p.m. Monday, Aug. 18, to revisit the item.

Public commenters urged caution and more review. Robert Mstich, a resident, said the project estimate had jumped from earlier figures and asked for a transparent, engineering-led cost estimate before a bond is mailed to voters: "At 17 and a half million dollars, when it jumps from 9,000,000 ... we can't answer for that. And yet you wanna place this on a ballot." Vanessa McAfee, a member of the public, raised unrelated allegations about officials while urging investigation; Rashad Loftus, another resident, said voters deserve to see the location and exact cost before being asked to approve a bond.

Council members cited competing concerns. Councilmember Lowry and others urged caution and suggested moving the question to a future election if necessary; Councilmember Griffin and others argued the police department needs a new station and favored moving forward if the committee can provide clearer recommendations and cost breakdowns. Mayor Pro Tem and other members emphasized the need for a committee recommendation, a clear design from the city architect, and site analyses for the two candidate properties.

What the council did: Councilmember [motion mover not specified on the record] moved to reset the item and hold a meeting Monday, Aug. 18, before 5 p.m., to determine whether the bond order can be posted in time for the November election. The motion was seconded and passed on a voice vote.

Key details and outstanding items: - Ordinance referenced: O-2025-0015, calling a bond election for Nov. 4, 2025 (project described generally as construction of a new police station). Final proposition amounts and scope were said to be within council discretion and the voter information document would show estimated homeowner impact (bond counsel referenced a sample figure of about $1.06 per $100,000 home in the voter information document). The exact tax-rate analysis was deferred to the city’s financial adviser (Stifel), Frels said. - Committee recommendation: Council asked the public safety committee to deliver a recommendation; several council members requested additional information on both proposed sites, the architect’s revised (smaller) design and an updated cost estimate before the council votes. - Timeline: Staff said the legal deadline to adopt an order for the November ballot is Aug. 18; the council voted to reconvene before that deadline to decide.

Council members and staff said they will aim to produce more complete voter information and a committee recommendation before the special meeting. The council’s next step is the Monday meeting where members will decide whether to finalize the election order for November or to postpone it to a later election cycle.