Fort Worth City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday night to adopt a new pavement management fee that will help the city meet its growing street‑maintenance obligations. The fee, which will be billed through water accounts, is slated to take effect in February 2028 and is projected to bring in roughly $27.4 million each year.
How the fee works
Residential water customers will pay a flat $3 per month. Multifamily properties will be assessed based on the number of dwelling units, hotels on room count, schools on student enrollment, and commercial properties generally on square footage. The fee structure is designed to reflect usage and ensure that all users contribute to the upkeep of the city’s road network.
Addressing a widening funding gap
City staff estimates that Fort Worth’s annual street‑maintenance needs have risen to $98 million, leaving a $66 million shortfall. Delaying full reconstruction of roughly 150 lane miles each year adds an estimated $375 million in future bond obligations. By covering about 40 percent of the current gap, the new fee is expected to avert roughly $125 million in annual reconstruction costs and cut future bond needs by 34 percent.
Support from city officials
Lane Zarate, the city’s assistant director of street and stormwater operations, called the measure “an important step” that will deliver “significant benefit” to the community, even if it does not solve the entire funding challenge in one go. Council member Michael Crain, who moved to approve the fee, emphasized the need for consistent revenue, stating, “We’re upping fees for roads and streets and we need to make sure it stays that way.”
Accountability and oversight
The council attached several safeguards to the ordinance. An amendment requires semi‑annual public reporting on transportation impact fees and pavement management fees, a 12‑month implementation review conducted in a public workshop, and language that restricts fee revenues—except for administrative costs—to pavement preservation and maintenance.
Impact on the city’s road network
The fee will fund 75 percent of heavy‑maintenance projects and 25 percent of citywide preservation projects. It will also support routine maintenance for streets in good condition on a five‑year cycle. With construction costs having risen about 73 percent in recent years, the additional revenue is seen as a prudent measure to keep Fort Worth’s 8,600 lane miles of streets in safe, serviceable condition.
Funding through PayGo
In addition to the new fee, the city’s PayGo program— which utilizes property‑tax revenue instead of debt—will continue to contribute to street‑repair financing, further reducing reliance on bonds.
Fort Worth’s proactive approach to infrastructure financing reflects a broader trend among municipalities seeking sustainable, user‑based funding models to preserve essential services without overburdening taxpayers.
Original reporting: Fort Worth Report — read the source article.
