Mayor Mattie Parker gave her State of the City address at Dickies Arena Oct. 24 where she confirmed she will run for a third term as mayor of Fort Worth.

The details

Speaking for nearly 45 minutes, Parker gave attendees updates on various subjects, including:
  • Budget and city services
  • Transportation and infrastructure
  • Parks and recreation
  • Public safety and EMS
  • Convention and tourism
  • Education
“Our success as a city has been built over time through thoughtful planning, hard work and sometimes good timing, but most importantly through the strength of our people,” Parker said.

Zooming out

Parker’s state of the city address comes on the heels of the city council unanimously approving its fiscal year 2025 operating budget of $2.8 billion on Sept. 17 and staff presenting $2.7 billion worth of projects for the proposed 2026 bond program during a council work session Oct. 23.


According to a city news release, these projects include:
  • $1.7 billion for road construction and improvements
  • $516.5 million for park improvements and renovations
  • $102.9 million for new fire stations and other refurbishments
  • $81.7 million for a police communications center and the Seventh Patrol Division
  • $49 million for two new library branches
  • $22.5 million to acquire open space
Zooming in

Parker used her address to not only summarize key recent accomplishments, she also spoke about the importance of planning for the future to ensure Fort Worth—one of America’s fastest growing cities—can stay ahead of the growth.

“We must plan with purpose, as we simply can’t afford to move forward without understanding what growth and infrastructure will look like 10, 20, even 50 years from now,” Parker said.

Parker talked about the city's Good Natured Initiative, where she spelled out goals of growing the city’s park system collaboratively, uniting public and private partners and preserving at least 10,000 acres of open space over the next five years.


She also touched on the fact that convention and tourism business is a key economic driver for the city. In 2023, Fort Worth hosted more than 11 million visitors, which generated $3.4 billion in economic impact and supported 32,000 jobs.

Parker wrapped up her speech by discussing the importance of education and how “all of our children, no matter their zip code, deserve a world-class education.”

She highlighted several higher education expansion projects, including: