Meetings of Interest 8: Feb. 25, 2024

Meetings of Interest: 📝 Mo Memos Mo Problems

February 25, 2024 • Estimated Reading Time: 15 minutes

Sunday, February 25, 2024

Good evening:

Dallas City Manager T.C. Broadnax dropped a bombshell of a memo on Wednesday afternoon, announcing his resignation effective June 3.

💣 As bombshell memos tend to do at Dallas City Hall these days, this one sparked a series of competing memos and special meetings.

First, three City Council members -- Jaime Resendez, Adam Bazaldua, and Jaynie Schultz -- used

this Tuesday at 1 p.m. to, among other things, consider "a resolution appointing Kimberly Tolbert as Interim City Manager for the City of Dallas." Tolbert is a long-time top deputy to Broadnax. This is her second stint with the City of Dallas, having previously worked in the City Manager's office and the Department of Aviation from 1998 - 2008. She worked at the North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA) in the intervening years.

But Tolbert's interim appointment is not certain.

Mayor Eric L. Johnson

to convene as soon as possible to advise on a "proper timeline" and candidate or candidates for interim city manager. He also wants that committee, which he appointed, to guide the search for a permanent city manager. The mayor added that he won't be attending the special Tuesday meeting, which requires a quorum of nine council members for it to even happen.

Following the mayor's request, the administrative affairs committee, led by Mayor Pro Tem Tennell Atkins, set a meeting (via memo) for tomorrow at 9 a.m. to discuss interim city manager candidates and, separately, the search process for the permanent hire.

That means it is possible two competing recommendations for interim city manager -- or at least the process by which an interim is selected -- could emerge tomorrow. As

D Magazine's

Matt Goodman noted in

What does it mean for people who care about the issues in our city, things like getting our bulk trash picked up on time, securing building permits, and ensuring the nearly $3 billion Downtown convention center project stays on track?

At minimum, it means a lot of uncertainty ahead. In this form of government, where the appointed city manager runs the day-to-day operations, it can be difficult to determine who in the massive 14,000-employee bureaucracy is in charge on specific matters and how to hold them accountable. If assistant city managers and department directors were to start following Broadnax out the door in the coming months, we could be in for an even wilder ride -- and probably a lot more memos.

Read on for more on:

  • Why the City is abandoning plans -- for now -- to install dozens of digital kiosks in Downtown and other areas of Dallas.

  • How The Jetsons can help teach City Council members about Artificial Intelligence (I don't actually know the answer).

  • Nearly $80 million in needed repairs at Dallas City Hall.

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⚡ Highlights From Last Week's Meetings of Interest:

-- The Charter Review Commission rejected proposals to move City Council elections to November and to change term lengths to three or four years. The City Council will still have the option to put the measures on the ballot for voters to decide in November.

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-- The Dallas Park & Recreation Board, on which I serve, was

. The Park & Recreation Department is temporarily taking over operations and management of the oldest park in Dallas in late May.

-- Park Board also approved:

    • A $1.25 million fundraising and community engagement agreement with the Trust for Public Land (TPL) for design and development of five city-owned properties into neighborhood parks, part of the mayor's Dallas Greening Initiative.

    • Three voting items cover engineering, architecture, and construction services for badly needed renovations and additions for the Cotton Bowl at Fair Park.

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

    📝 Memos of Interest:

    -- Bond discussion about extensive repair needs at City Hall prompted recent questions about how $7 million from the 2017 Bond Program is being spent. The City has spent $4.4 million "for City Hall enhancements to include replacing electrical switchgear, completing Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) improvements, and addressing roof and water infiltration issues,"

    (including the above chart). The remaining $2.6 million will be spent on ADA improvements, with any remaining money directed to electrical panel replacements.

    -- Check out all the latest City Hall memos 

     and 

    .

    Meetings of Interest: February 26 - March 1, 2024

    Monday, February 26

    🤝🏽

    City Council Ad Hoc Committee on Administrative Affairs, 9 a.m., Council Chambers, 6th Floor, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.

    -- The aforementioned committee is meeting on three discussion items, some of which may be taken up behind closed doors in executive session:

    1. Discuss and recommend to the City Council a timeline for naming an interim city manager based on the timeline provided by the city manager.

    2. Discuss candidates for the City Council to consider for the position of interim city manager.

    3. Consider a search process, including determining minimum qualifications for any candidates, a public input process, and determining whether to hire consultants or firms to assist with the search.

    💹

     

    City Council Government Performance and Financial Management Committee, 1 p.m., Council Chambers, 6th Floor, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.

