Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Fort Worth council debates shifting public-art bond set-asides as staff proposes expanding affordable housing funding
Summary
Council discussed increasing 2026 bond capacity and shifting $2.9 million in public-art set-asides toward sidewalks or creating a standalone art proposition; councilmembers were split—some defended public art and local-artist participation, while others pressed for reallocation to sidewalks and basic infrastructure. Staff will bring a public-art ordinance amendment April 14 and the bond election ordinance is tentatively scheduled for Feb. 10.
City staff told Fort Worth’s council they had secured an additional $5 million in bond capacity, increasing the proposed 2026 bond program from $840 million to $845 million and recommended allocating an additional $5 million toward affordable housing, bringing that proposition to $10 million.
April Rose Escamilla, presenting the bond alignment, said a December refunding produced roughly $65 million in general-purpose bond refinancing that translated to roughly $460,000 in average annual debt-service savings, permitting the $5 million capacity increase. "We're able to increase the bond program, meaning our debt capacity has increased," she said.
On affordable housing, Casey Thomas described the council’s intent to target "attainable" homeownership and to expand uses beyond single-family lot acquisition to rental-family housing, rehab, and permanent supportive housing. Thomas said staff would return individual project proposals to council for approval.
The m…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
