Bedford Journal Project

10/17/2025

BEDFORD DENIES ONCOR RATE INCREASE REQUEST

Bedford’s City Council Tuesday night denied a 12.3% rate increase requested by the Oncor Electric Delivery Company, labeling it as “unreasonable” and stated that Oncor had previously committed to no changes to the current rates. The denial was unanimous (5-0) as a consent item.

Read the full article at... bedfordjp.com/oncor-rate-increase/

10/15/2025

A BEDFORD CHRISTMAS WITH DRONES

Bedford’s Christmas in the Park event, starting this year, will feature a 10-to-15-minute drone show, as unanimously (5-0) approved by City Council Tuesday night. The $20,000 aerial display will be “themed around the Christmas season and designed to be enjoyable for all ages,” according to the meeting agenda. The objective, the agenda stated, “is to deliver a visually impressive performance that spreads holiday cheer and creates a memorable community experience.”

Read the full article at... bedfordjp.com/a-bedford-christmas-with-drones/

09/20/2025

TEXAS HEALTH HEB RECOGNIZED NATIONALLY FOR HEART HEALTH

Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Hurst-Euless-Bedford, announced that for the second consecutive year, it earned the Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval and the American Heart Association’s Heart-Check mark for Primary Heart Attack Center certification.

The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval, according to the Joint Commission’s website, is “a nationally recognized symbol of quality signifying a healthcare organization has met high performance standards and is committed to patient safety and quality care.”

Read the full article at... bedfordjp.com/texas-health-heb/

09/16/2025

A great opportunity to catch up on developments in Bedford!

Mornings with the Mayor returns on Saturday, September 20 at 10 a.m. at The Bedford Center YMCA, 2801 Forest Ridge Dr. ☀

Meet Mayor Cogan, hear updates regarding City news and projects, and have your questions addressed in one-on-one discussions.

09/14/2025

TURNING POINT BEER TO ADD AN OUTDOOR DINING PAVILION

Another piece of the Stonegate District, as part of Bedford’s Comprehensive Plan, appears to be falling into place. City Council, at its regular meeting last Tuesday, unanimously granted Turning Point Beer a specific use permit (SUP) to construct a 7,000-square-foot outdoor dining pavilion adjacent to its existing building at the northwest corner of Bedford Road and Brown Trail.

Read the full article at... https://bedfordjp.com/turning-point-pavilion/

09/11/2025

CITY COUNCIL APPROVES BUDGET FOR FY2025 - 2026

A new $49.6 million budget for general operations was unanimously approved (7-0) by City Council at its regular meeting Tuesday (Sept 9), which is a 4.8% increase from this year’s budget. Of that amount, $23.2 million comes from property taxes.

To fund the new budget for FY 2025-2026, which runs from October 1 to September 30, the Council has approved a 5.57% increase in the City’s property tax for residents, which is based on a 6.15% tax rate increase.

Read the full article about Bedford's new budget at... https://bedfordjp.com/budget-approved-for-2026/

09/06/2025

CITY COUNCIL TO VOTE TUESDAY ON NEW BUDGET WITH PROPOSED 5.57% TAX INCREASE AND A PUBLIC HEARING FOR RESIDENTS’ COMMENTS

Bedford’s City Council is scheduled Tuesday, September 9, at 6:00pm, to vote on a 5.57% tax increase for the upcoming 2025-2026 fiscal year. The increase is dependent on a 6.15% boost in the tax rate. The meeting includes a public hearing, allowing for residents to make comments.

The new budget, which runs from October 1 to September 30, would be based on a tax rate of $0.526212 per $100 of property valuation. This is the highest allowable rate approved by voters, which has effectively set the ceiling for the budget without an election. But as a result of changes at the Tarrant Appraisal District (TAD), this is also the first tax rate increase for the City in three years, which has held it steady at $0.495726 since the budget year 2022-2023.

See the full meeting agenda... https://bedfordtx.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_09092025-1523

08/27/2025

Today, August 27, the Tarrant County Public Health Department notified the City of Bedford that a mosquito sample collected from Zone 5 tested positive for West Nile Virus. Please view the accompanying map to see if your area is within the impacted zone.

