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Ad hoc committee recommends $50.9 million bond package, proposes 1-cent tax estimate for November ballot
Summary
A citizen bond ad hoc committee recommended a $50.9 million bond package across drainage, streets, parks and facilities and proposed packaging by proposition; the committee urged public surveying and additional council workshops before deciding whether to call an election for November.
The Friendswood 2026 bond ad hoc committee presented its final recommendations to city council, proposing a $50.9 million package across four categories — drainage, streets, parks and facilities — and recommending multiple propositions so voters can choose which items to fund.
Committee chair Robin Hall said the group reviewed roughly $182 million in proposed projects and narrowed priorities through subcommittees and public engagement. "We reviewed over $182 million worth of proposed projects," Hall said, explaining the committee’s process of ranking projects by criticality, efficiency and community benefit.
The committee recommended approximately $20 million for drainage neighborhood projects, $11 million for streets (including specific street reconstruction and sidewalks), $13.6 million for parks and recreation upgrades (sports complex, pool work, bulkhead repairs), and about $6 million for facilities improvements (fuel stations, parking, fire-station expansion, City Hall renovations).
On financing, the finance subcommittee reported debt-capacity timing that would allow roughly $40 million in debt to be issued without raising the tax rate; the committee recommended asking voters for a 1-cent tax increase estimated as an annual $41.19 on the average existing home valued near $500,000 (estimates are preliminary). The committee emphasized that design, bidding and inflation uncertainties mean estimates will be refined before any bond sale.
Committee members did not reach consensus on several larger optional items — notably a downtown recreation center and an additional $32 million in drainage projects from the recently completed master drainage plan — and placed those items in an 'additional options' section for council consideration.
Next steps the committee proposed: an electronic public survey to gauge appetite and willingness to pay, presentation of proposed propositions to council in July, and a possible call for a special election in August to place propositions on the November ballot if council directs.
