Willow Meadows Civic Club

Houston City Council has approved placing five bond measures on the November ballot to determine whether City Hall is authorized to borrow $410 million for projects related to public safety, parks, libraries, housing and general government.

Mayor Annise Parker emphasized that the measures do not call for a tax increase to pay the principal and interest on the bonds.  The actual language of the bond measures, however, authorizes a property tax increase if council later decides that it’s necessary, according to the Houston Chronicle.

The bond package includes:

• $144 million for public safety needs, including:
  • Improvements at neighborhood police stations citywide
  • Expansion of Fire Station 55, City Council District D
  • New fire station to serve Pine Brook area, City Council District E
  • Expansion of Fire Station 22, City Council District I
  • Fire station maintenance/improvements citywide
  • Facility security improvements
  • Other building repairs
• $166 million for parks, including the Bayou Greenways Project (a $200 million initiative to complete a 100-year old vision of continuous public parks and trails alongside every major bayou segment in the City of Houston) and:
  • Improvements at Haden, Busby Park, Judson Robinson Sr., Jaycee, Wright, Bembry,
    Hermann,Alief, Nieto, Squatty Lyons, Gragg, Braeburn, Glen and Wildheather parks
  • Pavilion replacements
  • Swimming pool upgrades and replacements
  • Ball field lighting upgrades
  • Trail replacement and overlays
• $57 million for health, sanitation/recycling, and general government improvements at city facilities not
  included in the other categories:
  • Renovation of the Westpark recycling facility, City Council District J
  • Renovation of the Central Depository, City Council District I
  • Possible repair of Sunnywide Multi-Service Center, City Council District D
  • Repairs to City Hall and City Hall Annex
  • Environmental Remediation
• $28 million for libraries, including:
  • Renovation of the Montrose Library, City Council District D
  • Replacement of the Moody Library, City Council District H
  • Replacement of the Meyer Library, City Council District K
  • Renovation of Robinson-Westchase Library, City Council District F
• $15 million for affordable housing. These dollars will be used for demolition of blighted properties to
  make way for new affordable housing.