Survey Says

Dallas ranks exceptionally well as a place to live, work, and do business, but residents give the City poor marks on infrastructure maintenance and police services, according to results of the most recent annual community survey.

Just 24% of 2,220 respondents ranked infrastructure maintenance at a 3 or 4 on a 4-point scale, while 40% ranked police services at those levels. Respondents say both areas should be among the City’s top priorities in addition to traffic management, housing, code enforcement, and social services, according to the 2025 survey, conducted by the ETC Institute.

The survey results will be presented at Wednesday’s City Council meeting, the first briefing of the 2025-27 City Council, which includes four newly elected members. It provides key data points to guide policy making in the months ahead, including difficult budget decisions for the fiscal year that begins on October 1.

The survey results show overall satisfaction with city services is higher in Dallas than other large cities. More than 70% of respondents rated their neighborhood as an excellent or good place to live, with only 7% giving a poor rating. Satisfaction ratings here have also increased in 113 of 128 categories since last year.

📖 Table of Contents

• 📰 Highlights From Last Week's Meetings

• 📝 Memos of Interest

• 🤝 Meetings of Interest: June 16 - 20

  • Monday, June 16

    • Ad Hoc Canvassing Committee

    • Dallas City Council Special Called Meeting

    • Dallas City Council Inauguration

    • Dallas City Council Special Called Meeting

  • Wednesday, June 18

    • Dallas City Council Briefing

📰 Highlights From Last Week’s Meetings of Interest

• The Dallas City Council on Wednesday:

  • Approved Item 4 authorizing an increase in the homestead property tax exemption for people who are disabled or age 65 or older from $153,400 to $175,000.

  • Approved Item 10 authorizing a $5.5 million City acquisition of key land for the Dallas Floodway Extension Project, including the long-promised Cadillac Heights Levee. Learn more from Dallas Morning News columnist Robert Wilonsky.

  • Approved Item 14 authorizing nearly $6 million for renovations of the former Women’s Museum at Fair Park to serve as the temporary home of The Black Academy of Arts and Letters (TBAAL) during the ongoing redo of the Downtown convention center, where TBAAL is currently located.

  • Approved Item 16 expanding a City lease agreement with the University of North Texas System to include 20 acres for a planned Dallas Police Department training facility. The accompanying resolution notes the expanded area “will now provide for the construction of law enforcement facilities equipped to serve both basic and in-service police training requirements.”

  • Approved Item 25 authorizing a boundary adjustment requested by the Town of Addison on Montfort Drive, from the current city limits south to Celestial Road. The change only applies to infrastructure. Addison officials say it will help them better manage traffic and infrastructure improvements. Here’s a map of the adjustment. A future ordinance will need approval to ratify the agreement.

  • Approved Item 35 reducing a City tax abatement and grant agreement with Digital Realty Trust after the company significantly scaled back data center and office renovation and expansion plans for its Downtown building at 2323 Bryan Street. Original plans called for a minimum $104 million investment, while the revised plans are for a $13 million renovation, according to agenda materials. Read more.

  • Approved Item 36 to amend the City’s Public Improvement District (PID) Policy to lower the petition signature thresholds for PID creation and renewal to match state minimum requirements. Current rules set a higher bar in Dallas than is required by the state. Read more.

  • Approved Item 47, a 10-year contract with IKE Smart City to erect up to 150 digital advertising screens on public sidewalks primarily in Downtown, Uptown, and surrounding areas. A majority of City Council members pushed for the plan despite concerns from most major stakeholder groups, including Downtown Dallas, Inc. (DDI). City officials estimate the contract could generate $67.4 million if extended to a total of 20 years. The new deal includes a payment to the City to cover a termination fee to remove the existing circular static kiosks that have obstructed Dallas sidewalks for much of the past 20 years. Mayor Eric L. Johnson, and Council members Paul E. Ridley, Cara Mendelsohn, and Carolyn King Arnold voted against the contract. Read more.

  • Approved Item 56, a three-year agreement with a new pro soccer team, Atlético Dallas, to play games at the Cotton Bowl and to manage the MoneyGarm Soccer Park Complex. The initial term runs from 2027-29. It also means the Dallas Park and Recreation Department will end its current contract with FC Dallas to manage MoneyGram. Read more from The Dallas Morning News.

  • Approved Item 63, an ordinance approving a bridge loan up to $1 billion for interim financing of the Downtown convention center redevelopment. Read more about it from KERA.

  • Deferred Item 64 to August 13. The ordinance would repeal and amend various sections of City Code as part of an “Omnibus Ordinance Review” discussed by City Council members last month. Read more.

