SPI Insights

Fort Worth’s city manager presented a recommended $1.85 billion capital improvement plan (CIP) for fiscal years 2021 to 2025 to the City Council on August 4.

The proposed CIP includes $394.3 million in proposed projects for next year.

The city plans to spend $48.4 million on pay-as-you-go maintenance projects in fiscal 2021, an increase of $1.35 million from fiscal 2020. The additional money is primarily going to street and traffic light improvements, and $650,000 for sidewalk upgrades to improve access to transit.

The Water Department’s five-year CIP projects total contains approximately $1 billion in planned capital expenditures, including $210.09 million for replacing old or high-maintenance water and sewer lines, $156.4 million for improvements to water reclamation facilities, and $130.63 million for building or maintaining major mains.

Additional water projects planned for the next five years include $114.67 million to install new major water mains of 16-inch diameter or larger, $99.57 million for new or expanded water facilities, $82 million for water and sewer line extensions or replacements, $70.6 million for water treatment plant expansions and rehabilitations, and $62.5 million for projects to eliminate sanitary sewer overflows.

General CIP projects total about $483 million for fiscal years 2021 to 2025 reflecting the city’s commitment to the upkeep of its facilities, transportation infrastructure, technological improvements, vehicles, and equipment replacement.

The Aviation Department’s CIP projects total $183 million in planned capital expenditures for FY 2021-2025, including a multi-year project to extend multiple runways and taxiways and construct a new $18.98 million training station at Alliance Airport, the design and construction of a parallel taxiway at Meacham Airport, and the construction of various taxiways at Spinks Airport.

More than $127.36 million in stormwater capital projects is recommended over the next five years with $117.03 million directed to drainage erosion control efforts such as stormdrain pipe rehabilitation for $35.36 million and mitigation of hazardous road overtopping for $36.76 million.

The city’s Public Events Department would receive $36.94 million for planned capital expenditures, including multi-year contributions to the Dickies Arena for $5 million, multi-year projects for $24.8 million in improvements at the Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum, and $7.13 million in upgrades at the Fort Worth Convention Center.

Fort Worth City Council is set to approve a fiscal 2021 tax rate and capital and operating budgets on September 22.