Good evening:
Wednesday’s 15-0 Dallas City Council vote to move elections from May to November of odd-numbered years beginning with our next City elections in 2027 was, to borrow a phrase used at the highest levels of the federal government, a “Big F- - -ing Deal.”
In theory, your elected officials should make policy decisions that are informed by the will of the people they represent. That does not happen when less than 10 percent of registered voters participate in elections, as has historically been the case. Our turnout consistently puts us dead last among major American cities. It is a shameful statistic and it does not support good governance.
We know from data in other Texas cities (Houston and Mesquite among them) that holding municipal elections in November increases turnout, likely by at least 10 percentage points. But as state Rep. Rafael Anchía told City Council members on Wednesday as he advocated for the move, “This is not a silver bullet… We will go from abysmal turnout to just low turnout… so keep that in mind as you’re thinking of other creative ways to stimulate more participation among the electorate.”
Those creative ways will most likely need to be funded and led by the private sector, not City Hall. We need more investment in nonpartisan education campaigns and more robust and meaningful engagement on key City issues throughout the year that reaches new audiences.
Media has an important role to play here. The Dallas Morning News editorial board has long set the gold standard for local elections coverage. The board invites all candidates to participate in interviews, which inform recommendations in each race. Unfortunately, traditional news coverage of local races and ballot issues has sharply declined in recent years.
Getting this change enacted took seven years and a whole lot of coalition building.
Former Mayor Mike Rawlings got the ball rolling in 2018. Oak Cliff resident and think tank deputy director David de la Fuente grabbed the baton a few years later, making it his personal mission to get the matter on the ballot for Dallas voters to approve in last year’s City Charter election.
City Council Member Chad West, and state Senators Nathan Johnson and Royce West, along with state Reps. Anchía and Toni Rose all played key roles in making this happen. As did a coalition of civic and business groups, including Downtown Dallas, Inc. (DDI).
The mayor and City Council members recognized what Council Member West called a “once in a generation improvement to our city’s election system.” In other words, a BFD.
A note to readers: Meetings of Interest is an independent newsletter curated and authored by Scott Goldstein and sponsored by Downtown Dallas, Inc. (DDI). The content, perspectives, or commentary presented herein reflect the views of the author alone and do not necessarily represent the views, policies, or positions of DDI or any other organization, institution, or individual, unless explicitly stated otherwise. Any affiliations are for identification purposes only and do not imply endorsement.
📖 Table of Contents
📰 Highlights From Last Week’s Meetings of Interest
Seeking to rescue facts “from underneath steaming piles of conjecture,” Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson had a lot to say about Downtown in his 7th State of the City address on Thursday morning. I took the liberty of editing his 20-minute speech down to 3 minutes of his thoughts on Downtown safety and economic development, including the future of AT&T, City Hall, and the Dallas Mavericks and Stars. Watch the short Downtown cut above and check out the full version here.
In addition to the historic move to local November elections, Dallas City Council Members on Wednesday:
Approved Item 24 to ratify a City boundary adjustment with the Town of Addison along Montfort Drive, from the current city limits south to Celestial Road. Addison officials requested the change, which only applies to infrastructure that they believe they can better manage.
Approved Item 28 authorizing a $19.2 million funding agreement with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) for “the replacement or rehabilitation” of the Houston Street Viaduct over Interstate 30 and the Trinity River.
Approved Item 29 authorizing another $19.2 million funding agreement with TxDOT for “the replacement or rehabilitation” of the Jefferson Boulevard Viaduct over Interstate 30 and the Trinity River.
Approved Item 31 for up to $440,126 for a design-build construction contract with METCO Engineering, Inc., for capital improvements to The Bridge Homeless Recovery Center in Downtown. Voters approved the funding as part of the 2024 bond program.
Approved Item 46, a three-year, $225,000 contract with Nextgen People, LLC, “for goal setting and performance evaluation services for City Council appointed officials,” which includes the City Manager, City Attorney, City Auditor, City Secretary, and Inspector General. The vote comes after City Council members went years without conducting performance evaluations for their direct reports until earlier this year.
Approved Item 61, an agreement with the North Texas Food Bank for up to $1 million to provide emergency food distribution through February.
Approved Item 62, a $3 million agreement with DART for the temporary closure of the convention center station during the center’s redo. The agreement includes a temporary GoLink Zone for on-demand transportation services at the Eddie Bernice Johnson Union Station, Cedars Station, and a substitute bus layover location on Marilla Street. Read more.
Approved by 12-3 vote this amended version of Item 63, a resolution directing the City Manager to evaluate potential options to move City Hall to a new location and compare potential moving costs to the costs to repair the current City Hall building. An update is due to the City Council Committee on Finance by the end of February. Read more from KERA News.
Approved adjustments to the Park Land Dedication Ordinance, opting for a compromise fee structure from what parks advocates and developers wanted. Read this recent briefing and more details here.
Dallas is under rising pressure to decide on a preferred high-speed rail alignment through (or around) Downtown to ultimately connect Fort Worth, Dallas, and Houston, KERA reports from last week’s Regional Transportation Council meeting.
