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Sunday, September 29, 2024

Good evening:

An outside group led and funded by non-Dallas residents is pushing November ballot measures that could burden our city with higher taxes, worse streets and parks, and an underfunded fire department.

Last week, the Downtown Dallas, Inc. (DDI), Board of Directors voted to oppose November ballot Propositions S, T, & U, and to urge Dallasites to vote “against” the three measures that appear at the very bottom of the ballot on November 5.

The proposed City Charter changes were added to the ballot because of a successful citizen petition drive organized by a group calling itself “Dallas HERO,” and backed by a luxury hotelier. A majority of Dallas City Council members, former elected officials, and a growing list of civic and business leaders oppose the package.  

That is because the three propositions would be a major step backward for Dallas, hampering the City’s ability to invest in basic services that residents consistently prioritize, including fire, EMS, streets and sidewalks, parks, trash pickup, homelessness, and the arts.

Propositions S, T, and U would compel the hiring of hundreds of unqualified police officers to meet a quota that Dallas Police Chief Eddie García has said is likely impossible to meet. When the quota is not met, the City would likely have to spend millions in taxpayer funds to fend off frivolous lawsuits.

The measures may also result in qualified and effective city managers being terminated based on results of a mandated random annual survey of 0.1% of the Dallas population. With the city manager position currently vacant and unlikely to be filled before Election Day, passage of S, T, and U would make it more difficult to attract and retain top talent for the post.

The DDI Board also opposes Proposition R, which would prohibit Dallas police from enforcing certain marijuana laws. García told the City Council the measure poses a threat to public safety.

The Dallas Morning News editorial board today came out strongly against all four proposed amendments.

“These propositions did not arise from council discussion or the city’s charter amendment commission,” the board wrote. “They instead came about through what we believe were misleading and manipulative petitions that misrepresent the harm that will come from their passage.”

I’ll have more on these harmful proposals and the campaign to stop them in the coming weeks.

Read on for more on:

• Another shot at stopping an unpopular plan to sell Downtown sidewalk space for digital advertising boards.

• Final changes to the updated land-use plan known as ForwardDallas 2.0, which DDI supports.

• A personalized email newsletter to help you prepare for the upcoming election.

Sign Up For DDI Public Policy Text Alerts

⚡ Highlights From Last Week’s Meetings of Interest:

— A homelessness pilot program to add temporary housing options could cost more money and take more time than putting people directly into homes, according to city officials. Read more from The Dallas Morning News.

— The Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) Board of Directors approved a nearly $1.8 billion budget Tuesday with no cuts to services, KERA News and WFAA report.

— The City Council approved an updated land-use plan, ForwardDallas 2.0, backed by DDI, in an 11-4 vote on Wednesday. The Dallas Morning News details final changes to the plan.

— The delicious Commissary restaurant in Downtown won City Council approval for renewal of a sidewalk cafe license.

— City Council members approved a federal legislative agenda but delayed a vote on the state version until October 8. Read more about the proposals here.

— City Council members approved a 40-year lease agreement lease agreement with the University of North Texas System for the long-planned $130 million Dallas police law enforcement training academy at the University of North Texas at Dallas in southern Dallas. The City will be charged $1 for use of the property. The project is being funded with City bond money, state funds, and private dollars.

— The City Council delayed a vote on a proposal from five City Council members to make it easier to spend taxpayer funds to travel to Washington, D.C., and Austin for legislative advocacy. Members of a City Council committee earlier this month voted unanimously to recommend killing the proposal.

Thanks to DDI's Nikia Summerlin, Urban Planning Manager, for monitoring hours of meetings every week and contributing to these summaries.Questions? Nikia can be reached at [email protected].

📝 Memos of Interest:

— Five Dallas City Council members are requesting a vote in the coming weeks on a controversial plan to sell public sidewalk space for digital advertising boards.

Dallas City Council Members Paul E. Ridley, Jaynie Schultz, Chad West, Carolyn King Arnold, and Cara Mendelsohn requested the matter be voted on by the full City Council before a new Request for Proposals (RFP) is issued.

A City Council committee earlier this month recommended the RFP move forward despite overwhelming public opposition, including from DDI.

***

— The “Big Read Down” Dallas Public Library fee amnesty program allows people to earn $1 in fee amnesty for every 15 minutes of reading and $20 for completing specified activities, according to this memo.

— Check out all the latest City Hall memos here and here.

No Meetings of Interest This Week

This week’s City Council meeting was canceled and no committee meetings are scheduled, sparing me from many hours of Sunday reading material.

Sign Up For “Back to the Ballot” Newsletter

Our friends at The Dallas Morning News have launched the Back to the Ballot newsletter to make it easier for voters to prepare before heading to the polls in a few weeks.

Subscribers are asked about their interests via a short quiz, followed by a tailored email with need-to-know information that kicks off the newsletter series. I did it myself today and it took less than 20 seconds, with a personalized email sent my way instantly.

I urge you to sign up at dallasnews.com/ballot.

Did we miss anything? Do you have any questions? Just want to talk about meetings? Let me know.

Were you forwarded this newsletter? Subscribe here.Have a great week.

Best,Scott Goldstein

Communications & Government Relations Consultant

Downtown Dallas, Inc.

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