Ovilla sets November bond election

OVILLA – The Ovilla City Council voted to call a bond election at Monday night’s council meeting. The election will be held on Nov. 5, Election Day.

A citizen’s advisory committee working on this project for some time strongly recommended municipal facility improvements.

This included a new police station, city hall and city park improvements.

Doug Hunt, place 4, was the lone councilmember voting against the recommendations. “I’m not willing to vote on this, because it raises the tax rate,” Hunt said.

“I don’t think this is what the citizens of Ovilla want.”

It was pointed out the bond election would ultimately let residents decide if they wanted to raise taxes when they voted for or against the bond in November.

The bond election will be a five-part bond meaning residents could vote on one proposition, for example for a new city hall, but vote against the park improvements.

Proposition A – not to exceed $2,940,000 will be for new city hall facilities. This also includes the purchase of land, easements and rights-of-way as necessary.

Proposition B – not to exceed $130,000 is for the renovation of the existing city hall facilities as a community center.

Proposition C – not to exceed $2,220,000 will be for new public safety facilities.

Proposition D – not to exceed $130,000 will be for the renovation of the existing public safety facilities, which will become the public works facilities.

Proposition E – not to exceed $680,000 is for park, recreation and open space improvements.

The new city hall would be located just north of the current city hall and will consist of two buildings if residents vote yes on the propositions.

If passed, it is expected the groundbreaking will begin in 2020.

The bond election will cost the city approximately $3000.