Page 305 - N. Richland Hills General Budget

CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM OVERVIEW

As of October 2020 the City has issued all but $425,000 for projects approved in the 1994 bond
election: $19.6 million in street bonds, $1.9 million of drainage bonds, and $1.7 million in public
safety bonds.

2003 Bond Election Program

In fiscal year 2002, City Council appointed a Citizens Capital Improvements Study Committee to
evaluate major capital project needs for the City over the following seven to ten years. The
Committee evaluated and prioritized streets, drainage, and facility improvements that would benefit
the citizens of North Richland Hills. City management and staff analyzed the financial impact of the
capital improvements program. The analysis included factors such as existing debt service
obligations, the issuance of the remaining 1994 bond authorization, estimates of future property
value growth, and impact on future operations.

The results of the analysis were based on conservative estimates of future property value growth and
the scheduled retirement of existing debt. The analysis indicated that the 2003 debt tax rate of $0.24
per hundred dollar valuation would support over $40 million of debt service through the year 2010.
The committee identified $38.2 million (over $30 million for street improvements alone) in projects
needed to improve the infrastructure and provide essential services to the citizens of North Richland
Hills. The committee presented the project list to City Council who called a bond election for
February 1, 2003. The referendum consisted of five separate propositions including twenty-two street
projects (arterial, collector, and residential streets), two drainage projects, and five municipal
facilities projects.
All of the propositions, except for the proposed authorization of $1 million in general obligation bonds
for Maintenance Service Center improvements, were approved by the voters, and are now a part of
the long-range financial plan of the City. The propositions are presented in the following table (in
thousands of dollars):

Amount Amount Issued 2021 Authorized
Authorized Through 2020 Issue Un-issued
Streets $30,010 $26,310 $3,700 $0
Drainage 4,000 3,840 160 0
Public Safety Facilities 1,900 1,900 0 0
Animal Rescue
Center Expansion 1,300 1,300 0 0

Totals: $37,210 $33,350 $3,860 $0

*Note: Figures reported in $1,000 (thousands).

Approved street projects included eight arterial streets, six collector streets, and eight residential
streets. Some of the major street projects were: Rufe Snow Drive, North Tarrant Parkway, Glenview
Drive, and Grapevine Highway. The two drainage projects were Holiday West Channel and
Meadowview Estates Channel. Approved facilities projects were: Fire Training Facility expansion
and upgrade, Fire Stations #2 and #3 upgrades, Public Safety Facility upgrade, and the Animal
Adoption and Rescue Center expansion. As part of the fall 2020 bond sale staff issued the remaining
authorized balance of $3,860,000 for the Glenview Drive East Project (ST2006).

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