Why You Should Vote Against Proposition A

With one week of early voting left, as well as election day on November 8^th, I wanted to go over a couple of the bond items to help explain all of the nuts and bolts of some of the individual items. As has been pointed out by many citizens on social media, this bond has been presented to the citizens with very little detail and the answers provided to questions being asked haven’t been met with any further detail. We’ll start with Proposition A, the Public Safety portion of the bond. I’ve heard this statement often during this process, “well we do need a fire station.” This issue is the most complicated of the bond but I will explain why this proposition is actually the most poorly planned of the entire bond, with as little verbiage as I can. The city, City Council, and even the Fire Department Facebook pages have posted a few graphics used to try and scare you into thinking we have to vote for this one. They posted about the explosive growth and how the Forney Fire Department enjoys an Iso rating of 1, as if that could be lost if you vote no. That’s just not true. Lets get into it.

• There are 65,000 citizens served by the Forney Fire Department. Only 25,000 of those live inside the city limits of Forney, the only citizens that will be burdened with paying for the bond. The other 40,000 live within ESD6, a special taxing district created to fund fire service for citizens outside city limits.
• The City Council is asking for $45,800,000 for a new Fire Station #1, a new Fire Station #3, and expansion of Fire station #2. Both stations would serve the 40,000 and growing citizens outside city limits, but they won’t have to pay a penny for them. Only you, the voters within the 25,000 citizens will.
• On January 18^th 2022 the Forney City Council approved $725,000 in renovations to the current Fire Station #1 which includes a makeover of the second-floor restrooms, kitchen, and living area (current budget attached, link to agenda item below). Also included is to construct and install an area for covered parking behind the station to allow for securing and protection of apparatus/vehicles. That work is being completed now but, the bond calls for a new Fire Station #1. Agenda Item: www.forneytx.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Item/7485?fileID=9817

• On February 15^th 2022 the Forney City Council approved $1,300,000 to improve the fire station provided by ESD6 many years ago for use as a fire station south of the railroad tracks. Also approved was $6,700,000 to complete the expansion to Fire Station #2, the same improvements included in Proposition A (see highlighted statement in attachment below). But, the City Council wants the voters to approve a tax increase for the improvements they already have funding for. That $8,000,000 could also be used to build a brand new fire station.

• The bulk of Proposition A would be the two new fire stations. But, the City Council is asking for $45,800,000. Just six years ago Fire Station #2 was constructed for just over $4,000,000 (see attached below). Below are links to three fire station projects recently approved by other municipalities in various sizes. The budget approved for the Fire Station #2 expansion is more than two of the brand new fire stations below. Only Allen’s massive 21,000sf station is more. That said, three new massive 21,000sf fire stations like Allen’s would cost approximately $12,000,000 less than what is being asked for in Proposition A.

Mansfield: https://www.focusdailynews.com/mansfields-new-fire-station-set-for-spring-2021-opening/?fbclid=IwAR0uP-4DvmL1P_mKeZXu1OAmEDiIQfDGkQlTrDDPWAfC6oMqo4Pq1SrZwzc

Midhurts: https://barrie.ctvnews.ca/council-gives-the-nod-for-fire-station-2-design-in-midhurst-1.5964888?fbclid=IwAR2avXBiETn97Hh6eaYSMBonNQSfY1CxpAkUZKeB4Gi9NwKwdLT-0WWZWa8

Allen: https://www.cityofallen.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=4748&fbclid=IwAR1YvjY98VcMtMC4jUzBdjiU8eTkYORnJOepspvCOi27atgZfdXslh7q1Dc

• Some quick stats: Through September 25^th of this year there had been a total of 78 fire related calls inside city limits. There were 227 fire related calls outside of city limits. Through the same time period there had been a total of 648 calls into the fire station from inside city limits and 1,919 from outside city limits.
• The 40,000 citizens within ESD6 will only pay the City of Forney $1,614,092 (See attachment below) for fire service in 2023 while the City of Forney budget calls for $7,346,260 to fund the fire department. Tack on the $45,800,000 Proposition A calls for and you can see that the 25,000 taxpayers within the city limits are unfairly being asked by the Forney City Council to take on a large majority of a tax burden that should be shared by all of the citizens that are being provided the same services.

So, what’s the solution? City of Forney taxpayers should first VOTE NO on Proposition A. The citizens of Forney should demand that the Forney City Council use the $8,000,000 they’ve set aside for improvements to fire Station 2 and the ESD6 fire station and use them to either expand the ESD6 fire station or build a new fire station south of the railroad tracks. A third fire station is not needed for years to come. The city will need to work with ESD6 to provide additional funding for a third fire station and future M&O of the Forney Fie Department if they would like to continue to utilize the City of Forney for fire service. Asking the voters to approve this bond is taking the easy way out and putting the tax burden on the few to service the bulk. VOTE NO!