Balch Springs council keeps Spring Oaks and Shepherd sections in $13M streets plan

The Balch Springs City Council voted on May 20, 2025, to proceed with the street sections included in the city’s 2025–26 Capital Improvement Program, keeping Spring Oaks and a portion of Shepherd Road in the plan.

Charles Finner, the city manager, and public‑services staff reviewed the CIP spreadsheet and alternatives and recommended keeping Spring Oaks and the Shepherd section from Elam to the recreation center in the initial bond issuance. The CIP package discussed at the meeting totals roughly $13,000,000 and combines streets, park matches and economic‑development items tied to existing grants.

Finner outlined the major allocations in the package: about $2,000,000 tied to economic‑development work that requires a local match (including an Elam Road grant with a city match of about $400,000, a city‑center land acquisition allowance up to $500,000, and a trail project of about $1.2 million). Staff identified Spring Oaks as a high‑priority reconstruction, citing long‑standing drainage and pavement failures; Spring Oaks was discussed at an estimated cost of about $4.8 million. The Shepherd Road corridor work was described as a larger corridor project, with the portion proposed for this CIP (from Elam to the recreation center) estimated at just under $7,000,000.

Finner said the city expects to fund the issuance within current debt‑service capacity and that the planned issuance would not trigger a tax increase because of available I&S (interest and sinking) levy capacity. “There won’t be a tax increase on that side,” he said, and he urged the council to be strategic about which streets go first because drainage and connectivity require coordinated work across adjacent streets.

Council discussion emphasized public communication and sequencing. Council member Hill asked staff to notify neighbors and teachers when construction begins. Members representing District 7 said Spring Oaks sees heavy daily traffic and worried that work around the street without fixing Spring Oaks’ drainage would shift problems onto that corridor.

A motion to continue with the streets as presented in the CIP passed on a roll call; council members who recorded votes were Hill, Mayor Pro Tem Garcia, Gabriel, Patino, Miles and Bridal (all voting yes). The motion passed and staff will proceed with the CIP process, including finalizing bond issuance timing and subsequent ordinance approvals.

Staff also said the city will continue to pursue grants for additional street projects and will present a prioritized three‑ to five‑year street plan with worst‑first ordering so councilmembers can inform constituents about when specific streets are scheduled for work.