City of Bedford, TX

During the September 10 City Council meeting, the Mayor and Council members unanimously approved a tax rate of 0.495726 per $100 assessed valuation for the upcoming 2024-2025 Fiscal Year, which starts October 1. This is the same tax rate as the past two fiscal years. It was lowered to its current rate in September 2022, when the Council approved a 10 percent decrease in the rate, making it the lowest rate since 2017. During the meeting, the Mayor and Council also unanimously approved the 2024-2025 Fiscal Year budget. The total proposed budget is approximately $97.6 million and includes capital purchases, street improvement and maintenance projects, expanded programs/services, and much more. Some highlights of the upcoming budget year include: ▪️ Continuation of the public safety step pay plan (police and fire personnel) ▪️ A 3 percent cost of living adjustment for all non-sworn employees on October 1 ▪️ Operations costs and additional staff for the new senior center, which will open by the end of 2024 ▪️ Increased flock cameras for the Police Department ▪️ New Christmas Tree and decorations for the City ▪️ Ambulance remount for the Fire Department  ▪️ Increased funding for Library for Digital Content and Events/Programs Additionally, the approved budget will allow the City to remain ahead of schedule in paying off debt, while maintaining healthy reserves. For more information and an in-depth look at the FY 2024-2025 budget and tax rate, please visit www.bedfordtx.gov/budget.

Citing the City’s economic growth, conservative budgeting practices, and a strong fund balance, Standard and Poor’s rating agency recently reaffirmed the City’s AA+ Bond Rating. This is the first time S&P reaffirmed the rating, since elevating it to its current AA+ status in May 2023. Since then, the City has saved an estimated $900,000 in interest over the last three Certificates of Obligation issuances. "Standard & Poor's reaffirmation is a testament to Bedford's strong economic growth and sound financial management,” said Bedford Mayor Dan Cogan. “By consistently ensuring revenues exceed expenditures and making wise decisions to cash fund projects when possible, we've kept our debt manageable and our future bright. This recognition reflects the dedication of our team to follow national best practices in financial management, and supports Bedford's forward progress.” According to S&P, the reaffirmation reflects the “very strong” economy in Bedford, which has experienced an average of 6.8% annual growth over the past five years driven by new development and commercial redevelopment. Officials anticipate another five percent added tax value in FY 2024-2025 and an additional three percent the following year. “City employees are dedicated to finding cost-effective ways to serve our community, while maintaining or improving service levels and standards,” said City Manager Andrea Roy. “This bond rating is crucial for maximizing every dollar as we plan for upcoming capital projects." To view the entire rating report, please visit www.standardandpoors.com.

Ready to take the next step in your Fire Service career? We are seeking qualified applicants for our Deputy Chief of Operations position. The Deputy Chief of Operations is a key member of the Fire Department Leadership Team and is responsible for daily operations. Under the direction of the Fire Chief, this position supervises, plans, coordinates, and directs daily operations to ensure operational readiness, safety, and competence. If you’re interested in applying, please visit www.bedfordtx.gov/jobs.

How does this keep happening?! 🤷🏼♀️🤣 The Bedford Police Department is hiring! Meet your work bestie and twin with them every day in Bedford. We’re hiring for: 🚔 Police Officer Recruit (no certification required) 🚔 Lateral Entry Police Officer (Peace Officer certification required) 📞 Public Safety Dispatcher 🐾 Animal Control Officer 🚸 School Crossing Guard Learn more and apply online today at ➡️ www.bedfordtx.gov/jobs