    -- The timing of this

    begs the question whether AI should perhaps play a substantial role in the search for a new city manager. Or maybe just turn the job over to the machines altogether? So far, AI is being used by the City of Dallas in the ways outlined below.

    -- Staff failed earlier this month to convince a majority of City Council members to include bond funding for badly needed Dallas City Hall maintenance projects.

    outlines four key City Hall projects totaling $28 million, including replacement of emergency generators, electrical upgrades, HVAC retrofits, and fire suppression upgrades. That does not include an estimated $40 million to address decades of water infiltration challenges in the underground parking garage and lower-level facilities. On a positive note, City Council will vote on Wednesday to reallocate nearly $8 million in federal pandemic relief funds for the generator work and a portion of the electrical upgrades.

    --

    for City real estate notes three City-owned Downtown locations that may be the subject of Requests for Proposals soon: the former Family Gateway building on South Saint Paul Street, the 5th floor of the Downtown Municipal Courts building, and 606 South Good Latimer Expressway.

    -- An outside consultant audit of the City's talent acquisition generated 34 recommendations to improve recruitment including proactive marketing, upgraded systems, data analysis, better communications across departments, clear hiring standards, and improved onboarding processes.

    .

    Tuesday, February 27

    👀

     Special Called City Council Meeting, 1 p.m., Council Chambers, 6th Floor, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.

    -- The Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce, Dallas NAACP, local faith leaders, and others are urging the City Council to appoint Deputy City Manager Kim Tolbert as interim city manager, effective in June. With Mayor Johnson saying he will not be there, Mayor Pro Tem Tennell Atkins is likely to preside over this meeting.

    🚌

     Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) Board of Directors, 6 p.m., Board Room, 1401 Pacific Ave.; Watch live here

    -- The agenda includes a vote on a contract for a third-party report allocating DART's costs broken down by service city.

    Wednesday, February 28

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

    --

    is the proposed reprogramming of more than $28 million in federal pandemic relief funds as

    .

    --

    is the City's annual $1.9 million payment to DART for operation and maintenance of the Dallas Streetcar System from Downtown's Union Station to Bishop Arts.

    --

    is acceptance of the

    , which notes some major recent Downtown accomplishments.

    --

    is acceptance of the

    , which includes facts and figures regarding the transformation of that Downtown neighborhood.

    --

    is acceptance of the

    . It also includes a wealth of information about Downtown development in recent years.

    --

    is the rejection of proposals for an interactive digital kiosks program following massive blowback from advocacy groups, including DDI. Our organization joined Uptown Dallas Inc. and several others in questioning why the City's Department of Public Works issued a Request for Proposals last summer without gathering any community input about where in the public right-of-way the future digital kiosks might be installed or how nearby property owners would be consulted, among other concerns. The

    says only, "it has been determined that it is in the best interest of the City of Dallas to reject the proposals that were received related to interactive digital kiosks." DDI looks forward to proper public engagement on the program.

    -- Items

    ,

    , and

    are for engineering, architecture, and construction services for badly needed renovations and additions for the Cotton Bowl at Fair Park.

    --

    is a $1.25 million funding and community engagement agreement with the Trust for Public Land (TPL) for design and development of five city-owned properties into neighborhood parks, part of the mayor's Dallas Greening Initiative.

    -- Items 72 - 74 include up to $790,000 in contracts with Dallas, Collin, and Denton counties and jurisdictions within those counties for the May 4 bond election.

    --

    is a nearly $8 million contract with

    , for project management services and owner's representation for the renovation and reconstruction of Dallas Memorial Arena, a component of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center redevelopment. This is funded through the voter-approved Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT) increase.

    --

    is a $9.5 million contract with

    for project management and owner's representation for the renovation and reconstruction of The Black Academy of Arts and Letters, another piece of the Downtown convention center redevelopment. This is also funded with the HOT increase funds.

    --

    is regarding a proposal to amend the City's Development Code to better protect historic homes from demolition when they fall into disrepair. The action would repeal a 2010 ordinance that has had a disproportionate impact on predominantly African American neighborhoods, including the Tenth Street Historic District in southern Dallas.

    --

    is regarding a plan to shift $2.5 million in federal funds originally earmarked for rental assistance to supportive services as part of the ongoing rehousing Initiative. City officials say the move will help end homelessness for up to 300 additional people. More than 2,900 have been housed to date through the program, which DDI has supported financially and through our Downtown Homeless Outreach work.

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

    .

    Were you forwarded this newsletter?

    .

    Have a great week.

    Best,

    Scott GoldsteinChief of External Affairs& Government Relations

    Downtown Dallas, Inc.

    Reply

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