Although the city has yet to call a bond election, that could happen as soon as its final meeting in February or first meeting in March, according to city officials.
Temple Mayor Bill Jones III said if the council OKs it, he believes it would be better to set it sooner rather than later. One option would be for the bond to show up on the November ballot.
“The cost of construction is going up and there is a need as the city grows,” Jones said.
City Manager David Blackburn recently presented an overview of the city’s fire master plan, which laid out a number of options for dealing with potential growth and the corresponding need for additional fire and EMS protection.
It included a recommendation for a new central fire station at an estimated $7.4 million, as well as a new fire station No. 8 with a training center combined with an emergency operations center for $4.9 million, an engine for the proposed station 8 for $565,000, and replacement engines for stations 1 and 4 for $540,000 each.
“We definitely need to keep up with that growth trend so that we can provide the proper coverage for it,” said Temple Fire and Rescue Chief Lonzo Wallace.
Wallace said most of the improvements called for are geared toward improving response times.
“That’s a huge thing,” he said.
Wallace said the benefit to building a new station No. 8 would be that the city could save money by building at the same time and place as a new training center and the city’s emergency operations center.
Council seats
Three positions, including the mayor’s, are up for election.
Filing begins Feb. 9 and ends at 5 p.m. March 10.
Also on the ballot in the May contest are the District 2 seat held by Patsy Luna and the District 3 seat held by Marty Janczak. On Jan. 19, Janczak won a special election for the seat, vacated by Martha Tyroch, who resigned in November to run for state office. Tyroch’s term on the council was set to end in May, so Janczak will have to file and run for the District 3 seat again if he wants to serve a full, three-year term. Janczak has said he will run.
Jones, in his second term, has not yet announced his intention.
Ms. Luna, serving her second term, said on Tuesday that she intends to run.
Annexed voters
City officials said residents who were annexed into the city in January are not in the districts up for election, although voters in the new city areas will be able to vote for the mayor and a bond issue if approved by the council.
nrstinson@temple-telegram.com
