Politics
Dallas voters to weigh $443 million bond tying police facilities to 911 center move
Proposition A would fund a police training complex and relocate the city’s 911 call center from City Hall, with total repayment estimated at $629 million. Supporters say the money is needed to finish public safety projects; opponents warn the measure could open the door to leaving City Hall.
Dallas voters will decide Nov. 3 whether the city should issue $443 million in bonds for public safety projects, including a new police training facility and the relocation of the 911 call center from City Hall. With interest, the debt could cost the city as much as $629 million, according to the city’s estimate cited in the proposal’s debate.
The package has divided City Council members and public safety groups. Council member Maxie Johnson endorsed Proposition A at a news conference Thursday alongside representatives of the Dallas Police Association, Black Police Association and Black Firefighters Association. Johnson said the bond would provide needed funding for the training facility and that officials should be accountable to residents for the shortfall.
Construction on the police training center at UNT Dallas began in September, and a gun range near Dallas Executive Airport is also planned. The projects are expected to cost more than $300 million, and supporters say they cannot be completed without the bond. Johnson said the city was now asking residents to approve money that had not been fully included when the projects were initially proposed.
Council member Cara Mendelsohn is among the opponents. She says the language linking the 911 center’s move to the bond could be an initial step toward vacating City Hall. Last month, Dallas Police Association President Sean Pease also called for greater clarity, saying voters should know whether the projects would actually receive funding.
Mendelsohn sought to amend the bond language at a City Council meeting, but the proposal failed on an 8-7 vote. She supports presenting a revised measure to voters in May that would require the money to be used for the police training facilities.
City Manager T.C. Broadnax said in a statement that Proposition A is an important step toward modernizing public safety operations. Early voting begins Oct. 19, ahead of Election Day on Nov. 3.