Beyond the congressional and state races, Dallas voters will find two local money questions on their Nov. 3 ballots: a $443 million city bond for public safety buildings and a Dallas County tax increase aimed at reducing homelessness. The deadline to register for that election is Monday, Oct. 5, and early voting starts Oct. 19.
The city's public safety bond
The bond would pay for five projects, according to a breakdown published Friday by the Dallas Free Press:
- $150 million for one facility combining the police property room, crime scene operations and storage for vehicles held as evidence
- $149 million for a public safety training complex at Dallas Executive Airport
- $82 million for a Law Enforcement Training Center at UNT Dallas
- $40 million to move the Emergency Operations Center and 911 facility out of City Hall
- $22 million to replace Fire Station No. 4 at Akard and Canton streets
With interest, repaying the bond is estimated at about $629 million.
The City Council voted 11-4 in August to call the election. Council members Adam Bazaldua, Paula Blackmon, Cara Mendelsohn and Paul Ridley voted no. Some council members questioned moving emergency and 911 operations while the future of City Hall itself is unsettled, and Mendelsohn proposed splitting the projects into separate propositions; that amendment failed.
Police Chief Daniel Comeaux has campaigned for the measure, arguing that modern facilities help the department compete for recruits. Dallas Police Association President Sean Pease has said the association will not take a position until contract talks over officers' benefits are settled, telling the station that employees' immediate concerns have to come first.
The county homelessness tax
Countywide, voters will decide whether to raise the Dallas County tax rate to fund homelessness programs. If approved, the rate would be $0.248650 per $100 of valuation, compared with $0.215500 last year, the Free Press reported. The county estimates the tax would raise about $100 million to clear encampments, expand access to mental health treatment and support housing programs run through the nonprofit Housing Forward.
