The Bond Advisory Committee gathered proposed capital projects from around New Braunfels. The 24 community members on the committee narrowed down a list of around $400 million worth of projects to about $180 million for the council to consider.
“Over the next few months, City Council will be reviewing that information and making a determination and decision to identify the list of projects and potentially call for a bond election. ... The bond capacity we're looking at is still $140 million, and it is still considering no tax rate increase,” said Garry Ford, transportation and capital improvements director for the city of New Braunfels.
Of the around $183 million proposed for 2023 bond projects, transportation projects encompass 67.2% of the funding. The new library facility has 15.6% of the proposed funds with 8% going toward drainage projects and 9.2% allocated toward parks and recreation.
“We went through a very extensive project development process to make sure that we potentially provide the community with projects that city staff feels are project ready where we can deliver within the time frame,” Ford said.
The City Council will hold a workshop Nov. 21 to discuss project details and the bond advisory committee recommendations. On Dec. 5, a second workshop will be held to receive community input and discuss project scenarios.
From December to January, City Council will discuss and finalize project scenarios and propositions. In January, council may call for a 2023 bond program election, which would take place in May.
