The Denton City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved the issuance of $254 million in certificates of obligation bonds to fund projects such as renovating the municipal court ($1 million), cleaning up the Police Department gun range ($2 million), replacing vehicles ($2.9 million) and adding a fire engine and police vehicles ($2.9 million).
According to Tuesday鈥檚 staff presentation, $27 million of the funds will be used to supplement projects from the , and some of it will go toward replacing old and adding new infrastructure due to growth.
Unlike general obligation bonds, certificates of obligation bonds and don鈥檛 require voter approval 鈥� unless 5% of qualified voters within the jurisdiction petition for an election on the spending, according to the state comptroller鈥檚 office.
The state allows local governments to issue CO bonds for specific purposes such as public safety, facility renovations and utility system improvements.
Total amounts for each department are as follows:
- General government 鈥� $33.6 million, a reduction of $1.34 million originally requested
- Solid waste 鈥� $11.1 million
- Water utility 鈥� $80.6 million
- Wastewater utility 鈥� $77.1 million
- Electric utility 鈥� $44 million, a reduction of $3.9 million originally requested
The city expects to receive the funding in late August.
Council members didn鈥檛 discuss the line items for the funding at their Tuesday night meeting, but they did offer comment at the council meeting May 20, when the bond items were first discussed. Council member Jill Jester, for example, questioned staff on if the amounts had been lowered based on budget forecasting and if they had been 鈥渨orked thoroughly,鈥� which staff affirmed.
鈥淲ell, I appreciate you all working to make sure we鈥檙e only doing this as necessary,鈥� Jester said.
Devin Taylor, a member of the Public Utilities Board, mentioned at the board鈥檚 May 19 meeting that it was a significant amount of debt to address a significant list of projects that he said were necessary.
鈥淎 lot of this is related to the continued growth that we鈥檙e experiencing as a city,鈥� Taylor said.
On Wednesday, council member Brian Beck said the council is in the process of adjusting the impact fees that developers pay to address the cost of new growth.
As of Sept. 30, the city in , of which about $1.3 billion is council-approved general obligation debt.
The $254 million approved Tuesday night will cover projects for several departments. Here are highlights of those projects and costs, rounded, from the staff presentation:
General government COs
- Playground at North Pointe Park on Hercules Lane 鈥� $320,000
- Implementation items for Denton鈥檚 transportation plan, with the goal of ending roadway fatalities 鈥� $1.17 million
- Phase 3 鈥� $8 million
- Phase 5 鈥� $2 million
Solid waste
- Cell 5 and 6 construction 鈥� $4 million
- Vehicles (new additions) 鈥� $285,711
- Vehicles (replacements) 鈥� $3.65 million
Water utility
- Bonnie Brae project Phases 3, 5 and 6 鈥� $1.68 million
- Clear Creek slope maintenance 鈥� $1 million
- Phase 2 鈥� $3 million
- Ray Roberts Water Treatment Plant capacity rerate and performance upgrades 鈥� $29.2 million
- Westgate Road project and drainage 鈥� $560,000
Wastewater utility
- Bonnie Brae project Phases 3-6 wastewater upgrades 鈥� $2 million
- Milam Creek Basin wastewater line and lift station 鈥� $24 million
- Mingo/Ruddell Street quiet-zone sewer upgrades 鈥� $1 million
- Service center renovations 鈥� $4 million
Electric utility
- Distribution substations 鈥� $5 million
- Feeder extensions and improvements 鈥� $9 million
- New residential and commercial 鈥� $2 million
- Transmission substation 鈥� $10 million
- Denton Municipal Electric production plant 鈥� $6.4 million