Dublin should help build the water line for Emerald Ridge. This is not because City Hall has money to spare. It is because Dublin cannot afford to keep saying no. We are proud. We are strong. But fortune does not favor those who watch opportunity drive away down Highway 377.
The proposed 43 Phase One homes average an estimated $295,000, plus seven potential commercial sites. He has committed private investment exceeding $1 million. The Dublin EDC voted unanimously to reimburse the city $250,000 over four years if Dublin funds the needed water infrastructure.
Now comes the hard part. Cost estimates differ. So do assumptions about water, sewer, and roads. Those differences may push Dublin’s exposure above $250,000. That does not justify a blind yes. But it does not justify a reflexive no. Our proposal: let’s put every scope, estimate and obligation on one public page. Then, cap the city’s share in a performance agreement.
Why? Because the return is real. Brad Allen’s projections show about $12.7 million in new residential value and potentially $2.1 million more in commercial value. They indicate $374,638 in city property taxes over five years, $206,388 in gross water and sewer billings, and $434,514 for Dublin ISD. At buildout, residential property taxes and utilities alone are projected near $145,500 each year.
Again: real revenue. Projected? Yes. Guaranteed? No. Of course, utility billings are not profit.
School formulas matter. And new value does not automatically cut anyone’s tax bill. But it does broaden the base. That means more roofs. More meters. More families helping carry fixed costs.
Those 43 homes mean customers, volunteers, students and neighbors.
Traffic is real, too. Families behind Thomas Street and in the Leatherwood Addition should be heard. We need a traffic and construction plan: safe access to 377, protected neighborhood streets, emergency routes, speed controls and clear responsibility for improvements. Good growth should strengthen existing neighborhoods. But we can grow in the right way by design – not denial.
Let’s also finance the public piece responsibly. Let’s re-examine a modest certificate of obligation, utility funds, and Texas Water Development Board financing. We shouldn’t discount the possibility of rural community development grants and a Chapter 380 agreement. Then, use grants first and affordable financing second. Debt only with public numbers and a credible repayment plan.
Abilene already uses Chapter 380 housing agreements. Stephenville has tied TIRZ revenue to certificates of obligation. Dublin need not copy, but we should not pretend that there is no model. A public-private partnership, common in Texas, is not surrender. It is leverage.
We have the people to get this right. Adina Dunn has shown what stubborn grant work can accomplish. Mayor David Leatherwood, Nancy Williams, Sammy Moore, Darren Turley, and Jacob McCullough can demand both growth and safeguards.
Chief Cameron Ray, Cory James and Kim Seider are carrying heavy responsibilities. But Paul Bradberry and the EDC have already put skin in the game. The Bradberrys, Leatherwoods and generations of Dublin families have built a town worth fighting for.
Co-author Bo Kabala: My wife works for Rock House, founded by Brad Allen. I have seen him do right by his people. That earns respect, even as it is consistent with mechanisms of mutual accountability.
That earns respect, even as it is consistent with mechanisms of mutual accountability.
Live within our means? Absolutely. But there is risk in standing still while buildings fail, systems strain, and neighboring towns act.
Let’s reconcile the estimates. Protect the neighborhoods. And cap our exposure. In the end, let’s seize the day – embrace a tough, transparent partnership with future residents in which we all help carry responsibilities, and enjoy Dublin’s very bright future.