Government
BY RACHEL LELAND
BY HALEY VELASCO
City of Friendswood eyes 2026 bond
Pearland Fire Chief retires, ends 4-year run Before former Pearland Fire Chief Jack “J.” Taylor stepped down from his role to retire on Feb. 2, he said he was con dent he was leaving the Pearland Fire Department better than he found it. Marking a milestone Before becoming Pearland’s re chief in 2022, Taylor spent over 30 years in the re service. His leadership helped the PFD earn an ISO Class 1 rating and multiple awards from the American Heart Association and the Texas State Fire Marshal’s Association for excellence in EMS prehospital cardiac care and re prevention. In 2024, the department became the 34th in Texas to earn the Best Practices designation from the Texas Association of Fire Chiefs. What’s next The job posting for the new re chief went live
Looking ahead
How much the potential bond package would cost was not discussed. However, committee members said they hoped to design a scally conservative bond package that voters would support, wary of Friendswood ISD’s $165 million bond that failed in 2025, as previously reported by Community Impact. The failed bond would have increased the district’s tax rate by $0.16 per $100 valuation of a home, based on projected taxable values for 2025. For a home valued at $500,000, the estimated increase would have been roughly $576 annually, or $48 monthly. Sta will meet with the committee again to further discuss the potential bond proposal Feb. 11, which took place after press time on Feb. 4, according to city documents.
Friendswood city sta met with members of the Bond Ad Hoc Committee at a Jan. 21 meeting to discuss a potential 2026 bond that could later be brought to City Council at an upcoming meeting. Items discussed included funding for a new recreational center near Lundy Lane. The discussion on a new recreation center was the most contentious. Members in the committee also suggested building a smaller building downtown, while phasing the larger sports complex at Lundy Lane for a future bond proposal. However, city sta said downtown locations lacked the necessary acreage for the full facility, leaving Lundy Lane or Centennial Park as the only viable options. Sta also discussed an overhaul of Stevenson Park, speci cally the aging pool, which was described as “past its life.”
Road improvements considered for potential bond Potential road improvements included Stadium Lane, Murphy Lane and Bay Area Boulevard
Pearland’s re command sta , including Shane Bridges (left), Curtis Birt, Jack “J.” Taylor, Jacob Johnson and Kelly Sears in 2023.
COURTESY JACK “J.” TAYLOR
STADIUM LANE
in January, and the city expects onboarding for the new re chief to begin in March or April. Taylor advises the next re chief to “appreciate the talent” at the PFD. “There are so many great men and women in this organization that care so much about being excellent at the job they do,” he said. “They need to be given the autonomy to continue to bring up those great ideas and be part of the process as we move forward.”
MURPHY LANE
BAY AREA BLVD.
N
SOURCE: FRIENDSWOOD BOND AD HOC COMMITTEE
Jack “J.” Taylor
COURTESY OF CITY OF PEARLAND
SHADOW CREEK 11023 Shadow Creek Pkwy (281) 977-1027
PEARLAND 10555 Pearland Pkwy (713) 987-9205
ALMEDA 11130 Gulf Fwy (713) 910-3941
FRIENDSWOOD 3126 FM 528 (281) 648-5473
Powered by FlippingBook