Dallas' Community College District Can't Issue $1.1 Billion In Bonds Because of a Lawsuit [View all]
In May, voters overwhelmingly approved a $1.1 billion bond package for the Dallas County Community College District. Plans for those dollars are ambitious. Chancellor Joe May talked about an expansive downtown higher ed and innovation hub to tie together the district’s work with four-year universities and Dallas ISD high schools. The district will include downtown student housing and a new El Centro College campus in their plans. The new hub is expected to cost $535 million.
But those plans have screeched to a halt. Six months since the bond passed with 71.5 percent in favor, DCCCD hasn’t seen a penny. A lawsuit contesting the results of the election is now a road block in the way of the district’s plans. With ongoing litigation implying there’s even a chance the result could be reversed, the district can’t get approval to issue bonds.
That means the first set of projects—$200 million to $300 million toward planning and executing the downtown hub—is on hold indefinitely, DCCCD confirmed in an email this week.
“As long as the election contest suit is pending or until a final, non-appealable judicial order that does not overturn the election has been obtained, the district is unable to issue bonds or finance a public project(s),” reads the emailed statement. “The district will be able to issue bonds after the bond-related litigation is favorably concluded.”
Read more: https://www.dmagazine.com/frontburner/2019/11/dallas-community-college-district-bond-package-lawsuit/?ref=mpw
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