Good evening:
When it comes to big policy decisions, City Hall has no problem grinding its gears as slow as democracy allows.
Except for when City Hall occasionally moves so fast that it startles council members and the public, fueling theories about backroom deals and unseemly motives.
There’s a perception that recent deliberations on the future of City Hall, the 47-year-old I.M. Pei-designed leaning tower of concrete, are somehow moving too fast. Two top reporters at The Dallas Morning News write on today’s front page about what some are saying is a rushed decision.
Sure, the deliberations have picked up steam in recent weeks and there is a harder push for resolution now than ever before. But there is no question City staff has been sounding the alarm about the sad state of the building and the need for increased investment for well over a decade. If you spend substantial time in the building like I have for 20 years, you would know from the problems you can see with your own eyeballs that costly repair decisions need to be made, like, yesterday.
A briefing scheduled for a joint meeting of two City Council committees tomorrow includes a brief history dating to 2012. Council members were told then of nearly $400 million in needs for all city facilities, including City Hall. They opted not to ask voters for any facilities funds in that year’s bond package.
In 2017, city staff asked for a relatively modest $9.1 million for City Hall. City Council members ultimately put $7 million in a bond program, which was approved by voters.
In preparation for last year’s bond program, staff submitted a $61 million request for City Hall improvements. City Council members allocated $0, with one council member suggesting asking voters to approve even half that amount “would appear self-serving… where it’s not really something that’s benefiting the residents.”
Now comes City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert and her team, responding to Mayor Eric Johnson’s charge to the City Council Finance Committee, issued in August, to:
Determine whether Dallas City Hall and other municipal facilities effectively support City operations and best serve the citizens of Dallas; Consider all potential options and identify the most fiscally responsible course to address the mounting deferred maintenance and carrying costs of Dallas City Hall.
The mayor’s policy priority comes amid growing calls to reimagine and revitalize Downtown, especially in coordination with the long-planned redevelopment of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center. There are related musings about whether a particular NBA team might find 1500 Marilla Street to be part of a suitable location for a new arena and entertainment district.
And there is pressure from some of the most respected business leaders and city builders to act with urgency.
“Vacating this strategically located but underused site would unlock billions in private investment throughout downtown, turn southeast downtown into a vibrant hub of jobs, businesses, and residents, and aid downtown revitalization by filling a currently empty tower,” write developers Lucy Billingsley and Craig Hall in a recent Dallas Morning News opinion piece.
The mayor and his fellow Dallas City Council members get to make the call on how to move forward. If eight or more of them think things are moving too fast, they can slow it down. If they decide it is reasonable to pour hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars into fixing a building that has been leaking since before it opened, they can throw together a plan to do so.
“The City is at an inflection point: either begin addressing the significant investment needs or accept the potential risks, costs, and disruptions of deferred maintenance,” tomorrow’s briefing says.
On Friday, there was another such disruption. The fourth floor of the building flooded again, this time with brown sewage water from a restroom. Are we rushing the decision on City Hall? The city manager and her top deputies, all of whom office on the fourth floor, would probably say no.
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
Dallas Area Rapid Transit Board members elected Randall Bryant as board chair for a two-year term. Bryant, 38, a City of Dallas appointee, is the youngest chair in agency history.
Presented by Downtown Dallas, Inc.
More Dallas police officers are patrolling Downtown Dallas than ever before. Crime and quality of life infractions are down, enforcement is up, homeless encampments are closed, and our response system is stronger than ever. 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
City staff answers questions left hanging during a recent committee briefing on Citywide fleet electrification and the City’s Comprehensive Environmental Climate Action Plan (CECAP).
🎃 Here’s the complete City Manager memo packet for Friday, October 31, 2025.
🔢 Number of Interest
$7 million
Total bond dollars allocated in the 2017 bond program for City Hall improvements. Council members did not allocate any money for City Hall in the 2012 or 2024 bond programs.
🤝 Meetings of Interest: Nov. 3 - 7, 2025
Monday, November 3
City Council Parks, Trails, & the Environment Committee, 9 a.m., Council Chambers, 6th Floor, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.
Committee members will continue discussions on potential changes to the City’s Park Land Dedication Ordinance. City staff is recommending a simplified process for developers of residential and lodging projects to dedicate a portion of land for parks or pay a fee for future parks development. Read the briefing and more background here.
Special Called Joint Meeting of the Economic Development Committee & Committee on Finance, 1 p.m., Council Chambers, 6th Floor, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.
Deliberations continue on the future of Dallas City Hall, which city staff estimates may cost up to $345 million to repair. This enhanced briefing includes new details about how that estimate was calculated for repairs or replacements for HVAC, water infiltration, roof, emergency generators, ADA accessibility, garage structure, fire suppression, electrical systems, and more.
