A $104 million dollar bond election has been called by county commissioners to attempt to repeat the success of the 2013 bond which brought road improvements valued at several times the taxpayer investment. The proposal's scope is based on 73 projects prepared by a coalition of state, county and municipal leaders over the last several months.

The county has so far used the $50 million authorized in 2013 to leverage over $350 million in state and federal funds. This is done by having the project designed and ready to let when TxDOT has funds in need of allocation in their monthly disbursements. Matching that success rate will bring an additional $750 million for roadway and transportation improvements to Kaufman County.

Since Talty recently reconstructed its roadways, its submittal involved funding a connecting road between Layden Ridge and a future frontage road along westbound I-20. This will greatly benefit those leaving the Layden Farm and Shamrock Ridge area by granting more direct I-20 access to those heading toward Dallas, Kaufman or Terrell. The current Layden Ridge/CR 213 connection point, which creates an oddly angled intersection , will be closed since an S-curve around the old St. Martin's building will create a FM 1641 intersection point a few hundred feet to the north. The connecting road will also greatly benefit emergency vehicles and traffic from a potential Forney ISD campus or facility on the 11 acres it owns at Layden Farm Drive and Layden Ridge/CR 213.

The project submittal process called for screening submittals through each county commissioner. Projects calling for significant work in multiple precincts were managed by the county judge's office. Project consultants and engineers then prioritized the list by category and estimated the cost of each proposal before further reducing the list to something just over $100 million. It anticipated the debt will be authorized in a manner allowing the county tax rate remains stable. The final list also balances the funding both geographically and between county roads and state maintained roads. STAR Transit, a transportation service available countywide, would also benefit from capital improvements.

The list of proposed projects include widening roads, bridge and approach replacements, pavement/safety improvements, repairing grade separations, completing or providing necessary connections to major roadways, constructing frontage roads and updating the county road plan. A complete list is available from the county offices or can be viewed on the county website.

Another section of the bond proposal will provide $50 million for a critically necessary court facility near the county jail. In addition to addressing security concerns, moving the courts to a more suitable and safe site will allow restoring and creating space for ever growing county office needs.