Duncanville Scraps $50M Police Bond Vote Again as Costs Pile Up

Duncanville City Council will not send a $50 million public safety facility bond to voters this November, after a Special Called Meeting on August 10 ended with members declining to move forward on the ballot measure. The decision, announced by the Duncanville Police Department, means the long-discussed replacement for the department's aging headquarters remains in limbo while the city studies cheaper alternatives.

According to the Duncanville Police Department, council considered an ordinance that would have authorized voters to approve up to $50 million in general obligation bonds for public safety facility improvements, but ultimately chose not to proceed with the election at this time. Instead, the vote allows for further evaluation of options for a future police department facility. City staff had proposed issuing the bond in two phases — $30 million in 2027 and $20 million in 2028 — which staff estimated would raise the municipal debt tax rate by roughly 6.22 cents per $100 of property valuation, according to Citizen Portal.

Unbudgeted Costs and Site Problems Sank the Timeline

Council members and the mayor pointed to an estimated $8 million in unbudgeted ancillary costs as a central reason for backing away from the November election, the outlet reported. Those costs reportedly include site work, building demolition, utility connections, and temporary relocation expenses, on top of unresolved site drainage issues that surfaced during the city's review.

With the statutory deadline looming, the timing left little room to iron out those details. Texas law required local governments to officially call and order a bond election no later than August 17 — the 78th day before the November 3 uniform election date — according to the Texas Secretary of State. That deadline effectively forced council's hand during its August meetings, pushing any new-facility decision to a future election cycle.

Cheaper Fixes on the Table

Rather than a full $50 million rebuild, city consultants presented council with lower-cost alternatives earlier in August. Those options ranged from a $1.01 million plan covering cosmetic and ADA compliance upgrades to a more extensive $5.9 million building reconfiguration, per the same Citizen Portal report. Both are now under consideration as the city weighs whether renovating the existing footprint could meet department needs without the price tag of new construction.

This is not the first time Duncanville has hit pause on the project. The city previously delayed a planned November 2025 bond election, opting instead to commission a facility assessment study — a decision Hoodline covered at the time. That means this August's outcome marks the second consecutive year council has postponed asking voters to fund a new public safety building.

A City Already Carrying Debt

The bond hesitation comes as Duncanville manages a growing debt load. As of August 17, the city carried $28,015,000 in outstanding principal debt, or $37 million including interest, according to the City of Duncanville. That total includes $15.5 million still owed from a voter-approved 2018 bond program that funded Fire Station No. 1 and municipal street improvements across ten capital projects.

Duncanville also added more than $13.9 million in new obligations earlier in 2026, the city notes, approving $11 million in Certificates of Obligation in May for smart water meters and a $2.9 million loan from the Texas Water Development Board in July for lead service line replacement — of which 51 percent is expected to be forgiven by the state after ten years. Despite the added debt, S&P Global Ratings assigned an AA long-term rating with a stable outlook to the city's 2026 obligations in April, citing very strong financial reserves supported by conservative budgeting, according to S&P Global Ratings.

Those capital pressures are layered on top of the city's operating budget picture. Duncanville's proposed fiscal year 2026-2027 general budget projects approximately $95.6 million in total revenues against $99.2 million in expenditures, with council reviewing broader cost pressures including rising employee health insurance and pension contributions during August workshop sessions.

What Happens to the Police Department Now

The Duncanville Police Department currently operates out of 203 E. Wheatland Road and participates in the Southwest Regional Communications Center, a shared 911 dispatch operation established in 1998 that also serves DeSoto, Cedar Hill, and Lancaster. For now, officers will continue working out of that facility while city leaders decide between a scaled-down renovation and a future attempt at a larger bond measure. No new election date has been set, and it remains unclear which of the lower-cost options — if any — the council will ultimately pursue.