State of the City: Mansfield’s Growth, Infrastructure, and Community Priorities for the Year Ahead

Public safety and essential services

Police

• Reported 37,000+ incident calls, with many being officer-initiated (emphasizing proactive policing).

• The police headquarters is described as a state-of-the-art facility that draws interest from other departments nationwide.

Fire/EMS

• Fire/EMS activity was described as high-volume, including 7,300+ emergency medical calls.

• Mansfield Fire maintains an ISO Class 1 rating, placing it in the top 1% nationally.

• A major project: relocation and construction of Fire Station 1 at Broad Street & Walnut Creek Drive to improve response times.

Mobility, roads, and traffic strategy

The city described a three-part mobility strategy:

1. Maintenance and operations

2. North–south / east–west connectivity

3. Technology

Highlighted projects and priorities included:

• Intersection improvements (examples mentioned: Broad & Wisteria, Matlock turn-lane improvements).

• Major connectivity investments, including Matlock extension and additional roadway planning intended to reduce congestion and improve routes into/out of Mansfield.

• Heritage Parkway improvements planned (reconstruction of remaining lanes mentioned).

• Broad Street: design work underway for a major reconstruction; leaders acknowledged it as a major resident frustration and flagged traffic impacts during construction.

Traffic and safety technology

• Signal technology that helps clear intersections for emergency vehicles to reduce response times.

• A noted example: AI-enabled pedestrian detection/warning technology at Broad & Main aimed at improving safety.

Water, wastewater, and long-range infrastructure planning

Water

• The city treated 6.7 billion gallons of drinking water in 2025.

• A major expansion is planned to increase treatment capacity from 45 million to 63 million gallons per day.

Wastewater

• Mansfield does not operate its own wastewater treatment plant; wastewater is sent to regional plants.

• Leaders emphasized future planning and water conservation as a key long-term strategy due to growth and lawn irrigation demand.

Animal shelter

• A new, state-of-the-art animal shelter is expected to open later in the year.

• Staff were recognized for caring for animals during severe weather conditions.

Organizational excellence and awards/recognition

Leaders emphasized awards are “byproducts” of strong work, not the goal. Recognition highlighted included:

• Mansfield recognized as a top place to live/move (sources named included outlets like U.S. News & World Report and other rankings).

• Library system recognized by the Texas Library Association (top-tier performance referenced).

• Parks & Recreation earned a National Gold Medal Award again.

• Planning department received recognition for long-range community planning, including the Mansfield 2040 plan.

• Strong civic participation highlighted through National Night Out recognition.

Remarkable experiences: parks, trails, green space, and placemaking

• Goal stated: a park within a 10-minute walk for every resident.

• Trail expansion: 4 additional miles added recently to the Walnut Creek Linear Trail system, with an ambition to add more annually.

• The city purchased 100 acres for a new nature preserve to protect green space.

• Downtown placemaking: “Gathering spaces” and “commons” were discussed, with a grand opening date mentioned as February 27 (time referenced as ~5:00 PM).

Together as one: civic engagement and partnerships

• Residents were encouraged to get involved through the city’s boards and commissions (described as a key way to influence the city’s future).

• Public-private partnerships highlighted:

  • Fields at Station 63 (formerly Big League Dreams): reopened and reportedly hosting tournaments and significant attendance.

  • Hawaiian Falls: under new management with planned reinvestment.

  • A professional soccer partnership/team (presented by a club representative), emphasizing both player development and community involvement.

Healthy economy: taxes, fiscal strategy, and major development

• Leaders highlighted continued work on homestead exemption support and efforts to lower the tax rate since 2019.

• Fiscal approach included paying down debt early (defeasance), strong reserves, and long-running financial reporting awards.

• The city cited top-tier credit ratings (AAA referenced) and emphasized disciplined budgeting.

Major projects and business expansion

• New City Hall under construction at Regency Parkway & Heritage Parkway.

• Downtown revitalization project referenced as the Water Wheel District.

• Major employers expanding: Mouser Electronics, Klein Tools (including a global R&D HQ concept and hundreds of jobs), and SellMark expansion.

“Coming soon” highlights (business/entertainment)

A “coming soon” segment included:

• A large entertainment district (referenced as Stable Streets Entertainment District) anchored by a stadium.

• New hotels (including a large, sports-focused concept hotel) and a convention center tied to the development.

• Multiple retailers/restaurants and attractions were name-checked, including mentions like HEB already open, Costco coming, a specialty grocer widely implied to be Trader Joe’s, plus additional dining/retail and entertainment concepts (bowling/arcade/live music elements were referenced).

Closing

They closed by thanking city staff (especially during severe weather response), emphasizing that Mansfield’s progress depends on staff execution and resident partnership—ending with: the state of the city is strong.