A seven-member citizens committee tasked with examining Sachse’s infrastructure needs and developing recommendations for a possible 2027 bond election has begun its work.
The Bond 2027 Committee elected its chair and vice chair Thursday, Oct. 8 before beginning discussions about projects that could be included in a May 1, 2027, bond election.
Danielle Parker, a Realtor, nominated herself to serve as committee chair. Scott McMurdie, who has experience on the city’s Economic Development Corp., also was nominated. The committee elected McMurdie chair in a 4-1 vote, with Parker voting against his selection.
McMurdie then nominated Parker to serve as vice chair. Her selection was approved unanimously.
The committee members are Jermaine McDaniel, Krisleigh Hoermann, McMurdie, Travis Mondok, Chinelo Nwanze, Parker and Rafay Sheikh.
The committee is scheduled to meet twice more before making its recommendation to council, on Oct. 27 and Dec. 8. It also could schedule an additional meeting before submitting its recommendations.
Council has until Feb. 22 to decide whether to call a May 1 election.
All committee meetings are open to the public. At the Oct. 8 meeting, the city announced a new website where residents can follow the bond proposal’s progress, access meeting information and offer feedback. Information is available at www.sachsebond2027.com.
City Secretary Leah Granger encouraged committee members to introduce themselves before selecting their leadership. “You don’t really know each other,” Granger said. Members then briefly discussed their backgrounds, previous committee service and ties to Sachse.
During an Oct. 5 meeting, city staff presented council with an overview of potential Bond 2027 projects. Council members also provided feedback on the committee’s charge.
Logan Thatcher, an assistant to City Manager Gina Nash, opened the discussion about possible projects by identifying four categories of work: major roads, neighborhood streets, public safety and parks.
Thatcher outlined the estimated costs for each category. Major roads projects would cost an estimated $84.6 million, he said.
The neighborhood streets package, which includes work on more than 20 rights-of-way, would cost $14.5 million if approved in its entirety.
The public safety projects include work at Fire Stations No. 1 and No. 2 and the police and public safety storage area. Cost estimates vary, Thatcher said. Fire Station No. 1 improvements range from $3.9 million to $8.4 million; Fire Station No. 2 improvements range from $2.9 million to $6.2 million; and the police and public safety storage project ranges from $6.1 million to $11.9 million.
Committee members noted that Fire Station No. 2 has serious flooding and “water intrusion” issues that need to be addressed.
The parks proposals focus on Heritage Park. One option would improve existing amenities for $6.1 million, while another would expand amenities for $11.7 million.
The combined cost of the proposed projects exceeds $100 million, Thatcher said. However, the city’s current debt capacity is $55.5 million — the amount he said it could spend without increasing taxes.
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