Kyle officials call for $37 million bond election for public safety center

Skyrocketing population growth in the city of Kyle—724% over 20 years according to city data—has resulted in officials calling for a $37 million bond election to finance a new public safety center.

A release from the city of Kyle states Proposition A, if passed, will finance the design, construction and equipping of the 64,000-square-foot, two-story facility that would begin construction immediately and be complete in roughly 14 months.

City Council passed the bond package during a special Aug. 17 meeting, but development of the bond dates back to 2011, when Brinkley Sargent Architects completed a needs assessment for the Kyle Police Department.

City information states the center would provide dedicated space to fully staff KPD in a single location and provide room to grow over the next two decades. The center would also have space dedicated to create an emergency operations center to facilitate collaboration with other cities during disasters, pandemics and other communitywide security threats.

“We’ve adapted as best as possible to our current facilities, but the limited space creates challenges for delivering public safety services to our growing community,” Police Chief Jeff Barnett said in the release. “A new Public Safety Center would provide dedicated space for the Police Department to increase officer training and pursue accreditation, accommodate victims or residents experiencing trauma as a result of crime, expand community-based programs and mental health services and more.”

City information states Kyle will be scheduling a series of virtual open houses in September and October to share additional information about Proposition A with community members. To learn more about the proposed bond for a public safety center, click here.