During its meeting Nov. 27, Jersey Village City Council directed city staff to begin the process of preparing for a bond election in November 2024, which will likely include convening a bond committee.
The new bond election would focus on propositions centered around issuing bonds to fund park and pool renovations as that proposition did not pass during the Nov. 7 election.
In case you missed it
In the Nov. 7 election, Jersey Village voters approved two of the three bond propositions on the ballot:
- Proposition B, which will issue $15.8 million in bonds for water and sewer improvements
- Proposition C, which will issue $18 million in bonds for road and bridge repairs
The bond proposition that did not pass—Proposition A—would have issued $19 million in bonds to fund pool and park renovations.
What else?
Council members also briefly discussed the state of the city’s pool, which City Manager Austin Bleess said would likely not last past the 2024 season without “extensive and expensive maintenance.”
Council member Jennifer McCrea said anyone with intent to use the pool should consider making alternative plans.
“The pool is on its last leg and there’s a possibility of it not making it through the season,” McCrea said. “So just be aware of that.”
Council member James Singleton echoed what McCrea said during discussion.
“Absolutely. They should be well aware the risk they are taking by continuing to contract with us for the pool,” Singleton said. “It is a very, very high-risk situation for them.”
Both Mayor Bobby Warren and McCrea requested an item be put on a future meeting agenda to allow for further discussion regarding the city's pool.
Quote of note
“I do not feel like it is responsible to push anything to the May election. We will not have enough time. That’s the whole problem we had is we rushed things,” Singleton said. “I think that we should do a bond committee, not set any dollar amounts or anything today. We should do a bond committee, allow them to look and study at this and put it on the November election.”
Stay tuned
Jersey Village City Council did not take any official action regarding a new bond election and just provided city staff with direction. Council’s next regular meeting is scheduled for Dec. 18.
