Bond, Frisco Bond!  Yes, we took a line from James Bond aka 007!  Sean Connery, who played James Bond in 1962, was the first to deliver this iconic phrase that would be repeated in several of the 007 movies.  One thing is certain, none of the Bonds following Connery delivered the phrase with the same magic as he did the first time around.Connery was my favorite Bond, and he starred in seven of the films from 1962 to 1983.  If you are a Bond fan then you know not to mess with a Bond, even a Frisco Bond!  After digging into the Battle of the Benjamins (Budgets) we decided to take a deep dive into the Frisco Bonds put before citizens.  We made “A Martini. Shaken, Not Stirred” as Bond said in Goldfinger in 1964, and started researching.  Now it is time for you to grab some popcorn and watch Frisco Bond unfold!

What if we told you that since 2006, residents have been asked to approve a whopping total of $1,285,225,000 in bond propositions?  Would that get your attention?  Many don’t understand bond elections so first we wanted to answer the simple question of what is a bond.  Simply put, bonds are loans governments or government agencies use to fund day-to-day obligations and to finance capital projects such as buildings, city parks, and/or future developments.  Most cities pass General Obligation Bonds which are backed by the “full faith and credit” of the issuer (aka city) which has the power to tax residents to pay bondholders.

Now ask yourself, out of general election bonds residents have been asked to vote for since 2006, how many were issued?  What capital improvement projects were completed?  How was the money used?  When we heard about the 2023 bond we started to follow the progress.  There was a big debate about having an animal shelter on the bond. To be honest, we thought the city already had one, so we were surprised to learn the city outsources it to Collin County. 

We watched a YouTube video by Be The Change with Jesse Ringness where the council and city leaders discussed the animal shelter and 2023 bond.  It is hard to hear everything but from what we can tell Mayor Cheney started to lament which he does often and for a long time (29:36 mark).  He said, we have never put anything on the bond that was not supported by the staff or that we didn’t think would pass. Then he mentions it feels like a disingenuous proposal and that it is more of an item used for postcard election votes, which he would know about.  Then he suggests that the bond committee consider putting that request or $5 million into the city facilities request instead.  This way if the city determines it needs an animal shelter down the road the money is there for a “city facility” otherwise they have the money to use towards another project.  

Then he proceeds to ask, what are we actually putting on the ballot?  Are you putting $5 million on the ballot to somehow seek citizen approval?  And if it happens, which I would expect it to, because right now, everything we have put on the ballot in Frisco has passed because we have a lot of public trust.  Citizens know when they see a ballot for a bond election, it is only for items the city needs, we know it has been fully vetted, we know that staff fully supports it, and we know Frisco needs it.  

Mayor Cheney’s statements left us with some questions.  We were curious, if the city will only put items on the bond supported by staff then why have a citizen’s bond committee? If we look at past bonds would we find all the items brought to the ballot were VETTED or something we know FRISCO NEEDS?   It is time to jump out of the plane and find out!

We went back to 2006 to look at the 12 Propositions approved by voters for a whopping $198 million dollars. We found two articles with conflicting information.  The first was a Dallas Morning News article in January 2015 that reported that $33 million of 2006 bonds had not yet been issued.  Just 4 months later, in May 2015, Community Impact reported that “$22.5 million in authorized bond funds remain.”  

Confused, we went digging and searched city records where we found that at the June 2006 Frisco City Council meeting they authorized the sale of $143,560,000 million from the 2006 bond election.  The ordinance states it is for road improvements, constructing, improving, and equipping public safety facilities consisting of the fire department facilities, parking for the police headquarters building, public safety training facility, acquisition and installation of warning sirens,  fire trucks, and equipment, and the acquisition of land and interest in land for such projects (Public Safety Facilities), constructing and improving parks, trails and recreational facilities, and the land acquisition of “Park Projects.”  Might be easier to look at this Voted Bond Authorization photo below from the June 6, 2016, council meeting agenda package.  We will reference it later.

Confused, we decided to break it down by some of the big projects.  Bond loves to make a grand entrance so let’s start with Grand Park.  In 2006 voters approved $22.5 million dollars for Grand Park, then in 2015, they approved another $10 million dollars for Grand Park for a total of $32.5 million dollars.  In the 2019 bond election, Parks, Trails, and Facilities asked for $53.5 million, and in the 2023 bond election $43 million.  Neither the 2019 nor 2023 bond election state that any of the money will be used for Grand Park as they left it more generic.  

