Meetings of Interest: Sunday, October 22, 2023

Meetings of Interest: Explosive Power 🔥

October 22, 2023 • Estimated Reading Time: 12 minutes

Sunday, October 22, 2023

Good evening:

Does the Dallas fire chief really need the power to blow up burning buildings?  Should the mayor and City Council members have employees that actually report to them?  Do we need more City Council members?

Share
Tweet
Forward

These are some of the many questions that may be up for debate for the 15 members of the Dallas Charter Review Commission. The group, appointed by the mayor and City Council, is seeking proposed charter amendments from the public now through Friday, December 15.

You can take a look at the Charter

and see if you find anything worth tweaking.

Consider Chapter XIII, Section 6, which gives Dallas Fire-Rescue commanders the power, "with the concurrence of the city manager," to direct any building that is on fire "to be torn down, blown up, or destroyed, and no action shall be maintained against any person or against the city therefor."

Torn down or destroyed really is not sufficient?

How about Chapter III, Section 14, which states, "The city manager shall provide professional and administrative assistants to aid the council in the performance of its official duties."

This means the city manager, who reports to the mayor and City Council, has control over who works for his 15 bosses. That makes for some awkward situations for those hardworking people who answer your calls and emails and solve problems all across the city. In cases where council members or the mayor have sharp disagreements with the city manager, the staff gets caught in the middle.

Perhaps the biggest question of this charter review process is the same one that Dallas has been grappling with for a few decades, whether to give the mayor more power. As it stands, the Dallas mayor runs City Council meetings and sets committee assignments. But the position carries just one vote among 15. Two attempts in the early 2000s to strengthen mayoral powers failed. There has been no notable campaign to expand mayoral authority since then.

The commission will make recommendations next year to the City Council. The City Council is expected to finalize amendments and seek voter approval in November 2024.

Charter amendment proposals can be made the following ways through Friday, December 15:

More on the charter review process and schedule can be found

.

❎ Highlights From Last Week's Meetings:

-- DDI Vice President of Planning & Policy Evan Sheets (above left) joined City Transportation Director Gus Khankarli (right) to brief City Council on the the long-discussed plan to connect the city's two streetcar systems through Downtown. Next steps include a City-led financial feasibility assessment of operations and maintenance funding options, and an updated economic analysis to assist in leveraging those tools. Read more from

and

.

-- Experts shared a mountain of evidence supporting the decades-long practice of fluoridating drinking water to prevent tooth decay. Quality of Life, Arts, and Culture Committee Chair Adam Bazaldua and Council member Paula Blackmon questioned the practice. Bazaldua said he wants to bring fluoride opponents before the committee at a future meeting to "flip, kind of, the narrative." Read more from

.

-- The Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) Board delayed approval of its 20-year financial plan to later this year to allow time to answer more questions.

📝 Memos of Interest:

-- A draft of the City's new Historic and Cultural Preservation Strategic Plan is being finalized and will be shared with City Council members and stakeholders next month. The goal of the plan "is to outline a clear roadmap to building a well-resourced, effective preservation function within the City that has the tools and programs needed to preserve history and culture in Dallas’ communities: with particular focus on historically marginalized communities, low-income communities, and communities of color,"

.

-- Check out all the latest City Hall memos

and

.

Meetings of Interest

Monday, October 23

🏘

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

-- Committee members will hear the latest on plans to house 6,000 people experiencing homelessness by 2025 under the R.E.A.L. Time Rehousing initiative (slide above). City officials last week celebrated reaching the initial goal of housing more than 2,700 people across Dallas and Collin counties, including numerous people who had been living on the streets of Downtown.

.

--

(CSH) analyzes the cost of homelessness and the cost-effectiveness of supportive housing in Texas and across the country.

💹

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

-- City audits on the proposed plan for the fiscal year include 911 and 311 performance, homeless response system strategy and coordination, and parks and library youth services.

.

-- An overview of the City's planned debt to be issued in the current fiscal year includes updates on the convention center redevelopment financing plans.

.

--

on how City and County officials are working together to adhere to a new state law that requires Dallas County to take over mobile food permitting and inspections from the City. The City is working with the County on an agreement to allow the City to continue to maintain inspections. The new law appeared to surprise City of Dallas officials, who originally thought it only applied to Tarrant County,

.

💳

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

-- The CBTF will continue deliberations on proposed allocations for each 2024 bond proposition, totaling $1.1 billion. I represent City Council District 10 (northeast Dallas) on this task force.

Tuesday, October 24

🌆

Comprehensive Land Use Committee (CLUP), 8:30 a.m., 6ES, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.

-- Deliberations continue on proposed updates to the City's land use plan,

. DDI President & CEO Jennifer Scripps serves on this committee.

📃

 Charter Review Commission, 6:30 p.m., Council Chambers, 6th Floor, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.

-- The aforementioned commission will discuss engagement options to shape a communications and outreach plan.

.

-- Commissioner David de la Fuente will also discuss a charter amendment proposal to move City elections to November of odd-numbered years. This has been in discussion for years and would likely boost dismal voter turnout usually seen in May races without the drawbacks of putting partisan and nonpartisan elections on the same day. Full disclosure: I worked for then-mayor Mike Rawlings when he unsuccessfully pushed a similar plan.

Wednesday, October 25

🏛

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

--

creates a registration process, including fees, for unattended drop boxes like those used for clothing donations. The program dictates where the boxes can be placed and how often they must be monitored, among other things.

--

designates 86 trees at six locations as historic trees that can only be removed with City Council approval or due to a critically dangerous public safety issue. Most of the trees are located in Downtown at Dealey Plaza and Pioneer Plaza Park.

.

--

is the Fiscal 2024 audit plan noted on the Government Performance and Financial Management Committee agenda above.

Thursday, October 26

🏞

 Dallas Park and Recreation Board, 2 p.m., 6FN Conference Room, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.

-- This special called meeting is to discuss the latest 2024 Bond Program priorities and proposed allocations.

Quote of the Week

 

Dallas Morning News editorial on plans for a Downtown streetcar to connect two existing streetcar lines that enter the Central Business District.

 

"As our region grows, we’re going to need transportation options other than single-occupant vehicles. The Central Link project may be the key to building a robust streetcar system that can serve new areas and transportation needs that buses and light rail can’t."

 

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 RelationsDowntown Dallas, Inc.

Reply

or to participate.