Good evening:
Heading into Wednesday’s deliberations on the future of City Hall, the vote tally for pursuing relocation and redevelopment options was thought to be at a solid eight, the magic number for approval.
The seven-member Finance Committee had already signed off nine days prior on the proposed resolution, which also directed the city manager to explore moving 311, 911, and emergency operations from the City Hall basement to new locations “as quickly as possible.”
Mayor Eric L. Johnson was a safe bet to join them, given that he was the one who kicked off this whole process last year. There was speculation the thin majority might even tack on an insurance vote or two.
The marathon session that ensued included hours of public testimony and fierce debate that at times felt like a congressional inquiry of City staff and consultants, whose integrity, competence, and motives were called into question.
Fatigue can sometimes be a truth serum. As the night wore on, there were continued references to the future of the Dallas Mavericks, including whether they ought to end up with a new arena in Downtown or at the former Valley View Mall site in North Dallas.
“The best thing we could do is start negotiating with the Mavericks for Valley View,” Far North Dallas Council Member Cara Mendelsohn, one of the staunchest critics of a City Hall move, said at 9:11 p.m.
Council Member Bill Roth, whose North Dallas district includes Valley View, added a few minutes later, “It is fair to ask what is driving the urgency… The elephant in the room is the Mavericks.”
“I’m happy as a representative for Valley View, for the Valley View site,” Roth said. “We are absolutely welcoming them to that location with open arms. It’s a shovel ready site. We can get them in, it can get done.”
Early the next morning, southern Dallas Council Member Maxie Johnson countered that he would not support the team moving to North Dallas.
“We need to keep Downtown thriving and keep the Mavericks close to Downtown, close to southern Dallas,” Johnson said. “Everything should not have to move out to North Dallas for it to be successful.”
Moments before the final vote was cast early Thursday morning, Mayor Johnson, who often likens his role running meetings to that of a referee, called a technical foul.
“I don’t think we did ourselves a service today,” Johnson said. “I don’t think it was right how we talked about our own staff today and about some people who I think we don’t have any reason to question their ethics in how they’ve done their job.”
Johnson said the conversation should never have strayed toward “a particular sports team and where you want them versus, you know, where other people want them.”
City Council members then voted 9-6 to direct City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert to:
Explore relocation options for 311, 911, and emergency operations to new government center locations, with no fewer than two lease or purchase options required;
Explore options to relocate all other City Hall staff and functions to new government center locations, with no fewer than two lease or purchase options required;
Explore options for the disposition of the City Hall site;
Develop a repair program that prioritizes the most critical needs for City Hall and City Hall Plaza, with no fewer than two options for phased repairs and replacements over a 10-year period;
Develop two funding strategies — one to leave City Hall and one to stay at City Hall;
Require that before any solicitations that incorporate any work performed by the companies engaged by the [Economic Development Corporation] for the preliminary assessment on the disposition of City Hall are issued, the City Manager shall determine whether these companies are conflicted from participating in the solicitations; and
Brief all updates regarding Subsections (1) through (6), above, to full City Council.
The meeting adjourned at 1:18 a.m. Thursday.
A note to readers: Meetings of Interest is an independent newsletter curated and authored by The GoldHam Group Managing Partner Scott Goldstein and edited by GoldHam Managing Partners Sam Goldstein and Vana Hammond. 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 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: Meetings, Memos, and Media of Interest
City Council members are hosting 13 virtual and in-person town hall meetings from March 23 - 26 to gather public input for the fiscal 2027 budget, which must be approved by the end of September. Check out dates and locations here.
Dallas City Attorney Tammy Palomino will retire at the end of April, meaning three of the five positions that report directly to City Council members are or will be vacant by May. Read more.
The family of Botham Jean, the man fatally shot in his own apartment by off-duty Dallas Police Officer Amber Guyger in 2018, is suing to make the city cover a $98 million civil judgment against her. Read more from The Dallas Morning News.
Check out the complete city manager memo packet for Friday, March 6, 2026.
🔢 Number of Interest
16
Number of hours the City Council was in session from Wednesday to Thursday last week.
🤝 Meetings of Interest: March 9 - 13, 2026
NOTE: City Council members are on recess for the next two weeks.
Tuesday, March 10
📍Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) - Committee-of-the-Whole, 3:30 p.m., Board Room, DART HQ, 1401 Pacific Ave., Dallas, TX 75202
Board members may revisit debate on raising the vote threshold for annual budget approval from a simple majority to a two‑thirds vote, a change backed by several suburban cities concerned about Dallas’s majority control of the board. Similar attempts failed last year. Read more.
Thursday, March 12
📍Regional Transportation Council (RTC) - 1 p.m., North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG), Transportation Council Room, 616 Six Flags Dr., Arlington, TX 76011
Members will discuss a cool $10 million change order on the $1.6 billion LBJ East expansion project along Interstate 635 from US 75 to Interstate 30 (pictured). The requested funds are proposed to be used for lane striping, barrier and wall work, HOV transitions, and drainage. Read more.
RTC is also pushing for $10 million in federal funds for 2026 FIFA World Cup transportation. Read more here.
🗣️ Quote of Interest
In light of recent public commentary, we want to reaffirm that professional integrity is central to our work. We stand behind the assessment we provided based on the information available during the course of this engagement.
Want to work with The GoldHam Group or sponsor this newsletter? Reach out to us directly.
Have a great week.
Best,
Scott Goldstein
Managing Partner
The GoldHam Group
Sam Goldstein, Scott Goldstein, and Vana Hammond are co-founders of The GoldHam Group, a southern Dallas-based boutique communications, events, and public affairs firm.
