Sunday, August 13, 2023

Good evening, ,

  Planning for the 2024 bond program began months ago with the assumption that the program would total $1 billion. On Wednesday, City of Dallas Chief Financial Officer Jack Ireland will tell the City Council they can actually afford to spend a bit more than that to fix and upgrade our streets, parks, libraries, arts facilities, police and fire stations, and more.

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Ireland buries the lede behind pages of financial considerations that they did not teach me about in journalism school. Here's the key bullet: "Given other planned and needed debt, the financial capacity for 2024 bonds is increased to $1.1 billion."

If approved at that amount, it will be the largest Dallas bond package since 2006 ($1.4 billion).

In a City with a needs inventory estimated at $16.6 billion (more on that below), another $100 million is a drop in a gigantic bucket of deferred maintenance. But to put those dollars in perspective, it is enough to fund more than 300 new playgrounds. It is also far more than what is requested in a public-private partnership to build a much-needed regional police training center in southern Dallas. It is more than enough to fund the overdue dredging of White Rock Lake, life-saving flood protection for some Dallas residents, or the resurfacing of 161 lane miles.

The City Council will ultimately determine how to allocate the $1.1 billion, based in part on recommendations from city staff, 90 volunteers sitting on five subcommittees and the Community Bond Task Force, other boards and commissions, and the general public. And voters will get the final say on whether the city can spend the money at all.

The below table illustrates the latest city staff "proposed" allocations by category. Those numbers may change significantly depending on what the people of Dallas and the City Council members who represent them decide in the coming months.

Read on and tune in to Wednesday's City Council briefing meeting for more.

📝 Memos to the Dallas City Council:

• Speaking of bond programs, "the City has awarded 1,323 or 96% of the approved projects" from the 2017 Bond Program, according to this update memo. That bond program delivered key public funding for three of Downtown's newest parks, including Harwood Park, set to open later this year. It also funded $50 million in Fair Park upgrades, and new fire stations and aquatics centers, among many other projects.

• The City Council will consider seeking state economic development incentives to lure the Frontier Communications headquarters to the company's existing Uptown office at 1919 McKinney Avenue, according to this memo. Currently based in Norwalk, Connecticut, the company is considering relocating to Dallas or Tampa.

• Overall crime is down nearly 2 percent through July in Dallas as compared to the same period last year, according to the latest public safety dashboard report. Motor vehicle thefts have increased by more than 34 percent and prostitution offenses total 432 as compared to 125 at the same time last year.

• Check out all the weekly memos here.

Meetings of Interest

Mayor Eric L. Johnson has not assigned standing committees for the City Council term that began in June. But he has established the Ad-Hoc Legislative Affairs Committee, with Council member Cara Mendelsohn now serving as chair. That committee, which also includes Council members Tennell Atkins, Zarin Gracey, Omar Narvaez, and Kathy Stewart, meets on Monday morning to discuss the ramifications of dozens of anti-city bills passed by the Texas Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott earlier this year.

Read on for more on that, plus a sampling of what else is going on this week at City Hall with implications for DDI and Downtown.

Monday, August 14

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City Council Ad Hoc Legislative Affairs Committee, 10 a.m., Council Chambers, 6th Floor, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.

• Newly approved state legislation will require at least 15 City code amendments and 14 policy changes on a range of issues including development permits, cemeteries, parkland dedication, charter schools, agricultural operations, food establishments, gas powered leaf blowers and juvenile curfews, according to this briefing. State Rep. John Bryant, who represents most of Downtown, told D Magazine earlier this year "it’s the greatest transfer of power away from the public and into the hands of a few people in Austin that we’ve ever seen. It’s never been done before, and one must ask, what is behind the desire to do this?"

• It wasn't all bad news in Austin, according to this briefing. The wins include millions of dollars in state funds allocated for a regional law enforcement training facility at the University of North Texas at Dallas, development of Southern Gateway Park, statewide re-entry services and more.

Tuesday, August 15

👷🏽‍♂️

Dallas Community Bond Task Force, 6:30 p.m., Council Chambers, 6th Floor, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.

• The Community Bond Task Force will hear from public speakers on their priorities for the 2024 Bond Program. Speaker registration has now closed, but speakers may still sign up for future meetings here.

Wednesday, August 16

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Dallas City Council Briefing Meeting and Budget Workshop, 9, Council Chambers, 6th Floor, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.

• Another budget workshop is scheduled to discuss City Manager T.C. Broadnax's proposed $4.63 billion budget. City Council members are asked to submit proposed amendments in the coming weeks, though they may also make floor amendments up to and including the day of budget adoption, which is expected to be September 20. Read the briefing.

• As mentioned earlier, City CFO Jack Ireland will walk the City Council through his $1.1 billion bond capacity calculation. His briefing also notes the City's unfunded liability of $3 billion for the Dallas Police and Fire Pension and $1 billion for the Employee Retirement Fund. Limited capacity for potential Pension Obligation Bonds is being reserved, the briefing notes. Read the briefing.

• The latest information on the 2024 Bond Program development and timeline includes results of an online poll of 800 people who prioritized streets, parks, and homeless services. The latest city needs inventory has also grown by $2 billion to more than $16 billion after the Public Works department updated its data (see below). Read the briefing.

Thursday, August 17

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Dallas Park and Recreation Board, 10 a.m., Room 6FN, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.

• This agenda includes an update on the city's bike plan. Those briefing materials are not yet available.

Quote of the Week

Andy Byford, Amtrak's senior vice president of High-Speed Rail Development Programs, on a new Amtrak collaboration with Texas Central Partners that could deliver Houston-to-Dallas high-speed rail to Downtown's doorstep...

“We believe many of the country’s biggest and fastest-growing metropolitan areas, like Houston and Dallas, deserve more high-quality, high-speed, intercity rail service, and we are proud to bring our experience to evaluate this potential project and explore opportunities with Texas Central so the state can meet its full transportation needs.”

Read more

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Enjoy your week.

Best,

Scott GoldsteinChief of External Affairs& Government RelationsDowntown Dallas, Inc.