Southlake is teeing up about $40 million in capital work for 2026, a lineup that mixes road widening and pavement fixes with water and sewer upgrades, park projects, and stormwater improvements across the city. Staff walked the council through an early outline this month and said they want to stagger the workload over several years. If the council signs on, residents should see design activity ramp up and some early construction on key corridors before the year is out.
Where the $40 Million Goes
As reported by Fort Worth Report, the draft 2026 capital improvement program pegs planned spending at roughly $40 million. The proposal steers about $15 million into mobility projects, around $10 million into water and wastewater work, $7.6 million into parks and community facilities, and $3.6 million into stormwater efforts. City leaders are framing those totals as a funding request for the near term, not a promise that every project on the list hits full construction this year.
Major Projects on the List
The project roster highlights several big-ticket corridor jobs, including the Brumlow Avenue widening, extensions to Southwestern Street, and citywide pavement rehabilitation. It also calls for waterline work, repainting of storage tanks, and erosion protection for sewer lines. As detailed on the City of Southlake Capital Improvements Program, other line items touch parks and operations, from turf conversions and land acquisitions to continued buildout of the municipal service center. Individual project pages offer maps and tentative timelines for design and construction phases.
How the City Plans to Pay
Staff told the council they intend to pay cash where they can and reserve debt for a smaller set of large, long-lived projects, a financing strategy laid out in the briefing materials. According to Community Impact, Chief Financial Officer Sharen Jackson said the FY 2026 plan includes about $17.1 million in cash funding and that roughly $6 million in existing debt will be retired this year, opening room for future borrowing. Jackson noted the city weighs ongoing operating and maintenance costs alongside construction price tags when it decides which projects to move forward.
Council Timeline and Next Steps
City records show staff will bring a formal CIP implementation plan to council in February, spelling out funding schedules, operating impacts, and multi-year phasing. The FY 2026 budget book states the implementation plan will lock in a five-year funding schedule and that the first year, FY 2026, functions as the capital budget for immediate action, the City of Southlake says. Council packets and follow-up work sessions are expected to slice the program into project sheets that are ready for funding decisions ahead of a formal vote later in the month.
Why This Matters
Staff reports and outside coverage point out that this one-year, $40 million request represents only a slice of what Southlake says it needs over the longer haul. The presentation outlines a five-year mobility need of about $71.4 million, a water and wastewater need topping $98 million, and roughly $12.9 million in stormwater needs, totals that highlight the scale of deferred work and future upgrades, the Fort Worth Report shows. Those bigger numbers help explain why the city is pairing cash with targeted debt instead of rolling out one massive bond package all at once. For residents, the practical takeaway is a likely wave of staggered design and construction on major corridors, with intermittent lane closures and short-term headaches as the city tries to chip away at its long to-do list.
