When the Fort Worth City Council receives a new fiscal year budget, an updated five-year Capital Improvement Program (CIP) is typically presented simultaneously. This year, the 2025-2029 program of proposed capital spending was included in the recommended budget book released on August 13, 2024.
By the numbers: The fiscal year (FY) 2025-2029 program outlines costs for numerous projects, totaling just under $3.8 billion. The Water Utility segment accounts for $2 billion of this spending. For FY25, the city plans to spend $814 million on capital expenditures.
Why it matters: The CIP serves as a blueprint for the work the city intends to undertake in the upcoming fiscal year and outlines plans for the next four years. Projects involve constructing facilities, infrastructure improvements, and asset maintenance.
Why it’s important: The CIP must align with Fort Worth’s Comprehensive Plan and overall city goals and vision. Each project must be funded and assessed to ensure that infrastructure maintenance and investments are distributed equitably.
What is each plan spending in FY25?
- Aviation: $24.2 million will be allocated for maintaining critical infrastructure at Fort Worth Alliance-Perot Field, Meacham, and Spinks airports.
- Public Events: $71.3 million will be used to maintain the Fort Worth Convention Center, Will Rogers Memorial Center, and Cowtown Coliseum.
- General Plan: $157.7 million is designated for maintaining police and fire stations, technology, libraries, neighborhood improvements, parks, and streets. This plan also includes funds for replacing aging police, fire, and other general vehicles and equipment.
- Environmental Services: $1 million is set aside for maintaining solid waste services, consumer health, and environmental quality.
- Stormwater: $23.4 million will go towards improving and rehabilitating the city's drainage system infrastructure, such as pipes, culverts, engineered drainage channels, and detention basins, as well as providing for hazard warning initiatives and vehicle and technology advancements.
- Water: $536.4 million is earmarked for maintaining the city's water and wastewater distribution and collection operations.
What happens next: The Fort Worth City Council is scheduled to vote on the FY25 budget on September 17, following a series of budget workshops and a public hearing. The city’s new fiscal year will begin on October 1.
