Dallas, Frisco mayors pleased about results of ballot propositions
DALLAS — Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson said the voters' decision to pass all 10 propositions in the $1.25 billion bond will help Big D compete with its younger and smaller suburbs.
"People are choosing Texas, we want them to choose North Texas and within North Texas," Johnson said. "We want them to choose the city of Dallas vs. our suburbs."
It includes $521 million for fixing streets and $345 million for parks and recreation.
Johnson said Monday that will help the city achieve its goal of having every resident live within a 10-minute walk of a first-rate park or trail.
"It's going to transform Dallas, no matter what neighborhood you live in, soon, you're going to see dirt turning in your community to create more green space so that Dallas is a city known for its parks," said Johnson.
Voters also approved $50 million for a new police training facility, which the Mayor said will attract private donations as well.
"We're building this facility so we can make sure we address our hiring shortage in Dallas," said Johnson. "We want to hire more officers and we can't recruit more officers to the Dallas Police Department with the police academy we have. It is in all candor Jack, terrible."
Another closely watched municipal election took place in Frisco.
Voters there rejected two ballot propositions involving the city's firefighters.
Those propositions would have granted civil service protections to the city's more than 250 firefighters along with collective bargaining for their salaries, benefits, and workplace conditions.
The Fire Fighters Association advocated for the city to add a fourth firefighter to each engine and truck on each of the department's three shifts to improve response times.
Mayor Jeff Cheney said the better solution is the city's plan to build more fire stations.
"Some of the concerns with staffing levels we just don't agree with," said Cheney. "We have a fundamentally different philosophy which is to build more fire stations and get people and apparatus close to the people is how we improve response times."
Cheney said the department is keeping up with all the growth, including the PGA headquarters and resort, and the new Universal Kids Resort theme park and hotel that will open soon.
"Absolutely, half of our budget in the City of Frisco is spent on public safety," said Cheney. "The commitment from the city will never waiver."
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