While city staff have been working on this specific iteration of a new campus since last fall, City Manager Austin Bleess said efforts to improve and centralize facilities date back to 1985. However, community members have historically disagreed over the location, cost and scale of past attempts to revamp City Hall.
The overview
City officials purchased six buildings from The Church at Jersey Village, located at the corner of Jersey Drive and Rio Grande Street, for $4.2 million in fall 2024, Community Impact previously reported. After several public feedback meetings, City Council voted in May to pursue a $24 million certificate of obligation to renovate the property into a modern, community-focused city campus.
“This project invests in the community by providing amenities the community has said they want,” Bleess said. “By bonding for it, the asset will last longer than paying off the bonds, but it also ensures that people who move into the community are paying for it too.”
However, residents petitioned against the certificate of obligation in June, requiring the city to seek voter approval for the bond in the general election or scrap the project, per Texas law. After lowering the proposed amount from $24 million, City Council voted Aug. 18 to place a $21.6 million city campus bond on the November ballot.
Bleess said the city hall on Lakeview Drive poses several structural and safety concerns, and it's a smarter investment for the city to pivot to the city campus. The $21.6 million figure is an opinion of probable cost from a contractor, Bleess said.
The proposal includes partial demolition and renovation of the six church buildings—totaling about 54,000 square feet—with an emphasis on community space, according to an August schematic design.
Details in the schematic design are subject to change, Bleess said, but relocating public works, parks and recreation, and utilities staff to the west side of Hwy. 290 could save the city over $1,700 per week in fuel costs and staff time, Community Impact previously reported.
According to city documents, the city campus bond, if approved, would add an estimated monthly property tax impact between $15.61-$28.61, depending on home value.
For those with an over-65 tax exemption and a homestead exemption, the estimated tax impact ranges from $8.26-$21.26 monthly, depending on home value.
Council member Jennifer McCrea said the new facilities would help Jersey Village attract new residents. She said the current city hall is not a good environment for city staff or community members in need of civic space.
However, council member Simon Hughes, who voted against the Aug. 18 motion to place the bond on the ballot, said there’s a clear need for a new city hall, but the city should not be spending money on a project of this scale. He said it would be more reasonable to spend $6 million-$10 million on a city hall with fewer amenities.
The local impact
Jersey Village Senior Outreach, a local nonprofit for residents ages 55 or older, frequently uses civic space to host meetings and events.
Several JVSO members told Community Impact they need more space to operate, and without a city complex, they’d have to cut a large chunk of programs from their calendar.
“When [the city] bought the new complex—and for the time being they’re allowing us to use that—it has really opened up for us to provide a lot more activities to our members,” JVSO Programs Coordinator Karie Lawrence said.
Resident Allison Ray, who runs the local Young Men’s Service League and Girl Scouts troop, also said her organizations would benefit from more community classroom space. She said they currently meet in the city’s civic auditorium, but the room is in high demand in Jersey Village.
What they're saying
- “I want our city hall and our community space to match our [Jersey Village] pride. ... What we have currently does not, and we need more space as a community.” - Jennifer McCrea, Jersey Village City Council member
- “I don’t think based on our current projected expenses for the city that taking on the amount of debt in this particular bond ... is warranted.” - Simon Hughes, Jersey Village City Council member
Residents will also vote on two other bond propositions—$20 million for utility infrastructure improvements and $6.5 million for a municipal pool—which Community Impact previously reported were also petitioned in June for voter approval.
The city campus bond follows nearly 40 years of work toward a new facility, which faced roadblocks such as voter disapproval over the years.
2025 bond timeline
1985: Need for a new city hall first discussed
Early 90s: $4.2 million bond proposal for city master plan fails
1999-2002: Municipal center master plan created; residents voted against; city moves into current Lakeview Drive building
2009-2020: Proposed Village Center project announced, developed but ultimately scrapped
2024: City purchases six buildings for renovation and partial demolition
May 2025: City council authorizes certificate of obligation for the project
June-Aug 2025: Residents petition against the certificate of obligation bond placed on November ballot
