Cleburne has allocated $5.4 million for design and engineering, but that is not a published construction price or a voter-approved construction bond.
The city’s proposed public-safety facility would bring the Police Department, Municipal Court, Fire Administration and Emergency Operations into one location.
What the $5.4 million covers
Cleburne’s facilities planning page says the city issued certificates of obligation in 2025 that allocated $5.4 million for the facility’s initial design and engineering.
The same amount was the overall cap in a proposed architectural and engineering agreement presented in the May 12 City Council agenda. The agenda proposed hiring Hoefer Welker after the city reviewed 21 statements of qualifications and ranked the firm highest.
The initial bond-planning, pre-design and schematic-design phase was capped at $1.5 million in the proposed agreement.
What depends on a bond election
Later design and construction-related services would move forward only at the city’s direction after the bond election. The agenda says Cleburne would have no obligation to continue with those services if voters reject the proposition.
No election date or ballot amount is included in the cited materials.
What residents still do not know
The cited city materials do not identify a project site, total construction cost, ballot amount, election date or estimated tax effect for a future construction bond.
The city says the 2025 certificates of obligation did not affect the tax rate. That statement applies to the earlier financing and does not estimate the tax effect of a future voter-approved construction bond.