  • Approved Item 66 to set a guaranteed maximum price of $259 million with Trinity Alliance Ventures, LLC, for construction services on component 1 of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Dallas redo. Read more.

  • Approved Item 67 authorizing an agreement for the WNBA’s Dallas Wings to develop a practice facility at a Dallas park in West Oak Cliff. The Wings are expected to move to Downtown’s Dallas Memorial Auditorium for games beginning in 2027. Read more from NBC 5.

  • Appointed Timothy J. Menke as the first independent inspector general reporting directly to City Council members. Voters approved creating the position in last November’s City Charter election. The IG is charged with investigating fraud, waste, abuse, corruption, and misconduct.

  • Deferred to June 25 Item 71, a resolution “directing the city manager to evaluate city programs and policies for compliance with federal directives” and authorizing her “to temporarily pause for operational purposes a city program or policy to ensure compliance with federal directives.” City Council members earlier this month deliberated in closed session the implications of specific executive orders issued by President Trump and the implications for federal grant eligibility. Read more from The Dallas Morning News.

📝 Memos of Interest

• Dallas Police response times to 911 calls are worse across the board through May than they were at the same time last year, with DPD missing its goals for every category of emergency. New Dallas Police Chief Daniel Comeaux told City Council members last week that fixing this is among his top priorities, and he believes there are some systemic issues in how DPD classifies calls compared to other cities. Learn more from this ongoing NBC 5 “Help on Hold” investigative series.

• The Dallas Police Department’s marketing budget for this year is $350,000, which seems like it could use a boost considering the urgent need to hire more cops. Also of note, it costs more than $128,000 to train a single officer over 10 months. Read more.

• Dallas City Council members will be asked on June 25 to accept a donation of structures and cash for a new Dallas Police Academy Reality Based Training (RBT) Village. The training structures “provide hands-on, stress-inoculation training for recruits and officers.” The donation is being made by QuickTrip Corporation and the Assist The Officer Foundation, according to this memo.

• Here’s the complete City Manager memo packet for Friday, June 13, 2025.

🤝 Meetings of Interest: June 16 - 20

Monday, June 16

Dallas City Council Ad Hoc Canvassing Committee, 8:45 a.m., Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, 2301 Flora St., Brierley Suite, Dallas, TX

• This committee of three Council Members meets to accept the results of runoff elections won by Bill Roth in North Dallas and Lorie Blair in southern Dallas.

Dallas City Council Special Called Meeting, 9 a.m., Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, 2301 Flora St., Horchow Hall, Lobby Lower Level, Dallas, TX

• The final duty of the outgoing City Council is to accept the report of the Canvassing Committee on the results of the runoff elections.

Dallas City Council 2025 Inauguration Ceremony, 10 a.m., Meyerson Symphony Center, 2301 Flora Street, Dallas, TX (Watch live here)

• Fourteen members of the Dallas City Council will take their oath of office, with remarks to be delivered by Mayor Eric L. Johnson, who is midway through his second and final four-year term. Members of the public wishing to attend may get free tickets here.

Dallas City Council Special Called Meeting, 2:30 p.m., Council Chambers, 6th Floor, Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St.

• There are few things City Council members spend more political capital on that matter less to everyday Dallas voters than their decisions on who among them to appoint as mayor pro tem and deputy mayor pro tem (duties outlined above). It is a battle that concludes with a vote at a special meeting hours after inauguration. At this hour, phone calls and text messages are likely being feverishly exchanged. The goal is usually to have a unanimous vote by the time this meeting occurs, but that is often not the case. If a contested vote happens, the breakdown may be an early sign of where coalitions are headed for the next two years — and who owes who a few favors. Should a mayor leave office before the conclusion of his or her term, the mayor pro tem becomes acting mayor for a few months until a new mayor is elected.

Wednesday, June 18

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

• The previously mentioned community survey is up for discussion.

• Dallas wants to get a handle on maintenance and repairs of hundreds of deteriorating City facilities. To do so, City Council members will likely need to sign off on increased annual expenditures and send a bond program to voters focused on deferred maintenance. Funding recurring Facility Condition Assessments to assess needs and value is also key. Read more.

• City Council members will again discuss discontinuing some alley trash pickup services in favor of more curbside pickup. Possible scenarios include transitioning all 95,000 alley pickups to curbside pickup, maintaining alley pickups in alleys larger than 10 feet wide, or a hybrid approach. Read more — but don’t mess with my alley pickup.

• A budget update and discussion is also on the agenda, but not yet posted online.

🗣️ Quote of Interest

Happy Father’s Day to my dad, a dedicated Maryland-based reader, and to all others who celebrate.

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