Click here to learn more about the upcoming Bond Election.
The City of Fort Worth will hold bond and charter elections on Saturday, May 2. The ballot will include six bond propositions and nine proposed charter amendments. Each will be voted on separately. Residents in District 10 will also vote in a special election to fill a vacancy created by Councilmember Alan Blaylock’s resignation.
Here is additional information from Linda Fulmer, our neighbor:
The Texas Legislature now requires that any local ballot with bond package propositions must have each item preceded by these words in all capital letters: THIS WILL BE A TAX INCREASE
This is incorrect and fear mongering. The May 2026 local election includes a bond package that includes significant money for Gateway Park, along with other essential infrastructure needs. For this reason, we are asking you to share the following information with your neighborhoods.
Cities can borrow money by selling municipal bonds. Bonds are promises to repay debt, with interest, over a long period of years.
Municipal bonds are a win-win; cities are able to borrow money at a very low interest rate. And the investors who loan the money by buying the bonds don’t have to pay income tax on the interest that they earn.
When you approve propositions in a Fort Worth bond election, you authorize the City to borrow money by selling bonds, and to use that money for specific long-term capital purposes, such as streets, parks (like Gateway Park), and libraries.
The City repays that borrowing and interest from its property tax revenue. The City’s property tax rate is currently 67¢ per $100 of assessed value, and it has declined almost every year for the past 25 years, from 89.9¢ in 1991.
Of the current 67¢ rate, 14.75¢ is dedicated to repaying bond debt. That rate has declined from 41.08¢ in 1991, despite the fact that Fort Worth has passed several bond elections during that time. And despite the state-required disclaimer declaring a tax increase, no increase is expected this time, either.
How is this possible The City spaces its bond elections about four years apart. And just because bonds are approved, they are not immediately sold. As previous bonds are paid off, the city then has the capacity to sell new ones and begin work on the associated capital projects. Just like when you pay off your old car loan, you can now afford a loan for a new car. By managing its borrowing in this way, the city is able to make payments on new bonds within the funding provided by the current property tax rate.
Also, as new properties are developed in Fort Worth, they add to property tax revenues and the City’s ability to repay bonds. And — truth in advertising — if the value of existing properties (your house and mine) goes up, then they will pay more into the tax coffers, too, even if the rates don’t go up. But in part, that revenue from higher values is how the City has been able to lower the tax rate over the years.
We all want better streets, nicer parks, and the other amenities that bond funding can provide. That’s why we must ignore the state’s fear-mongering and pass this bond election. For a listing of items included in this bond election, the city has made available a 2026 bond book. You can also get an electronic version at fortworthtexas.gov (2026-bond-program-booklet_final_260325_digital-1.pdf). ===================================
Please share this information. The election is Saturday, May 2nd.
Many thanks,
Linda Fulmer
Linda Fulmer is a nonprofit contractor who gratefully serves as the Executive Director for Healthy Tarrant County Collaboration, Fund Manager for Fort Worth Promotion & Development Fund, Finance Contractor for Challenge of Tarrant County and Housing Opportunities of Fort Worth, CHNA Administrator for the Center for Children’s Health at Cook Children’s, Title III Monitor for the Area Agencies on Aging for Tarrant County and Southeast Texas, and NIH-CEAL Project Manager for the United Way of Tarrant County.