In an article discussing the 2015 bond the DMN noted that the $10 million being asked in the 2015 Bond would be combined with the $10 million in bonds approved by voters in 2006 for PHASE ONE near the DNT and Cotton Gin Road.  If you reference the 2006 bond photo you will see voters approved $22.5 million for the Grand Park Acquisition and Initial Development.  Out of that amount, $12 million of those bonds were issued and we are curious what for?  Work was delayed for years in Grand Park due to the Exide Technologies battery plant contamination.  Dallas Morning News reported in June 2013 that a report listed various problems documented over the years with contamination to Stewart Creek which runs right through the future Grand Park.  So, why did the city issue $12 million of the bonds, what was it used for? 

In 2021 CBS News 11 ran a story that Frisco’s Grand Park is no longer an “Urban Legend” as the city can finally finish the Exide cleanup.  The story notes that City officials said the cleanup process could take another five to seven years to complete but the city has funding and, for the first time, the control to do it.  CBS quoted Mayor Cheney, “This park will actually be bigger than Central Park in New York.”  However, while it all sounds like a grand idea, after years of talk and no development, Cheney understands why many residents have become skeptical.   Mayor Cheney said he hopes the city can put a shovel in the ground to start Grand Park by the end of the year. According to Community Impact,  Big Bluestem Trail was finally ready for its public debut on November 19, 2022.  City officials held an inaugural trail walk and Shannon Coates, Parks Director said “This is PHASE ONE of a multiyear development.”   I wonder if they mean the Phase One they talked about in 2006/2015.

Well, if the 2006 bond was for PHASE 1 and we just completed Phase 1 in 2022 as Shannon Coates implied, then why did the city sell the bonds back in June 2006?  Why would you ask citizens to vote for something that the city could not put a shovel in the ground for until 15 years later?   The $12 Million issued by the city is that we paid for a contaminated future park.  Did they use it to clean up Exide, if they did, voters should know that the money they voted for did not go to the park but to the clean-up of another issue that ultimately affected the park.  Mayor Cheney, when the city asked residents in 2006 and 2015 to Vote Yes for the Grand Park propositions – WERE THEY FULLY VETTED AND SUPPORTED BY CITY STAFF?  It sure does not sound like a plan was in place, maybe a dream, but definitely no fully vetted plan. 

Next up is a place for Bond to park his sexy roadsters.  In the 2015 Election Bond, Frisco asked citizens for $1.5 Million for a Police Department parking garage.  A DMN article from January 2015, it noted the money would be combined with $1.5 Million from a previous bond election to fund the parking structure for police vehicles.  Remember above, in June 2006 the council approved the sale of $143,560,000 million from the 2006 bond election.  One of the items the ordinance stated it was for was parking for the police headquarters building.  

Then, according to Community Impact in 2015, the city sold $59.8 million worth of bonds, the first from the $267.825 million from the voted approved bonds in the 2015 election.  It noted the bonds sold would go to several items, one being the parking structure for the police facility. 

Then in 2023, Frisco asked voters again for a parking garage for the Police Department.  That means 3 times voters have been asked for a parking garage.  Guess what?  As of today, WE HAVE NO PARKING STRUCTURE!  So again, we ask Mayor Cheney was this project FULLY VETTED?  Was there a plan supported by staff?  If yes, then why did we not build it after issuing the bonds back in 2006 and 2015, when it probably would have cost less?  We all know that after the Pandemic, costs for construction have skyrocketed.  Now we will be paying more for the parking garage that they approved the bond sale for back in 2006 & 2015. 

Bond 007 likes a good Rembrandt, so let’s look at the Arts!  In the 2006 bond election, the city asked for $5 Million.  According to a Community Impact Article from January 2015, in 2006 voters approved $5 million and about $1 million contributed to the creation of the Frisco Discovery Center, which houses the Black Box Theater and art gallery.  That is confirmed in the 2006 Bond photo above.

Then in 2015, bond committee member Tammy Meinershagen (currently a councilwoman) was pushing for $20 Million for the arts.  The city ended up asking voters for $10 Million after a lengthy debate.  The committee began discussing the performing arts center proposal because 6 out of 17 committee members did not recommend any money for the project.

