Lubbock voters could be asked to consider another road bond in November

After Lubbock voters overwhelmingly approved a $200 million road bond program in 2022, Lubbockians could be asked to consider another road bond as soon as November.

The Lubbock City Council discussed the potential new bond package during a work session Tuesday afternoon. The work session took place before Mayor Mark McBrayer and District 2 Councilman Gordon Harris were sworn in later in the day.

The council took no formal action on that, but agreed the city should work to develop another road bond and appoint a citizen advisory committee to study what that package would look like.

Related: Lubbock City Council forms citizen committee to review sewer repair ordinance

“I would be for that. I think it’s something we told citizens a few years ago, we need to adopt a good cadence of presenting to them projects approved by the voters, that they vote on, in which they have a say, and continue to work on our infrastructure,” then-mayor Tray Payne said at the meeting.

The rest of the council agreed.

“I think it’s very important that we have a cadence – a very good word – so that we do this regularly, and as we see the projects move forward and the debt goes down, we’re ready to step in with the next project said Councilor Tim Collins.

Prior to the success of the 2022 bond, the City Council appointed a citizen committee to recommend which streets would be included in the package. The committee identified 17 projects, several of which are underway or nearing completion. Eleven other projects identified by the committee as priorities were not included in the 2022 bond in order to keep the cost capped at $200 million.

The projected cost for 2024 for the remaining projects is approximately $24.5 million.

Some of these projects that were passed over two years ago – including the overhaul of large sections of Broadway – could be considered for the possible November 2024 bond. Another appointed citizens committee would make a recommendation on the future bond, and the city council would ultimately have the final say on what would go to voters.

Broadway was excluded from the 2022 bond after a $175 million bond, a substantial portion of which was earmarked for Broadway, failed at the ballot box the previous year.

“Broadway is necessary,” Payne said. “It was necessary (in 2022), but we understood the nuances behind it and why the committee chose not to put it there, because the demand was so high.”