The Dallas Police and Fire Pension Board voted Thursday to accept terms of a funding plan offered by the City earlier this year, though further negotiations are expected before final approvals on both sides, The Dallas Morning News reports.
Presented by Downtown Dallas, Inc.
Violent crime is down across Dallas, and “nowhere is this more evident than in the Central Business District,” Mayor Eric Johnson said in his recent State of the City address. “This is what happens when our business community and our city government work together and put public safety first.” Safe in the City is a public-private partnership that is delivering results… Right Here. Right Now. Learn more at safedowntowndallas.com.
📝 Memos of Interest
Results of recent City bonds sales “continues to reflect the City’s strong financial position and creditworthiness, sound financial policies, and prudent leadership,” writes City Chief Financial Officer Jack Ireland in this memo.
Here’s the complete City Manager memo packet for Friday, November 14, 2025.
🔢 Number of Interest
$2 Billion
Total cost of current Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) projects within the City of Dallas. Read more below.
🤝 Meetings of Interest: Nov. 17 - 21, 2025
Monday, November 17
City Council Quality of Life, Arts, and Culture Committee, 9 a.m., Council Chambers, 6th Floor, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.
A planned alley-to-curb garbage and recycling pickup transition for some households is on hold until at least next year. The City this month is launching a survey of 44,000 customers to gauge sentiments on possibly paying more in fees to keep alley pickup vs. transitioning to street curb pickup, according to this memo.
With Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives banned by state and federal government leaders, Dallas is pondering a new “Drivers of Opportunity” framework focused on economic mobility, public safety, and community empowerment. The full City Council will discuss the framework on Dec. 3 ahead of a planned vote on Dec. 10. Read more.
City Council members next month will vote on a $2.6 million contract for “the deployment of 100 AI-enabled data collection units” to be mounted on 50 sanitation brush and bulky waste collection trucks, according to this memo. Cameras will be positioned on both sides of the trucks to record your curbside property conditions. “For Code Compliance the technology will provide for automated, citywide visual scans every 30 days, producing real-time, actionable data on conditions such as illegal dumping, graffiti, and structural deterioration.” Hey, ChatGPT, what could go wrong with this program?
City Council Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, 1 p.m., Council Chambers, 6th Floor, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.
State transportation officials are coming armed with updates on some of the $2 billion in roadway projects they have cooking across Dallas. Plus, a bonus update on the future of the stretch of highway between Downtown and Deep Ellum that all of us cool kids call “Interstate 345.” Dallas hopes to remove and trench it just as soon as we find a cool $1.65 billion to fund the project. Read more.
City Council Ad Hoc Committee on Professional Sports Recruitment and Retention, 3 p.m., Council Chambers, 6th Floor, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.
Dallas Trinity FC, the Cotton Bowl-based professional women’s soccer team, has a bold vision for a future training facility, community fields, sports medicine clinic, and more at the Joey Georgusis Park. That’s the same West Oak Cliff park where the WNBA’s Dallas Wings are building a new practice facility. Read more.
Committee members will also meet behind closed doors to discuss economic development negotiations to woo a business prospect dubbed “Project X.” Here’s hoping new committee Chair Chad West will order City staff to come up with more exciting secret project nicknames.
Tuesday, November 18
Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) Committee-of-the-Whole, 12 p.m., Board Room, DART HQ, 1401 Pacific Ave., Dallas, TX 75202
Board members will discuss how board seats are apportioned for each service area city. A vote is expected to follow at the 6 p.m. meeting to reaffirm the existing board representation. Read more.
Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) Board of Directors, 6 p.m., Board Room, DART HQ, 1401 Pacific Ave., Dallas, TX 75202
Thursday, November 20
Dallas Park & Recreation Board, 10 a.m., 6FN Conference Room, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.
Park Board members (including me) will vote on an amended $121 million funding agreement for an expansion of Klyde Warren Park. The project is funded with a mix of sources including state, federal, private, and 2024 voter-approved bond funds.
Also on the agenda is a naming rights agreement with the WNBA’s Dallas Wings for their new practice facility, currently under construction at the West Oak Cliff Joey Georgusis Park.
Dallas City Plan Commission, 11 a.m. Briefing, 12:30 p.m. Public Hearing, Council Chambers, 6th Floor, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.
Commissioners will discuss a code amendment that would allow for private poker clubs to obtain specific use permits to operate in certain parts of Dallas. The City was in a (costly) legal battle with itself for years over its attempt to shut down a legal poker club on Harry Hines Boulevard.
🗣️ Quote of Interest
I think this is a lesson for anyone in the city of Dallas that if you identify a problem here in our great city, and you take it upon yourself to make sure it’s fixed for not only yourself or your family, your neighborhood and for all other city residents, if you just keep at it, you can make a difference in our community.
Did I miss anything? Do you have any questions? Just want to talk about meetings and memos and other fun stuff? Hit me up.
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Have a great week.
Best,
Scott Goldstein
Publisher
Meetings of Interest
