Dallas County is lining up a borrowing package of up to $350 million that would bankroll a long list of projects, including buying and prepping land for a new jail, and it can all move forward without a direct vote from taxpayers.
The county is pursuing certificates of obligation, a kind of public debt that does not automatically go on the ballot and would be repaid through property taxes. The money would not just go to jail-related projects. It would also cover courthouse work, health services facilities, road and bridge improvements, a new fire station with a hazardous-waste collection site and smaller upgrades like electric-vehicle charging stations.
The plan has already taken a key procedural step. In a special-called meeting in March, commissioners advanced the move toward issuing the debt, setting up a formal notice process and opening a window for any legal challenges.
What’s Packed Into The $350 Million Plan
According to KERA News, the draft list sets aside roughly $60 million to buy and develop land for a new jail and $25 million for a jail-alternative deflection center in District 2.
The same reporting says the proposal would also earmark $50 million each for the Old Red Courthouse, a fire station that includes a hazardous-waste collection center and road-and-bridge work in districts 3 and 4. Another $25 million would go to Health and Human Services facility improvements, $10 million to the East Dallas Government Center and $5 million to new EV charging stations.
County documents show the package moved ahead on March 20, when the Commissioners Court approved a resolution authorizing publication of a “Notice of Intention to Issue” one or more series of certificates of obligation. The resolution and the special-called court agenda are on file with the Dallas County clerk’s office as part of that March session.
How Certificates Work And Where County Debt Stands
Under state law, local governments that want to use certificates of obligation must first publish notice of their intent to issue the debt. If opponents gather a valid petition with signatures from a required share of voters, the government has to put the borrowing question on the ballot instead of moving ahead on its own. The rules on notice, petition and elections are laid out in the Texas Local Government Code (Section 271.049).
Dallas County is already a major user of this kind of debt. Data from the Texas Bond Review Board show the county carried about $179.5 million in outstanding certificates of obligation as of Aug. 31, 2025, which works out to roughly $68 per taxpayer and places the county among the top certificate issuers in Texas.
What County Leaders Are Saying
County Judge Clay Lewis Jenkins has argued that selling certificates of obligation can soften the immediate hit to taxpayers by spreading construction costs over future revenue instead of requiring a near-term tax increase.
At the same time, he suggested there should be limits to how far the county goes without a public vote. In an interview, he said that if a future jail project turned into a large and discretionary build, “voters should have a say,” according to KERA News.
What Happens Next
Publishing the county’s notice will officially start the legal clock. If opponents gather enough valid signatures on a petition protesting the certificates, state law requires the county to call an election and let voters decide. If no such petition qualifies, commissioners can move ahead and authorize the sale of the certificates.
The March resolution instructs county staff to publish the notice and related documents so the petition period and any required hearings can begin.
Commissioners have not yet approved a debt sale or a construction schedule, and the court still has to adopt a formal order authorizing any issuance before Dallas County can borrow a dollar. Once the notice appears in the county’s legal publications and on its website, taxpayers, advocacy groups and elected officials will have a chance to push for changes to the plan or try to force the issue to the ballot.