In accordance with the City’s Mosquito Abatement policies and recommendations from Tarrant County Public Health, creeks and flumes within Zone 5 will be treated with larvicide. Public Works staff are also checking for any standing or stagnant water around the mosquito trap area.

This is the fourth mosquito sample collected in Bedford that has tested positive for West Nile Virus this year.

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗜 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗺𝘆𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳?
PLEASE continue to follow advice and be vigilant in your mosquito abatement measures. No one should solely rely on the measures the City is taking to reduce the mosquito population. When it comes to protecting yourself and your family from mosquitoes, please remember the "Four D's:"

🦟 Dusk and dawn are the times of day you should try to stay indoors. This is when mosquitoes are most active and are considered major feeding times.
🦟 Dress in long sleeves and pants when you are outside. For extra protection, you may want to spray thin clothing with repellent.
🦟 DEET is an effective EPA-registered active ingredient to look for in your insect repellent. Always wear repellent when outdoors and choose products that contain up to 20 percent DEET.
🦟 Drain standing water in your backyard and neighborhood. Old tires, flowerpots, and clogged rain gutters are considered mosquito-breeding sites.

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗜 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝘆’𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘀?
The City has a dedicated mosquito control webpage at www.bedfordtx.gov/mosquito.

The webpage contains details explaining the City’s mosquito management program, an interactive map with locations that are regularly monitored, a mosquito checklist, and information on how to schedule on-site mosquito inspections with the City.

For more information about West Nile Virus, please contact the Public Works Department at 817-952-2200.

08/23/2025

'YOU BUILD IT AND THEY'LL COME:' LONGTIME BEDFORD RESIDENT DANE MARTIN LOOKS AT A FAST-CHANGING CITY, reported by Andy Lusk, KERA News

Not everyone spends their entire life in one place, but those who do get a special bird’s-eye view of their hometown’s history.

Over the last few decades, longtime Bedford resident Dane Martin has seen his country town transform into a robust small city. He spent his childhood exploring the area on foot and bike with friends and he attended the Old Bedford School in the 1950s.

Read or listen to the full story from KERA News at... https://www.keranews.org/news/2025-08-22/you-build-it-and-theyll-come-a-longtime-bedford-resident-looks-back-at-a-fast-changing-city

08/21/2025

SALE OF HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS PROPERTY IS COMPLETED, as reported by Hotel Online

The sale of the "Holiday Inn Express & Suites Dallas-Bedford Development Parcel" to I & A Development and Construction was announced today by HVS Brokerage and Advisory.

The announcement, posted by Hotel Online, refers to the site as a "prime location" that is "fully entitled and shovel-ready." With the site still affiliated to Holiday Inn Express," the report said "we secured four competitive offers within the first week of marketing" and that "the winning buyer is an experienced developer."

The post describes the site as "centrally located within the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex, Bedford has established itself as an important suburb given its solid base of medical providers, small businesses, national retailers, and restaurants. The development site benefits from its favorable location near the interchange of State Highways 121 and 183 (Texas 183 toll road), near a multitude of corporate and leisure demand drivers, including the expanding Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), Texas Health HEB Hospital, State National Companies, Legacy Housing Corporation, and the Carter BloodCare Bedford office. Leisure demand generators in the greater area include Six Flags Over Texas, Six Flags Hurricane Harbor, Globe Life Rangers Ballpark, and Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium."

The original post on Hotel Online... https://www.hotel-online.com/press_releases/release/cimarron-hospitality-sells-holiday-inn-express-suites-dallas-bedford-development-parcel/

08/16/2025

PROPOSED BUDGET CALLS FOR 5.57% TAX INCREASE AND SPLITS THE COUNCIL OVER EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT BENEFITS

With TAD’s new plan of running appraisals every other year, rather than every year, City Council was faced this past Tuesday with the dilemma of how much to raise the city’s tax rate for the new budget. The debate it caused was based on how much to fund a new retirement cost of living adjustment benefit for employees versus the cost to taxpayers.

Read the full article at... bedfordjp.com/2026-tax-increase/