\n Dallas, Texas, USA – March 20, 2022: Bronze metal City of Dallas seal on the concrete wall beside the steps to City hall Plaza. Dallas is a city in the U.S. state of Texas. | Image by JHVEPhoto\/Shutterstock <\/p>\n
The Dallas City Council is scheduled to vote Tuesday on two applications needed to unlock the remaining $15 million in state grant funding for the planned Dallas Police Department Law Enforcement Training Center at UNT Dallas. Because Dallas already included the money in its $25 million state-grant total<\/a>, the applications would not reduce the city\u2019s stated $82 million bond need<\/a> for the academy.<\/p>\n The August 25 agenda lists the applications as consent items 28 and 29. Item<\/a> 28, File 26-2408A, covers a $10 million application to the Texas Office of the Governor, Criminal Justice Division, for Grant No. 4922902. Item<\/a> 29, File 26-2406A, covers a $5 million application for Grant No. 6003001.<\/p>\n Both support the center at 7300 University Hills Blvd. The agenda lists no cost consideration for the application actions.<\/p>\n Grants Already Counted<\/p>\n An August 10 city memo<\/a> labels the full $25 million as awarded, says Dallas has encumbered $10 million of that amount in contracts and says staff was completing the process to receive the remaining $15 million.<\/p>\n Staff expected award notices on September 1 and planned to seek council acceptance on October 14. $10.5 million had been expended or invoiced through June; the memo does not identify the state-funded portion.<\/p>\n Available city and state records indicate Grant 4922902 is the second $10 million installment tied to the 88th Texas Legislature\u2019s $20 million appropriation<\/a>. A March 5, 2024, city memo<\/a> identified Grant No. 4922901 as the first tranche, and the council accepted it on March<\/a> 27, 2024. The available records likewise indicate Grant No. 6003001 corresponds to the $5 million appropriated<\/a> by the 89th Legislature in 2025.<\/p>\n The proposed resolutions<\/a> say Dallas would provide any applicable matching funds the state requires, but the posted records<\/a> do not identify a match amount. The packets also do not include the applications or award letters needed to establish exact grant-specific periods, expiration dates or drawdown terms.<\/p>\n Planned Bond Need Depends On Private Fundraising<\/p>\n Officials place the latest total project cost<\/a> at about $227 million and list $106.5 million as committed<\/a>: $50 million from the voter-approved 2024 bond program, $25 million in state grants and $31.5 million in private commitments.<\/p>\n That leaves $120.5 million uncovered against currently committed sources. March<\/a> and April<\/a> 2026 memos used a $185 million project budget, but the reviewed city materials do not reconcile that figure with the latest total. Staff also cautioned<\/a> that market disruptions could affect the construction budget.<\/p>\n The city\u2019s stated $82 million bond need assumes fundraisers secure another $38.5 million to reach their $70 million private goal. The August memo<\/a> documents $7.5 million from the W.W. Caruth Jr. Fund and $10 million from QuikTrip<\/a> as received by Communities Foundation of Texas.<\/p>\n It labels the other $11.5 million as commitments and says the Caruth transfer to the city project office remained pending.<\/p>\n On August 12, the council called a November 3 election<\/a> on a $443 million general obligation bond proposition for public safety facilities. The city\u2019s financing plan<\/a> assigns $82 million to the academy, but the ballot language<\/a> authorizes borrowing broadly and specifies no academy amount. Voter approval would authorize debt, not issue or spend it.<\/p>\n If voters approve and Dallas follows its plan, the academy would draw on $132 million in voter-authorized bond capacity, including $50 million approved in 2024.<\/p>\n The council also approved the $29,032,022 site-construction package previously reported<\/a> by The Dallas Express. The final authorization<\/a> matched the posted amount and raised Swinerton Builders\u2019 total contract authorization to $29,182,022, using 2024 bond funds.<\/p>\n