We have a winner! 🎉 The Cultural Arts Advisory Board chose Dallas artist Jessica Bell’s sculpture design as the winning entry from the many incredible submissions the City received over the past several months for a new sculpture at Generations Park at Boys Ranch. Bell’s design includes three 10-foot-tall green branches of leaves, that curve downward. At the base of the leaves, there will be several blue sculptural rocks for people to sit on, with solar lights spotlighting the sculpture at night. The leaves will have small holes in them, that will create small rays of light on the sitting area. The sculpture will be located in the rock circle (sometimes referred to as “Bedford Stonehenge”) near the lake pavilion within Generations Park at Boys Ranch. Jessica said she was inspired by the graceful form of the Texas Fern tree and her design is meant to capture the essence of nature and organic forms within Generations Park at Boys Ranch. The rock sculptures are crafted from composite decking material, to mitigate the Texas heat, while the leaf canopy will be constructed from perforated metal. Work on installing the sculpture at Generations Park at Boys Ranch is already underway! The entire installation is expected to take approximately 10 weeks, with a completion this fall. The City does plan to hold an unveiling ceremony that will be open to the public. Additional details will be released when available in the coming months.

Have you ever been driving around Bedford, saw a construction site, and wondered what’s being built there? We’ve got a new map for that! 🚧 City staff created a new interactive Development Map located at https://lnkd.in/gpssQs4s. Using the interactive features, users can see projects that are construction pending, under construction, in design, or recently completed at various locations in the city. If you click on each location, you’ll also be able to see additional details about each project. This page will continue to be updated by staff as new projects are added or a project’s status has changed.

Happy City Hall Selfie Day 📸 AND the first week back to school for HEB ISD! ✏️ It might not be a “selfie,” but we wanted to tie these two big events together by showcasing City staff who proudly serve this community (and may have graduated from the same place you did). 😎 #CityHallSelfie Day was started as a way to celebrate local government service around the country. These are just a few of the many faces you see around Bedford responding to emergencies, repairing roads, hosting events, maintaining parks and trails, keeping you updated on social media, and much more. Scroll through all of these photos to see everyone’s best piece of advice for kicking off the new school year. 💙 ELGL: Engaging Local Government Leaders

Happy First Day of School to our School Resource Officers! 🍎🚌📚

We’re back with the final round of the Bedford Lunch Break Olympics, featuring the Public Works Department! 🥇💧 In each episode, we’re showcasing Bedford employees as they compete in a department-specific challenge. Afterward, we’ll crown a Lunch Break Olympic champion! 🏆 Here’s some facts about Public Works: 🚧 Public Works is divided into 7 divisions: engineering, fleet, water, wastewater, stormwater, street, and traffic. 👷🏼 Staff is on-call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If an emergency happens in rain or shine, blazing or frigid temperatures, our crews always answer. 💦 Public Works maintains 192 miles of water mains, 3 water towers with 5 million gallons of storage capacity, 460 lane miles of street surface, more than 5,000 street signs, and much more. Tune in to see who takes the GOLD 🥇 in our Stop the Leak Challenge, where two Bedford employees will compete to see who can stop a water main break the fastest.

We’re back with another episode of the Bedford Lunch Break Olympics, now featuring the Bedford Animal Shelter! 🐾🏆 In each episode, we’re showcasing Bedford employees (or furry friends!) as they compete in a department-specific challenge. Afterwards, we’ll crown a Lunch Break Olympic champion! 🥇 Learn some facts about Animal Services:  🐶 Animal Services is a division of the Bedford Police Department.  🐱 They are responsible for the care and custody of all impounded animals at the Bedford shelter, responding to service calls, quarantining animals, investigating reports of cruelty, and enforcing animal ordinances.  🐾 There are TONS of cats and dogs currently at the shelter waiting to find their furr-ever homes. From August 10 - September 10, the shelter is also offering $50 adoptions! Now is the puuuuurfect time to meet your new family member. If you’re interested in adopting, check out www.bedfordtx.gov/animals to learn more about all available animals. Shelter staff can also be reached during business hours at 817-952-2191 or via email at animal.services@bedfordtx.gov. Tune in to see who takes the GOLD 🏆 in our Dog Dash, where two pups (both whom are available for adoption right now!) compete to see who gets to their treat bowl the quickest! We’ll see you next time for our LAST Lunch Break Olympics round with Bedford Public Works!