Justin City Council voted unanimously at last Thursday’s meeting to call for a bond election that would dedicate $19 million in funding to renovate City Hall.
The proposed bond will be put on the ballot in November for voters to decide whether to approve or deny it. It aims to renovate the 12,500-square-foot City Hall and the attached gymnasium in Old Town.
“If you recognize the need, if you’re a senior and want to use the senior facilities, if you want to have an indoor basketball gym and you recognize the library needs some help, then get out and support this,” said Mayor James Clark. “If passed, it’s a gym, it’s some flex space, it’s a library upgrade, it’s a hardened storm space… those are the facts.”
If passed, the bond would be issued in 2027 and taxpayers will see the increased rate reflected on their tax bills starting in 2028.
Justin’s Financial Advisor Nick Bulaich said the City often projects the tax rate to be higher than it ends up being.
For example, Bulaich said Council passed a bond for the new fire station at 17.12 cents per $100 of taxable value and the tax rate ended up being adopted at 14.5 cents per $100 of taxable value.
Bulaich has done this as a way to try to account for economy volatility and future interest rates.
“There is some conservatism there,” said Bulaich. “I know I’m going to miss it because we’re talking about projections years down the road, but I’d rather miss it the good way.”
Council member James Castle and Mayor Clark said this bond could also decrease further down the road, but they also tried to make the project as affordable for the taxpayers of Justin as possible now.
“I’m not crazy about spending anybody’s money,” said Castle. “But it’s a need and the city deserves it, City staff deserves it and it should have been done a while ago.”
Castle continued that the renovations would be beneficial to both the city and its residents, logistically and aesthetically.
“The citizens need to come to a place they’re proud of,” said Castle. “It solves a bunch of needs at a minimum amount of dollars than it was before. I hope you guys support it.”
Since the vote passed and a bond election is officially to be put on the November ballot, city staff and council members are not allowed, by state law, to advocate for or against the bond in connection with the city. They can only provide facts about the proposition.
Clark said the work has been done by council advocating to citizens why the bond would be beneficial, now it is time for residents to use their voice to decide.
“The reality is we’ve had the opportunity to tell everyone why we need it, I think people recognize we need it,” he said. “We need the citizens that have moved here expecting the City to provide things to be vocal. The only people in the City of Justin are the ones that don’t want it and that’s how it is every time.”
Council also said the City will look to refinance some of the debt it is currently paying off in order to alleviate some cost to taxpayers by 2028, when the payments would begin, if the bond is passed.
For more information and to keep up with future updates on the bond, visit Justin’s website.