Some members said a bond proposal for an arts facility should wait until a more specific plan, such as the square footage of the facility or the number of seats, is laid out. These members said they are not against an arts facility in Frisco but rather think the project can wait for a year or two.  Tammy Meinershagen, the committee member who proposed $20 million for an arts facility, said she would like to provide specifics for a project, but she doesn’t want to wait to get the project started.

Purefoy said part of the reason city staff recommended $10 million for an arts center for this bond election is that the addition of the $4 million left over from the 2006 bond election, would bring the total close to the 2006 recommendation.  The plot thickens, CITY STAFF RECOMMENDED?  So the city staff supported and recommended money be put in front of voters that did not have a specific plan such as size, number of seats, location, etc.?   Mayor Cheney, why did you allow or support $10 million to go through when the PROJECT WAS NOT FULLY VETTED?

 Well, where is the $14 million today?  As far as I can see we still have NO CULTURAL ARTS THEATER!  Go figure!  That is probably for the best since the Dallas Museum of Art just announced in October 2023 that they have executed a set of cutbacks including layoffs and reductions in hours they are open to the public. 

Bond is known to scale a wall a time or two so let’s dive in the Fire Department (aka Public Safety).  In the 2006 Bond, voters approved $20 Million for Fire Stations and Equipment.  Then in the following bonds, they put Police and Fire together and called it Public Safety.  So, in the 2015 Bond Election voters approved $41.5 Million, in 2019 voters approved $62.5 Million, and in 2023 voters approved $131.4 Million for Public Safety.   Where did all the money go?

A June 2012 DMN Frisco Roundup reported that the Frisco City Council authorized staff to start the process of issuing $5.5 million in general obligation bonds from 2006 for fire engines, an ambulance, and other fire equipment to replace aging equipment.  Then in July of 2013, the Dallas Morning News reported that the City Council approved issuing $20 million in general obligation bonds from the 2006 bond election for capital projects.  The first $8 Million would be spent on Fire Station 8, the remaining $12 million would be spent on road projects. 

If the 2006 bond was for Fire Station 8 as reported by the DMN, then that means the 2 new stations proposed by the bond committee in 2014 for the 2015 bond election would be for Station 9 and Station 10.  On the citizens bond presentation on page 543, it says, “addition of 2 Fire Stations including new fire apparatus supporting those stations.”

WHERE IS FIRE STATION 10?   There is NO FIRE STATION 10 which should be located near the new PGA.  So, even though we are building the PGA Frisco, The Link, and Fields with multi-million-dollar homes as of today we have no fire station to support that.  Why would a city allow developers to build out an area without first providing it services? 

In 2019, voters passed another bond election for a total of $345 Million.  Public Safety made up $62.5 Million of that.  The pretty city flyer states that it is for Fire Station #11 and vehicles /equipment, a Public Safety Training Center (Phase 2), and a Police HQ remodel as stated in the city flyer.  Guess what, as of today there IS NO FIRE STATION 11!  Do you see the pattern?

Now in 2023, the voters passed another bond for $473.4 Million.  Out of that total $131.4 Million were for Public Safety, Facilities, and Equipment.  The 2023 Bond Flyer said the money was for Fire Station #11, Remodel Fire Station #4, and Fire Fleet Services Building.  WAIT – DID YOU CATCH THAT?  PLOT TWIST…  Why are citizens being asked to PAY for Fire Station #11 TWICE?   Remember in the 2019 Bond Election that money was for Fire Station 11 and the vehicles/equipment it needed.  WHY ARE CITIZENS PAYING FOR IT TWICE? 

What is the point of us looking into the Bond Elections?  As we stated earlier, since 2006 voters have been asked to approve a whopping total of $1,285,225,000 in bond propositions.  Most of us check our home accounts weekly and balance our budgets to know where our money is going so why not watch what the city is doing with our money?   As Cheney said, whatever we put out in front of voters they will approve because they trust us.  Should we trust them?  His excuse for not wanting an animal shelter was there was no plan but it appears there were not a lot of plans for many of the items they asked for over the years.  We still have no PD parking garage, no cultural arts facility or larger theater, no new FD fire stations, and we could go on.  As TAXPAYERS, you should be asking yourself WHERE IS THE MONEY?  HAVE THEY SOLD THE BONDS?  HAVE WE PUT TO MUCH TRUST IN OUR CITY WITH NO OVERSIGHT?  HOW MANY TIMES ARE WE GOING TO BE ASKED TO PAY FOR THE SAME PROJECTS?