Dallas County officials are preparing to borrow hundreds of millions of dollars to fund a slew of capital projects, the highest ticket item being land acquisition for a new jail.
The Commissioners Court voted unanimously Friday to advertise its intent to issue $350 million in bonds, which would amount to $688 million with interest repaid through property taxes over the next several decades.
Commissioners will decide whether to issue the bonds after a 45-day disclosure period required by state law.
County officials defended the financing as necessary to fund public projects and services after a period of relatively little borrowing and a pay-as-you-go strategy.
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“We go into a little bit of debt, but the bang for the buck for the citizen is tremendous,” Dallas County Judge Clay Lewis Jenkins said.
The borrowing plan includes the county’s push for a new jail, though officials have not disclosed a confirmed location during their search.
A consultant in 2024 said the Lew Sterrett Justice Center is outdated and inefficient and estimated building a new jail with 7,200 beds will cost $5.3 billion by 2032.
The jail on Friday was at 95% of its 7,499-bed capacity, which includes temporary beds, according to criminal justice department data.
Without the proposed bond package, the county would pay off its existing debt and interest of $240 million by 2042, said county Administrator Darryl Martin.
With an increasing population, Jenkins said the county must step up to assist with needs related to homelessness, public health and growth, which often falls to cities.
He said Dallas County fares better than other large metro areas in the U.S. on debt and taxes. Among 25 comparable counties in Texas, Dallas County had the lowest debt per capita in 2023, according to a report prepared by consultants.
“We’ve been extremely frugal with regards to the management of what I’m calling public credit,” Commissioner John Wiley Price said.
The proposed bond package would fund:
$60 million for land purchase and site development for a new jail. $50 million for construction of a new District 3 Road and Bridge facility. $50 million for construction of a new District 4 Road and Bridge facility.$50 million for renovations at the Old Red Courthouse. $50 million for construction of a fire station and home collection center building.$25 million for construction of a deflection center in District 2, where law enforcement could bring suspects of low-level crimes for stabilization instead of jail.$25 million for Health and Human Services renovations. $25 million for deferred maintenance on other needs. $10 million for the East Dallas Government Center under construction. $5 million for acquisition and installation of electric vehicle charging stations.
In January, the commissioners approved spending $55 million for land acquisition for replace the aging jail, which would later be reimbursed to the county through issuance of bonds.