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Sunday, October 20, 2024

Good evening:

Early voting starts tomorrow and there are 17 ways voters can change our city’s constitution.

None are a greater threat to Dallas taxpayers than Propositions S, T, and U, which Downtown Dallas, Inc. (DDI), and many of our partner organizations oppose.

Proposition S would allow any Dallas resident to sue for any perceived violation of state or local laws. The measure would incentivize lawsuits by allowing lawyers to collect their fees for these lawsuits from taxpayers, potentially sparking a cottage industry of lawyers ready to do battle with City Hall at taxpayers’ expense.

Proposition T subjects the city manager’s job status to an easily manipulated and unscientific survey of 0.1% of the Dallas population. It would create an annual popularity contest over the fate of the City’s CEO.

Proposition U would force the city to immediately hire 900 officers, something current and former law enforcement leaders say is not only impossible — but also dangerous.

The people behind these propositions forced them on the ballot by gathering sufficient voter signatures in what The Dallas Morning News editorial board called “misleading claims about the proposals and their potential consequences.” The Texas Observer last week published an exhaustive investigative report on “the billionaire behind the bid to break Dallas city government.”

For those of us who work every day to improve Downtown, what has been most disheartening is an outside group’s sensationalistic attacks on the state of city, including Downtown. We have our challenges, and DDI has long advocated for more police. But Downtown Dallas is not on fire and crime is not rampant, as former City of Dallas community prosecutor Bobby Abtahi recently shared with Dallas Morning News columnist Sharon Grigsby.

We all want our City to continue to improve when it comes to safety and accountability. We want to continue to do it the right way, by working with our elected leaders, our members, and our partners to advocate for reasonable policies and investments.

“As a family raising children in Dallas, if these amendments pass and chaos ensues,” Abtahi told Grigsby, “we’d have to think twice about whether our future is here.”

We can all agree we need to make our City better. We can also hopefully agree that Propositions S, T, and U are the wrong way to do it.

Explore Dallas County voting locations here.

Read on for more on:

• The timeline for a redo of the elevated highway that divides Downtown and Deep Ellum.

• Further discussion of an initiative that housed more than 100 people experiencing homelessness in Downtown in under 100 days.

• Highlights from a recent Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) rider satisfaction survey.

Sign Up For DDI Public Policy Text Alerts

⚡ Highlights From Last Week’s Meetings of Interest:

— Dallas City Council members on Wednesday called for clarity on the roles and responsibilities of the nonprofit and for-profit organizations running Fair Park, KERA News reports. The questions come in the wake of findings that at least $5.7 million in donor funds were misallocated.

Also last week, Park Board President Arun Agarwal called for a more in-depth forensic audit into Fair Park’s finances, The Dallas Morning News reports (I also serve on the Park Board representing District 10).

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— It will likely be more than a decade before the highway dividing Downtown and Deep Ellum is rebuilt below grade at an estimated cost of $1.65 billion, according to a briefing to City Council members last week, The Dallas Morning News reports. Dallas City Council Member Jesse Moreno urged state transportation officials to continue collaborating with DDI and other stakeholder groups, as reported by KERA News. DDI has long been working with state and local leaders on potential decks, pedestrian amenities, and funding sources for the project.

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— Regional transportation officials warned against taking the ongoing debate over DART funding to the state legislature next year, The Dallas Morning News reports.

“I think you need to think about what is happening with our legislature with regard to local control, and what is their appetite for transit period,” North Central Texas Council of Governments Director of Transportation Michael Morris told the Regional Transportation Council.

📝 Memos of Interest:

— Here’s a breakdown of how Dallas has spent or plans to spend hundreds of millions of dollars in pandemic recovery funds.

— Members of the City Council Economic Development Committee had follow-up questions about a Dallas business survey I told you about earlier this month. This memo includes answers to those questions, including which organizations were consulted in developing the questions and a breakdown in responses by Council district.

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

Meetings of Interest: October 21 - 25, 2024

Watch City of Dallas Meetings Live

Monday, October 21

City Council Quality of Life, Arts, and Culture Committee, 9 a.m., Council Chambers, 6th Floor, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.

— This memo provides an update on the City’s relationship with Downtown’s AT&T Performing Arts Center (AT&T PAC), outlining the use agreement, which covers the Center’s management, operations, and public access responsibilities. It also highlights key amendments to the agreement and details $13 million in 2024 bond funding allocated for improvements to the Center’s campus and venues (see above), including the Winspear Opera House and Wyly Theatre​.

