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State Rep. Chris Turner presents $2.8 million parks grant, highlights recent state bills
Summary
State Representative Chris Turner presented a $2.8 million Texas Parks and Wildlife grant for Fish Creek Linear Park and briefed the Grand Prairie City Council on recently passed state legislation affecting assisted-living licensing and appraisal timing.
State Representative Chris Turner presented a ceremonial check to the Grand Prairie City Council for a $2,800,000 Lone Star Parks grant to fund lighting and amenities along the Fish Creek Linear Park trail.
Turner told the council he was “thrilled to present this, $2,800,000, grant to the city of Grand Prairie.” He said the Fish Creek trail, a 3.38-mile linear park that runs near Matlock, would receive added lighting and other amenities funded by the award.
Turner used his remarks to update the council on work in Austin. He told the council he helped pass legislation he said “makes it a crime to operate an assisted living facility without a license in the state of Texas,” a measure he credited to collaboration with Grand Prairie Police Department staff who helped draft and testify for the bill.
He also described passage of House Bill 148, which he summarized as requiring mandatory training for appraisal district board members in larger counties, and told the council his committee clarified that property appraisals must be done “as of January 1 every year.” Turner said those changes respond to Tarrant County’s recent reappraisal plan and may affect local revenue and property-owner fairness.
Turner warned the council that a special legislative session was upcoming and that the governor planned proposals “to further hamper local government's ability to raise revenue and how you finance debt.” He said he would remain engaged on ways-and-means issues during the session and requested input from the council about possible local impacts.
Council members who spoke thanked Turner for securing the parks grant and for his legislative work. Turner noted that, including a prior $2,000,000 award for Tyree Park four years ago, the state investment in Grand Prairie parks totaled about $4,800,000 in the last four years.
The presentation was ceremonial; no council vote was required for the check presentation itself. Council members accepted the check on behalf of the city and invited Turner and staff to appear for a photo.
For follow-up: city staff will proceed with grant acceptance and project planning for Fish Creek Linear Park improvements, and council members said they would coordinate with Turner about the special session proposals and appraisal-law implementation.
