The $181 million bond will be presented to voters May 6 with four different propositions. The primary drainage improvements proposition, or Proposition A, consists of $105.5 million in 14 street and neighborhood drainage projects that were previously selected by a citizens committee. Proposition B costs $26.1 million for streets, sidewalks and bridges projects; Proposition C consists of two park and recreation projects for $33.7 million; and Proposition D is $15.9 million for the construction of a new fire station.
The bond's primary focus is the sweeping drainage improvements in an effort to address longstanding drainage needs in parts of the city with aged infrastructure that have faced repetitive flooding and home losses. Should any of the propositions be rejected by voters, the City Council would need to find alternative sources of funding to pay for the projects, if its members intend to pursue them.
"If the voters vote down a project, I'm going to have a hard time sitting up here and voting to approve [certificates of obligation] to pay for it," Mayor Pro Tem Tony Carbone said.
Certificates of obligation are a method of borrowing money that the city can use for capital improvement projects without requiring voter approval.
Voters will be able to approve or disapprove of each individual proposition. The bond election will be the first since a 2019 bond, which resulted in all five propositions passing.
