2023 Bond Election

The City of Justin has called for a proposed $88 million bond election on November 7, 2023, for the purpose of constructing new municipal facilities. The four propositions going before voters this fall include the construction of:

• Proposition A - Municipal Complex: $33.3 million

  • Construction of a new 28,900-square-foot City Hall facility will add 20,000 square feet of space from the current facility. It will provide additional space for administration, finance, development and building services, records management, police, and municipal court.

• Proposition B - Community Center and the Mary Emma Tate Library: $23.4 million

  • Currently, the Justin Public Library has 2,900 square-feet of space to serve residents. This proposition would cover reconstruction costs to the existing city hall building to expand the library facility which would enable the library to expand its current staff of three to seven and increase its current collection. This community center would also serve senior citizen groups, recreational sports leagues, etc. 

• Proposition C - Municipal Public Works Building: $9.6 million

  • A new facility for the City's public works department would expand its current space of 4,900 square-feet to 8,200 square-feet. With a current staff of 16, the new building can house up to 40 employees and equipment. Approximately 50 percent of the cost will be supported by the utility system revenues.
    
    

• Proposition D - Justin Fire Station: $21.7 million

  • Construction of a new 27,000-square-foot Central Fire Station would replace the current 11,075 station located on Sealy Avenue. The new facility will house up to 38 firefighters and emergency medical staff, an increase from the current staff of eight. 

Why are the new facilities needed?

Construction of these new facilities is necessitated by Justin's continued population growth and development of the City's residential and commercial areas. As the population grows, the need for additional staff to provide essential services to residents increases as well. Estimates are that municipal staff will grow 178 percent as the population reaches a projected 19,746 in 2042. (2023 Justin Comprehensive Plan)

What are the specifics of the projects in the bond package?

The following attachments include renderings for each bond proposition. 

*Please note these are only rendering depictions and complete building designs are not completed until after the bonds pass. 

• Municipal Complex Rendering
• Community Center with Mary Emma Tate Library Rendering
• Municipal Public Works Building Rendering
• Justin Fire Station Rendering

What is the cost to taxpayers?

The debt issued will be amortized over 30 years at a 5 percent interest rate. Bonds for the projects are proposed to be sold over four years (2025, 2026, 2027, 2028). Tax implications for property owners will be phased over time as the bonds are issued.

If all four bonds are to pass, the estimated maximum annual tax impact is $238 per $100,000 of taxable value.

Additional financial information with a breakdown of bond issuances and the tax impact can be found here.

The attached spreadsheet allows you to input the value of your home to see the potential tax impact.

What is the timetable for construction?

If all four bond propositions are approved by voters in November 2023, they will follow an estimated timeline listed below:

How was the bond package proposal prepared?

Realizing the limitations of the current municipalities in both age and space, and with a desire to create a public space for residents consolidating the facilities and amenities the City Council and City staff engaged an architecture and engineering consultant PGAL to conduct a Needs Assessment, examining the community's growth in relation to current facilities and future needs.

Existing facilities were evaluated based on current and future staffing needs, as well as the condition of the outdated structures and the space requirements for city programs. It was determined that the best solution to provide for the growing population and create a consolidated community space was to build a larger and more updated Municipal Complex. 

City departments and functions such as administration, city council, city services, municipal court, and police were analyzed for space requirements based on future staffing and community needs identified in the 2023 Comprehensive Plan.

PGAL's research showed that the existing fire station complex, as well as the public works facilities, are all under-sized and inadequate for the City's growing needs. The assessment looked at the projected size for those facilities and also developed a conceptual plan for re-using the current City Hall to create a community center for Justin.

Voting Information

Early voting dates and times will be released when available. Election Day is November 7. Voting locations and times will be posted in early October. The last day to register to vote for the November election is October 10.

Bond Committee

The City is also working with a bond committee that is comprised of Justin residents. 

Members: 

Angie Chop

Viktor Chop

Greg Scott

Melissa Dennis

Daniel Guiley

David Beck