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Addison staff proposes bond advisory committee to shape a May 2026 police-and-courts bond
Summary
Addison staff asked the council to form a 14-member bond advisory committee to study options and costs for a possible May 2, 2026 single-proposition bond to fund a new police-and-courts facility. Staff and the CFO outlined cost ranges and projected tax impacts; council members debated scope and a committee charge and agreed to return appointment language on Oct. 14.
Addison city staff asked the Town Council on Sept. 23 to form a 14-member bond advisory committee to develop options and a recommended dollar amount for a possible May 2, 2026 single-proposition bond to fund a new police and courts facility.
City staffer Sarah said the committee would provide “crucial community input” and review project options, and recommended two resident appointees per council member and three to four committee meetings from October to early January. Steven Glickman, the town’s chief financial officer, told the council a $50 million bond would, if approved by voters, raise the debt-service portion of the property-tax rate by roughly 5.6 cents, peaking around 23.45 cents in 2029. “Every $10,000,000 in project cost … would affect that property-tax estimate by about 1.1¢,” Glickman said.
Council members pressed staff on alternatives the committee should study. Several members asked that the committee examine rebuilding on the current site, gut-and-remodel scenarios and adaptive reuse of existing buildings. One council member said a clear budget cap or “charge” to the committee would be helpful to avoid a recommendation the town cannot afford; another cautioned that too-narrow a charge would make a committee redundant.
Mayor Bruce Arfston emphasized the public role in the process: after the committee issues a recommendation, “the voters get to decide,” and staff noted the legal deadline to call a May 2 election is Feb. 13, 2026. Staff said it will draft committee-formation language for the Oct. 14 council meeting and open applications (staff proposed opening applications Sept. 24 and closing Oct. 7). The council did not take a binding vote to call an election at the Sept. 23 meeting; it directed staff to return draft language and to bring the appointment item to the Oct. 14 meeting.
Why it matters: the committee would set the analytical and community-engagement framework the council and voters will use to weigh a major facilities investment. Glickman’s tax-rate projections provide a preliminary view of the cost to homeowners and the town’s debt-service profile if voters approve a bond.
What’s next: staff will draft formal language for committee formation and present appointments at the Oct. 14 council meeting; the council must decide before Feb. 13 whether to call a May 2, 2026 election.