Committee members may also excuse themselves for confidential deliberations about a potential “purchase, exchange, lease, or value of” City Hall “because deliberation in an open meeting would have a detrimental effect on the position of the governmental body in negotiations with a third person.”
City Council Economic Development Committee, 2 p.m., Council Chambers, 6th Floor, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.
Dallas is drafting the “Developing Regional & Inclusive Vendor Enterprises,” or DRIVE, initiative to “expand engagement, strengthen capacity, and enhance participation of small and local businesses in Dallas and across the region.
In the name of ending Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives, federal and state government leaders are dismantling longstanding programs and certifications in support of minority-owned and disadvantaged businesses. Dallas is formulating new ways to work with qualified small businesses. Read more about the proposed “DRIVE Program” in this briefing.
City of Dallas and DART officials are finalizing an agreement to close the convention center DART stop at 727 South Lamar Street for more than three years during the convention center redevelopment. City Council members are expected to vote on the agreement on Nov. 12, including a possible temporary stop between the Cedars and Eddie Bernice Johnson Union Station or expanded GoLink on-demand services. Read more.
Tuesday, November 4
City Council Housing and Homelessness Solutions Committee, 9 a.m., Council Chambers, 6th Floor, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.
This committee’s review of homelessness housing, shelter, and service providers in other cities continues with briefings on Community First! Village (Austin) and New Hope Housing (Houston)
Committee members will also be presented with this Dallas map of homeless shelters and permanent supportive housing, presented without any clear context.
Here’s a brief overview of how the City responds to and tries to resolve homeless encampments throughout Dallas.
City Council Committee on Finance, 1 p.m., Council Chambers, 6th Floor, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.
The “State of City Hall” briefing is also on this agenda for further discussion and direction.
The City is required by state law to review its public funds investment policy every year. City Council members are expected to vote on the policy on Nov. 12. Read more in this briefing.
Check out which departments and programs the City Auditor plans to audit in the current fiscal year, subject to City Council approval on Nov. 12.
Wednesday, November 5
Dallas City Council Briefing, 9 a.m., Council Chambers, 6th Floor, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.
Dallas provides what has become the default regional homeless shelter during emergency winter weather events, causing a costly strain on City resources, according to this briefing. City staff is proposing shifting from a central Fair Park operation to a former Austin Street Center facility in South Dallas, along with supplemental Park & Recreation sites. City Council members are expected to vote on an agreement with Austin Street Center on Dec. 3.
City Council members are scheduled to discuss in executive session the state’s order to eliminate rainbow crosswalks.
Thursday, November 6
Dallas Fort Worth International Airport Board Meeting, 8:30 a.m., DFW Airport HQ Board Room, 2400 Aviation Drive, DFW Airport, TX 75261
Special Called Joint Meeting of the City Council Public Safety Committee and Government Efficiency Committee, 9 a.m., Council Chambers, 6th Floor, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.
Committee members will take public comments and deliberate whether the City ought to take $25 million from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for participation in a program that could delegate immigration enforcement powers to Dallas police officers. Mayor Eric Johnson asked these committees to review Dallas Police Chief Daniel C. Comeaux’s decision not to participate in the 287(g) program. Comeaux says via this fresh memo that he opted against joining the program because he believes it “would reassign officers under federal oversight, which could negatively impact response times and erode the public trust that our department has worked diligently to build.”
Dallas City Plan Commission, 10 a.m. Briefing, 12:30 p.m. Public Hearing, Room 6ES, 6th Floor, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.
City Council members Paul E. Ridley, Jesse Moreno, and Laura Cadena earlier this year filed a request to rename a portion of Oak Street near the Meadows Foundation after outgoing Meadows Foundation CEO Peter M. Miller. It is up for CPC Review this week. Read more about the proposal.
Dallas Park & Recreation Board, 10 a.m., 6FN Conference Room, 6th Floor, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.
Board members (including me) will be briefed and asked to provide input on skate park design guidelines.
City Council Ad Hoc Committee on Administrative Affairs, 1 p.m., Council Chambers, 6th Floor, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.
City Council members are expected to vote on Nov. 12 on whether to move future City Council elections from May of odd-numbered years to November of odd-numbered years, part of a long-standing effort to boost abysmal voter turnout numbers. Dallas voters last year approved the change, and the Texas Legislature earlier this year granted permission for Dallas and other cities to make the change by resolution, with a deadline to do so by the end of 2025. Members of this committee will be briefed on how the change would impact City Council terms and future inauguration dates, among other considerations. Read more.
🗣️ Quote of Interest
Implementing this program would reassign officers under federal oversight, which could negatively impact response times and erode the public trust that our department has worked diligently to build.
Did I miss anything? Do you have any questions? Just want to talk about meetings and memos and other fun stuff? Hit me up.
Were you forwarded this newsletter? Subscribe here.
Have a great week.
Best,
Scott Goldstein
Publisher
Meetings of Interest
