Sunday, November 10, 2024

Good evening:

Dallas officials are wasting no time trying to mitigate the potentially devastating impacts of two Charter amendments approved by voters last week.

On Wednesday, City Council members are expected to vote on whether to repeal portions of a 1988 City ordinance (which you can read in its entirety here and see a relevant portion below) that called for a police staffing ratio of three officers per 1,000 citizens, a goal that Dallas has not met in decades, if ever.

The move is a preemptive strike. Proposition S, approved by voters last week, allows Dallas residents to sue over any perceived violation of city or state law. The non-Dallas residents who drafted and campaigned for the amendment suggested in the weeks leading up to the election that they had their eyes on that 1988 ordinance as one of the first potential targets for litigation. If Dallas repeals the section of the ordinance in question, it would presumably weaken such a lawsuit.

But even if the repeal is approved, a separate newly approved Charter change backed by the same outside group, Proposition U, uses similar language on police staffing. It calls for the Dallas Police Department to use a portion of excess annual revenues to increase sworn officer staffing “to at least 4,000 and the ratio established of 4,000 officers to Dallas city residents as of the date of the passage of this charter amendment is maintained or increased going forward.”

Dallas currently has fewer than 3,200 officers and officials have said reaching 4,000 officers would cost at least a few hundred million dollars and likely take many years. Major city police departments across the country are struggling to recruit officers and it takes about a year-and-a-half for recruits to go through the academy and training before they can hit the streets on their own.

This is likely only the beginning of the chaos and confusion that opponents of Propositions S and U warned about in emotional pleas for voters to reject the measures.

Read on for more on:

• The latest on the fate of the only drive-thru in Downtown.

• A proposed pilot program for temporary street closures that could welcome vendors, musicians, food trucks, and more.

• A significant contract tied to the Downtown convention center redevelopment.

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⚡ Highlights From Last Week’s Meetings of Interest:

— City Plan Commissioners recommended a new 2-year Specific Use Permit for continued operations of Downtown’s only drive-thru, at the McDonald’s at Commerce and Jackson streets. Some urbanists argue that a drive-thru is not appropriate for an urban core that has long aimed to be more walkable. A majority of commissioners said the business that has operated for decades deserves at least another two years of drive-thru operations. Read more from the Dallas Business Journal. The matter now moves to the City Council for a final vote.

— City Plan Commissioners also approved Certificates of Appropriateness for building signage on the new Modera St. Paul mixed use development by Mill Creek located at 400 South St. Paul Street.

Thanks to DDI's Nikia Summerlin, Urban Planning Manager, for monitoring hours of meetings every week and contributing to these summaries. Email Nikia

📝 Memos of Interest: 

— A group of City Council members and staff is in Japan through Tuesday to learn more about the bullet train there as part of ongoing planning for a Houston-Dallas (and Fort Worth) high-speed rail line. Read more about who is there and what they are doing in this memo.

— This breakdown of Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT) revenues from Short-Term Rentals (STR) and hotels for 2022 - 24 is provided in response to a request from members of the Economic Development Committee.

— Speaking of those pesky STRs, 72% of them citywide did not generate any 911 calls from June 2023 to September of this year, according to this memo. Notably, only 1% of STRs had 20 or more calls, and 2% had 10 or more, though City officials note this may be an overestimation.

— Kroll Bond Rating Agency (KBRA) reaffirmed the City of Dallas’ ‘AA+’ rating on its General Obligation bonds, adjusting the outlook from Positive to Stable due to low funding levels in the City’s pension plans. Read more.

— Interim City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert is asking every City Council member to share their top three priorities to guide department initiatives in the second quarter of the fiscal year, according to this memo.

— Officials should disband the Dallas Area Partnership on Ending Homelessness (DAPEH) because of its limited ability to provide oversight, redundant funding mechanisms, and lack of any dedicated staff, City Council Member Cara Mendelsohn says in this memo to Mayor Eric L. Johnson. Mendelsohn, the chair of the joint City-County entity, is echoing a key recommendation of the 2023 report of the Mayor’s Task Force on Homelessness, Organizations, Policies, and Encampments (HOPE).  

