MIDLOTHIAN – There has been strong discussion about Midlothian’s Proposition B on the election ballot for November.
This proposition is part of a larger $192.45 million bond package with five propositions, and residents should familiarize themselves with the complete council ask.
Preposition B is to authorize $6.81 million to build a new police department substation to maintain quick police response times throughout the 65-square-mile coverage area.
The proposed substation would provide an additional location for police operations in a city that is one of the fastest growing in North Texas.
At www.midlothianbond.com/the-facts it reads, “Midlothian is growing quickly.
“Nearly 47,000 people now call our city home, a 33% increase in just five years.
“To prepare for continued growth, this past May, city leaders formed a Citizens Planning Group to give residents from across Midlothian a direct voice in identifying future community needs and priorities.”
It was remarked during several meetings, the Citizens Planning Group reviewed growth projections, progress on the 2021 bond projects, results from the city’s recent satisfaction survey and long-term capital needs. Meetings were open to the public and in the end, based on that work, the group recommended the $192.45 million bond package with the five propositions.
The City Council then called the special bond election for Tuesday, Nov. 3 in a unanimous vote on August 11.
Midlothian Mayor Justin Coffman wrote on the city’s website regarding the bond election “A time-honored responsibility of our City Council and everyone at City Hall is to listen to the people we serve.
“As Midlothian grows and plans for the future, that means hearing directly from residents about their priorities, concerns, and the issues they believe should be addressed.”
He also said the bond package comes with no tax rate increases.
There was no indication who sat on the Citizens Planning Group or how that group was initially chosen.
Some residents took to social media regarding the proposed police substation mentioning the city had only recently opened a new, multimillion-dollar public safety headquarters.
To be fair, there is an important distinction between what the city has already built and what it is asking voters to fund now.
The city’s previous bond program funded a new central public safety headquarters and that bond authorization according to research was $46 million.
It was approved by voters in 2021, and the facility size was 77,000+ sq. ft. The facility opened for service in July 2025.
The building accommodates operations that include police patrol and administration, investigations and evidence management, emergency dispatch and an emergency operations command center, training, crime prevention and community programs, fire department administration and fire marshal offices, and municipal court functions.
A regional substation would serve a different purpose in that it would maintain quicker police response times.
To that end, the city’s argument is that even with a modern headquarters, officers may benefit from an additional location to serve a geographically large and growing city since a central building does not automatically mean police can reach every neighborhood quickly.
What is missing from the summary’s rationale is what the expected reduction in response times would be as well as the proposed substation’s precise location and how many officers would be stationed there. Additional propositions on the November ballot include Proposition A asking for $102.3 million for thoroughfares, and related capital projects across the city to manage traffic flow and address safety issues.
Proposition C relates to flood control projects and stormwater drainage. This proposition would allocate $10 million for stormwater drainage and flood-control studies and projects throughout Midlothian. The funding would evaluate drainage and areas prone to flooding and address the city’s ability to manage stormwater to protect streets and neighborhoods as Midlothian continues to grow.
Funding for existing park improvements is what Proposition D is asking for earmarking $47.26 million to modernize and equip existing park facilities. This includes Jaycee Park baseball practice fields, Mountain Peak Neighborhood Park, and the Sports Complex for softball, tennis and pickleball, basketball, and sand volleyball.
Proposition E is to fund two new parks for a cost of $26.09 million. This would be to provide additional multipurpose fields, trails, and recreational facilities: Mockingbird Multipurpose Fields & Ledgestone Park.
With early voting scheduled from Oct. 19 through Oct. 30, voters now have the final say on whether this citizen-developed plan aligns with Midlothian’s rapid growth and future infrastructure needs.