Half Cent Annual Work Plan maps next round of capital improvements

From major street and drainage projects to public safety facilities and airport improvements, the City of Tyler’s newly adopted Half Cent Sales Tax Annual Work Plan outlines the next projects moving forward across the community. 

On Wednesday, Sept. 23, the Tyler City Council adopted the 2026–2027 Half Cent Annual Work Plan, which serves as a 10-year roadmap for capital improvement projects funded through the Half Cent Sales Tax Fund.  

Projects are organized into four tiers. The first three tiers include planned start periods and possible funding, helping the City plan projects and resources several years in advance.  

Tier 1 includes work expected to begin before Sept. 30, 2028, representing $146.4 million in planned investments. Streets and traffic projects make up the largest portion of the tier, followed by public safety and drainage. 

Tier 1 projects include: 

• Streets and traffic, including annual pavement maintenance, traffic signal modernization and projects identified through the South Tyler Mobility Study.  

• Public safety, including Fire Station No. 2, the Fire Training Facility and a driving course for the Police Training Facility. 

• Drainage, including a West Mud Creek tributary, various channels and culvert improvements. 

• Other investments, including the Downtown Improvement Project, Tyler Pounds Regional Airport improvements, Municipal Court facility updates and the Midtown to Downtown Trail. 

Community input helped shape the 2026–2027 Annual Work Plan. During the spring Call for Projects, the City received 188 unique submissions, resulting in 61 new projects added to the work plan.  

Residents were then invited to review the proposed Annual Work Plan and provide feedback during a public comment period this summer. The City received 54 comments, with the majority focused on streets and traffic projects in Tiers 1 and 2. 

Each year, the Half Cent Sales Tax Board develops a proposed Annual Work Plan and budget for City Council consideration. The plan includes projects already underway, new projects and future projects identified for investment as funding becomes available. The Half Cent Sales Tax provides approximately $20 million annually for City capital projects.