Check out all City Manager Memos here.

Meetings of Interest: Nov. 11 - 15, 2024

Watch City of Dallas Meetings Live

Monday, November 11

North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) Transportation Public Meeting, 12 p.m., 616 Six Flags Drive, Arlington, TX 76011; Watch Live Here

— This meeting will include a presentation on the ongoing Transit 2.0 initiative, which is exploring strategies for future regional collaboration among transit authorities. NCTCOG staff will also present on the development of Mobility 2050, which will forecast the transportation needs over the next quarter-century.

DFW Airport Executive Compensation Committee, 12:30 p.m., Board Room, DFW Headquarters Building, DFW Airport

— Committee members will discuss the search process to replace outgoing CEO Sean Donohue, who has announced he will retire next year.

Tuesday, November 12

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

— A proposed Open Streets pilot program would allow for periodic weekend street closures to transform designated areas into pedestrian-friendly spaces that could include vendors, food trucks, musicians and more. The closures would promote mobility, placemaking, and community engagement in line with DDI’s strategic 360 Plan. Staff recommends collaborating with local organizations and assessing permit requirements to ensure successful activation, with plans to return findings to this committee for final recommendations​.

Dallas Housing Finance Corporation, 12 p.m., L1FN Auditorium, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.

— This agenda includes consideration of a Memorandum of Understanding for acquisition, financing, and development of a proposed multifamily residential development at the Hartford Building, 400 North St. Paul St., in Downtown.

Dallas Area Rapid Transit Committee-of-the-Whole, 1 p.m., DART Conference Room C - 1st Floor, 1401 Pacific Avenue, Dallas

— As part of World Cup 2026 transportation plans, DART may provide up to 50 vehicles to service a “bus bridge” route along Interstate 30 between Victory Station and AT&T Stadium, according to this briefing. It is one of many transportation concepts coming together to prepare for nine matches at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, a city with no mass transit. Major related events are also expected to be held in and around Downtown.

Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) Board of Directors’ Meeting, 6 p.m., Board Room, 1401 Pacific Avenue, Dallas

Wednesday, November 13

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

— Item 44 is a $626,000 two-year professional services contract with Gresham Smith for a Dallas Streetcar Operations and Maintenance (O&M) study, which DDI has long supported. The goal is to provide revenue-generating transit funding models based on existing and potential future expansion routes, including the Central Link through Downtown, to offset the annual O&M costs and periodic capital maintenance costs of the City-owned Streetcar, which is currently operated by Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) and runs from the edge of Downtown over the Houston Street Viaduct to Methodist Hospital in Oak Cliff. The study will also examine the feasibility of an alternative third-party operator.

— Item 57 is a closed-door executive session discussion of matters including “legal issues related to the November 5, 2024, election and propositions.” This likely includes the passage of Propositions S and U, noted above.

— Item 58 is a closed-door executive session deliberation on “the purchase, exchange, lease, or value” of the underground Downtown Bullington Truck Terminal, under the 1600 block of Pacific Avenue.

— Item 60 would delete sections of a 1988 City ordinance that set a goal for Dallas to staff three police officers per 1,000 citizens. As noted above, backers of Propositions S and U cited this ordinance as evidence that Dallas is not following its own laws related to police staffing.

— Item 61 is a Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) contract with Trinity Alliance Ventures, LLC, a joint venture including the above entities, for the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Dallas redevelopment. The CMAR agreement includes pre-construction and construction services for elements including construction, demolition and improvements on the Downtown convention center, with installation of new mechanical, electrical, plumbing, restrooms, vertical transportation systems, and other significant and complex building systems, according to the agenda materials. DDI President & CEO Jennifer Scripps plans to speak to City Council in favor of the contract.

Friday, November 15

Trinity River Corridor Local Government Corporation, 10 a.m., Council Briefing Room, 6ES, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.

— This agenda includes an update on the Harold Simmons Park along the Trinity River. Check out this recent in-depth NBC 5 piece about plans for the $325 million park.

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

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Have a great week.

Best,

Scott Goldstein

Communications & Government Relations Consultant

Downtown Dallas, Inc.