The Dallas Police Department's Law Enforcement Training Center and public training safety complex still needs up to $250 million in funds — and city staff floated the idea of a bond election to fill the funding gap.
But several city council members pushed back on asking voters for additional money on a project that previously received bond money two years ago.
Council Member Adam Bazaldua said it was a "slap in the face" to voters and other projects that council members said were a priority, like public safety facilities for Dallas Fire-Rescue.
"This is just a horrible message to send to the public, and this isn't the way we should be doing business," Bazaldua said. "We told them that this was going to be private funded."
Voters approved the $90 million bond in May 2024 for public safety facilities. The bond designated $50 million for the construction of a police training academy.
Plans for a police training academy have been in the works since 2021 and, at the time, was estimated to cost $140 million. The city entered into a non-binding agreement with UNT Dallas to put the training facility on a 20-acre site on campus.
That facility is expected to have a groundbreaking in September of this year with an opening estimated for June 2028. The updated cost for the training center is now estimated to be $227 million, with a current funding gap of $82 million — more than double than the initial estimate.
A second component of the project includes a public training safety complex at the northeast corner of the Dallas Executive Airport. That project is estimated to cost $169 million.
The total cost for the project is estimated to be nearly $400 million. The project has received the $50 million from the May 2024 bond, along with state grants, money from the Caruth Fund at Communities Foundation of Texas, and private fundraising commitments.
Residents raised concerns about the cost of the project last year, with several speaking out about the lease agreement deal with UNT Dallas and lack of certainty about the costs.
Assistant City Manager Dev Rastogi said staff proposed the City Council consider calling a bond election for November to help fund the projects. City Council would have to call the bond by August 12 in order for it to be on the November ballot.
Adding a $250 million bond program would delay projects from the 2024 bond program, Chief Financial Officer Jack Ireland said. It would change the implementation timeline from five to six years, and it would reduce the 2029 bond program by $100 million.
"We would still be able to deliver on the projects that were approved by the voters in 2024, but if this is a higher priority at this particular time of council, it would push some of those other projects out," Ireland said, clarifying that no projects would be cancelled but delayed.
Council Member Bill Roth said he saw the project as two separate deals and wanted to move forward with the higher priority one: the training center.
"My suggestion is that our position here needs to be to validate this project, get it started, do what we can do with the funds we have, make a commitment to try to raise the balance, and then focus on trying to figure out a plan for the [Public Safety Training Complex]," Roth said.
The police academy has been in the works for more than 30 years. Because of that, Mayor Pro Tem Jesse Moreno said he also didn't want to see a phased approach.
"The time is now," Moreno said. "We've got to move forward with this, guys."
Council Member Laura Cadena said she was concerned about the delay in the 2024 bond projects and a delay in the 2029 bond. She said District 6 needed help with its playgrounds, swimming pool, and a new fire station on Chalk Hill Road.
"That's something that my community's been wanting," Cadena said. "However, our police station is long overdue for improved facilities, and our employees deserve good working conditions."
City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert said staff will come back for a finance conversation about the project in May with additional updates in June.
"So overall, I think between now and June, we want to have a better understanding of where we are," Tolbert said. "We will continue to do our homework and our due diligence to make sure that all of your questions and your concerns have been addressed over the next 60 days."
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