City Council Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, 1 p.m., Council Chambers, 6th Floor, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.

— This Dallas Bike Plan 2025 briefing provides a status update and outlines the plan's objectives, such as enhancing bike network connectivity, improving safety, and increasing biking throughout the city. The implementation plan is phased over 20+ years, with high-priority projects slated for completion within the first five years. Key milestones include a public comment period in late 2024 and a final adoption by the City Council in March 2025.

Tuesday, October 22

City Council Housing and Homelessness Solutions Committee, 9 a.m., Council Chambers, 6th Floor, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.

— The quarterly update on the regional homelessness response system highlights a Downtown initiative that housed 107 people in less than 100 days. DDI partnered with Housing Forward and the City of Dallas on the “Street to Home” program. Learn more.

City Council Government Performance and Financial Management Committee, 1 p.m., Council Briefing Room, 6ES, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.

— The Downtown underground Bullington Truck Terminal is undergoing a review to achieve a more cost-neutral structure for the City, according this briefing. Staff are engaging connected users to discuss proposed financial changes, though there is limited interest in managing or purchasing the terminal. Options for City Council include pursuing full cost recovery or recognizing a City subsidy, with necessary City Code revisions to update charges and allowable use.

Dallas Area Rapid Transit Committee-of-the-Whole, 12:45 p.m., DART Conference Room C - 1st Floor, 1401 Pacific Ave., Dallas; Watch live here

— Satisfaction among DART riders rose significantly in 2024 as compared to last year, according to a DART customer satisfaction survey summarized in this briefing. The increase is attributed to improvements in DART's performance, especially in the presence of personnel.

Dallas Area Rapid Transit Board of Directors’ Meeting, 6 p.m., Board Room, 1401 Pacific Avenue, Dallas; Watch live here

— Board members will consider priorities for the 89th Session of the Texas Legislature, as outlined in this briefing.

Wednesday, October 23

Dallas City Council Meeting, 9 a.m., Council Chambers, 6th Floor, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.

— Item 19 is for approval of a $2 million payment to DART for the operation and maintenance costs of the Dallas Streetcar System, which runs from Union Station to the Bishop Arts District. The City will separately study other funding models for ongoing operations and maintenance. Read more in this memo.

— Item 25 would authorize $6.4 million in contracts with cultural organizations for events and activities in Downtown and throughout the city.

— Item 26 is for approval of two new appointees to the Dallas Economic Development Corporation (EDC) Board of Directors. They are AT&T Performing Arts Center Chief Advocacy Officer Chris Heinbaugh and former Ambassador Jeanne Phillips.

— Item 35 is for approval of the annual City Audit Plan for the current fiscal year. Read it here to see get a sense of where some City Council members are digging for answers.

— Item 39 is to reject all bids on a controversial plan to spend pandemic relief money on in-home garden kits. The City said last month it was canceling plans to award the $200,000 service contract to Bellcam Group “to provide residents with a recurring supply of fresh grown produce.” City leaders had to find their way out of a pickle when the proposed 18-month deal got a cool reception from City Council members earlier this year.

— Item 41 would make it easier for Dallas City Council members to use taxpayer money to travel to Austin or Washington, D.C., to advocate on legislative matters. Members of a City Council committee recommended the proposal — pushed by five council members — be killed.

— Item 45 is a $566,812 one-year contract with Boston Consulting Group (BCG) for a comprehensive economic impact analysis of high-speed rail. City Council members requested the study as part of a resolution pausing support for a Dallas-to-Fort Worth high-speed rail line potentially running through Downtown.

— Z6 is an application for a Specific Use Permit (SUP) for Club Vivo at 1908 Pacific Avenue in Downtown. City Plan Commissioners voted last month to deny the request, meaning approval requires a supermajority at City Council. The club owner is attorney Kevin Kelley, who also owns the nearby Kitchen + Kocktails.

— PH 2 is a hearing to receive comments and potentially approve a ceremonial street renaming honoring the late Max Glauben, a Holocaust survivor, on streets surrounding the Holocaust and Human Rights Museum in the West End. City Council members Jaynie Schultz, Jesse Moreno and Paul Ridley initiated the process earlier this year.

Thursday, October 24

City Plan Commission, 9 a.m. Briefing, 12:30 p.m. Public Hearing, Council Chambers, 6th Floor, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.

— Item 15 is consideration of code amendments to create a path to allow for legal private game clubs to operate by specific use permit.

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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