In May of 2021 Team Lewis, made up of disgraced former Mayor Amanda Lewis, current Mayor Jason Roberson, and current Mayor Pro Tem Sarah Salgado took office after running as a team behind the support of the Forney Fire and Police Associations. Amanda Lewis and her teammates made many promises during their campaigns, including improving traffic in Forney, assuring TXDOT road project timelines would shorten, touting increased support of “understaffed” Police and Fire Departments, a top-down review of City of Forney management, increased infrastructure, and added amenities for citizens such as parks, among other things. Amanda Lewis often touted her superior business experience and knowledge of finance during their campaign. However, the results of their decisions have not only failed the Police and Fire Departments, they’ve failed other city staff, and most importantly the citizens of Forney.
A short three years later, after a sign stealing scandal and admissions from her husband that unreported under the table offers were made to the Mayor by developers, Amanda Lewis chose not to run for re-election, two thirds of Team Lewis are still in office, and the Finance Director for the City of Forney was quoted as saying in a recent Council meeting that there are no extra funds in the budget for the rest of this budget year and there likely will not be next budget year. Crime in Forney, especially violent crime, has seen a sharp increase, many departments at the city are facing issues with understaffing, including the Police and Fire Departments, the current Police Station is in need of expansion, road expansion has not increased, and over the past three years Team Lewis and the rest of the City Council have run through over $23,000,000 in unincumbered funds that were generated by previous councils.
As a result, the City Council is attempting to create a Crime District in Forney. The district is being proposed to help fund future employees and infrastructure needed to meet the recently released staffing study conducted by the Forney Police Department. However, in order to fund the district, the City Council is asking the citizens of Forney to defund the Forney Economic Development Corporation since the city is now out of money. Economic Development Corporations are formed to help generate economic development, hence the name. Economic development is exactly what helps fund the various departments within a municipality. Taking funds from our EDC would be like finding a $5 bill in the front pocket of the jeans you wore last week and putting it back in your wallet.
While developable land within the City of Forney is running out, the EDC still has projects it will need to help fund that will bring in significant property and sales taxes to the Forney city budget. Costco is rumored to have real interest in a tract off of Hwy 80, the Liberty Hill commercial development will soon be an attraction for development, and the EDC can be a huge contributor to the future of downtown Forney. The expansion of our downtown, attraction of businesses, road and parking projects, sidewalk additions and improvements, various infrastructure, and events funding, all within downtown Forney can all be funded by our EDC without increasing the taxes of our citizens. Defunding the EDC is just another knee-jerk reaction to poor planning by the Forney City Council. It’s time that this City Council be held accountable for the decisions they’ve made. They dug the hole they are now in. It’s time they dug themselves out and without stealing from the pockets of the EDC or its taxpayers. Stay tuned for more on this subject as it progresses, including a breakdown of where over $23,000,000 in savings was spent by the Forney City Council.