'Painful summer'

Dallas City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert is warning of a “painful summer” ahead as she and her team take a new “priority based” approach to budgeting for the 2025-26 fiscal year that starts on October 1.

That means assessing — and potentially cutting — programs that have not proven effective. Job cuts are not off the table.

“We understand that this new budgeting process is actually going to be transformational,” Tolbert said. “We have created the sense of urgency around it and our team, fully, has embraced it.”

As The Dallas Morning News notes, the new budgeting strategy comes as hundreds of millions of dollars in federal pandemic relief funds are drying up and other once-reliable federal funds are being slashed or threatened.

The City’s purse strings are further strained by long-standing police and fire pension challenges and a voter-approved Charter amendment that mandates half of new revenues be directed to the pension and other public safety priorities.

Tolbert will deliver her proposed budget in early August, with City Council members deliberating potential amendments for weeks until a final budget vote by late September.

That painful summer could spill into an equally painful fall.

📖 Table of Contents

• 📰 Highlights From Last Week's Meetings

• 📝 Memos of Interest

• 🤝 Meetings of Interest: May 12 - 16

  • Monday, May 12

    • Workforce, Education, and Equity Committee

    • Public Safety Committee

    • Ad Hoc Committee on Professional Sports Recruitment and Retention

  • Tuesday, May 13

    • DART Committee-of-the-Whole

  • Wednesday, May 14

    • Ad Hoc Canvassing Committee

    • Dallas City Council Meeting

  • Thursday, May 15

    • Park & Recreation Board

📰 Highlights From Last Week’s Meetings of Interest

• Put those dreams of parking reform in the parking lot — at least for now. Some City Council members are tapping the brakes on a six-year effort to overhaul the code that dictates minimum off-street parking requirements. Read more from KERA News and the Dallas Observer.

• City Plan Commissioners approved a new subdistrict to allow for modified development standards tied to the planned Harold Simmons Park along the Trinity River.

📝 Memos of Interest

• More than 240,800 trips were taken on shared electric scooters in Dallas from June 2024 to March of this year, according to this memo. Bird, Lime, and Spin will again be permitted to operate for another year, with a slight increase in the percentage of permitted vehicles allowed to operate in Downtown, Uptown and Deep Ellum from 25% to 35%.

• DallasNow, the City’s new land management and permitting system, launched last week. City officials say it marks a major step in modernizing zoning, permitting, and inspection processes, with over 4,400 public accounts created and approximately 2,200 inspections scheduled. Read more.

• Here’s the complete City Manager memo packet for Friday, May 9, 2025

🤝 Meetings of Interest: May 12 - 16

Monday, May 12

City Council Workforce, Education, and Equity Committee, 9 a.m., Council Chambers, 6th Floor, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.

• The City’s Youth Strategic Plan focuses on addressing the needs of youth aged 14-24 by prioritizing youth safety and resilience, economic mobility, and civic engagement. Set for approval later this year, it incorporates insights from the Dallas Youth Survey (some results above) and aims to align city resources with the challenges faced by youth. Read more.

City Council Public Safety Committee, 1 p.m., Council Chambers, 6th Floor, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.

• Dallas Police staffing continues to tick up this year, according to this update memo (chart above).

• Violent crime continues to fall in Dallas, with murders down by 30 percent (21 fewer victims) as compared to the same time last year, according to this update. Overall crime in Downtown Dallas is down over 29%, with non-family violence aggravated assaults down 48%, according to DPD data.

• Police response times to 911 calls are still far short of goals for most categories, on average. It is taking more than 90 minutes for responses to all but the most serious crimes. Read more.

• Staff will brief City Council members again on May 21 on plans for a new Dallas police academy, including the latest cost estimates, key lease terms for land at the University of North Texas at Dallas, and a proposed funding strategy, according to this memo.

City Council Ad Hoc Committee on Professional Sports Recruitment and Retention, 4 p.m., Council Chambers, 6th Floor, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.

• Council members will discuss tightening up a “clean zone” ordinance restricting unauthorized vending and marketing, trademark violations, and sidewalk obstructions ahead of next summer’s FIFA World Cup (that’s one angry ticket scalper). Read more.

Tuesday, May 13

Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) Committee-of-the-Whole, 2:45 p.m., DART Conference Room C - 1st Floor, DART HQ, 1401 Pacific Ave., Dallas

• The Board threshold for annual budget approval may be increased from the current simple majority. The matter is up for discussion as some suburban member cities have expressed continued concerns over Dallas having majority control of the 15-member board. Read more.

• Board members are scheduled to discuss 2026 FIFA World Cup transportation plans. This was originally scheduled for a briefing on April 29. Read more.

Wednesday, May 14

Ad Hoc City Council Canvassing Committee, 8:15 a.m., Room 5ES, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.

• This is the (typically) routine meeting to receive the results of the May 3 elections and recommend the full City Council accept the results.

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

• Item 24 would authorize a $29.4 million development agreement with Tango North RF, LLC, to develop a new Downtown fire station a few blocks from an existing 50-year-old one at 660 North Griffin Street. The funding source is the Downtown Connection Tax Increment Financing District. Public Hearing 3 (noted below) must be held to approve TIF district changes before City Council members can vote on this item.

• Items 44 - 46 are potential pay raises for City Secretary Bilierae Johnson, City Auditor Mark S. Swann, and City Attorney Tammy L. Palomino. The amount of the raises would be announced at the time of a vote.

• Item 50 is a resolution authorizing City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert and her chief financial officer to continue negotiations with the Dallas Police and Fire Pension System on a funding plan and settlement of pending litigation.

• Items 51 - 53 are routine items to accept the results of the May 3 election, order June 7 runoff elections in two districts, and authorize the mayor to appoint another Ad Hoc Canvassing Committee to review and submit a report to the City Council following the runoffs.

• Public Hearing 1 is to take public comment on proposals to amend the City’s off-street parking and loading requirements. Read more.

• Public Hearing 2 is regarding code amendments to update criteria for the City’s Demolition Delay Overlay, which sets rules for delaying demolition of buildings more than 50 years old and within the overlay. Read more.

• Public Hearing 3 is regarding proposed amendments to the Downtown Connection Tax Increment Financing District to facilitate the above noted fire station development deal (item 24). City Council members are expected to vote on this item at the close of the hearing. Read more.

Thursday, May 15

Dallas Park & Recreation Board, 10 a.m., Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden, A Tasteful Place, 8525 Garland Road, Dallas

• This meeting is being held at the Dallas Arboretum and includes a presentation of the Arboretum’s annual report. I serve on the Park Board representing District 10 (Lake Highlands).

🗣️ Quote of Interest

Did I miss anything? Do you have any questions? Just want to talk about meetings and memos and other fun stuff? Hit me up.