Low turnout at town halls for $62.5 million public safety bond

Only a handful of Cleburne residents showed up Wednesday to learn about a proposed $62.5 million public safety bond at the Cleburne Conference Center, according to the Cleburne Times-Review. A second town hall Thursday at the Booker T. Washington Recreation Center drew about five people, Mayor Derek Weathers said. The bond measure goes before voters with early voting Oct. 19–26 and Election Day on Nov. 3. If passed, the bond would fund a new 62,310-square-foot public safety building on city-owned land near Cleburne Municipal Airport. The facility would house the police department, fire administration offices, and municipal court — agencies currently spread across buildings dating to 1930, 1950, and the mid-1960s. A separate asset support building of about 10,000 square feet is also part of the plan. Weathers said he is considering a third town hall the week before early voting begins. The proposed building is designed to hold up to 300 personnel, compared to the roughly 91 staff currently split among the three departments. Cleburne's population stands at about 39,000.