Nov 04, 2026 Council Briefing

[00:00:02]

YOU'RE WATCHING THE MEETING OF THE DALLAS CITY COUNCIL WITH MAYOR ERIC L JOHNSON.

MAYOR PRO TEM JAIME RESENDEZ, DEPUTY MAYOR PRO TEM MAXIE JOHNSON.

THE COUNCIL MEMBERS CHAD WEST, JESSE MORENO ZARIN D GRACEY.

LAURA. CADENA. ADAM. BAZALDUA, LORI. BLAIR. PAULA.

BLACKMON. CATHY. STEWART. WILLIAM. ROTH CARA MENDELSOHN GAY DONNELL WILLIS.

PAUL E RIDLEY. CITY MANAGER. KIMBERLY BIZOR TOLBERT.

CITY SECRETARY BILLY RAY JOHNSON AND INTERIM CITY ATTORNEY BERT VAN DEN BERG.

I GUESS IT'S DONE. I CAN BARELY HEAR IT. CAN WE GET MORE A LITTLE MORE VOLUME? ALL RIGHT, WE HAVE A QUORUM. GOOD MORNING. TODAY IS WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4TH, 2026.

[Invocation and Pledge of Allegiance Special Presentations Open Microphone Speakers]

TODAY, OUR INVOCATION WILL BE GIVEN BY OUR COLLEAGUE, DEPUTY MAYOR PRO TEM MAXIE JOHNSON.

HE'S ALSO THE PASTOR OF THE NEW MORNING STAR MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH IN WEST DALLAS.

AND I'LL TURN IT OVER TO HIM FOR OUR INVOCATION. THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. CAN WE ALL PLEASE STAND? LET US BOW OUR HEADS.

FATHER, WE THANK YOU FOR ANOTHER DAY THAT WASN'T PROMISED TO US.

WE THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING US TO WAKE UP GOD AND SEE THE GOODNESS OF THE LORD.

GOD, WE GIVE YOU GLORY. WE GIVE YOU PRAISE BECAUSE YOU'VE BEEN SO GOOD TO US.

YOU'VE BEEN BETTER TO US THAN WE'VE BEEN TO OURSELVES.

AND THIS MORNING WE SAY, THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR OUR FAMILIES.

WE SAY THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR OUR CITY. WE SAY THANK YOU.

THANK YOU LORD, BECAUSE YOU PROTECT US FROM DANGER SEEN AND UNSEEN.

AND THIS MORNING, GOD, EVEN WHEN WE DON'T UNDERSTAND, WE THANK YOU BECAUSE WE STAND UNDER YOUR GRACE.

WE STAND UNDER YOUR MERCY. AND GOD, WE ASK THAT YOU NOW TOUCH OUR CITY.

WE ASK THAT YOU TOUCH OUR COUNCIL. WE ASK THAT YOU CONTINUE TO TOUCH AND BLESS OUR MAYOR AND HIS FAMILY.

WE ASK YOU TO CONTINUE TO TOUCH AND BLESS OUR CITY MANAGER, HER FAMILY.

GOD, WE CAN'T DO THIS WITHOUT YOU. WE NEED YOU, GOD.

AND THIS MORNING WE PRAY A PRAYER THAT SAYS, IT'S US, OH LORD.

STANDING IN THE NEED OF PRAYER AND GOD, WE CALL ON YOU BECAUSE WE NEED YOU.

WE CALL ON YOU BECAUSE YOU GAVE US THE PERMISSION TO DO IT. YOU SAID, CAST YOUR CARES ON US BECAUSE YOU CARE FOR US. NOW, LORD, WE ASK THAT YOU GUIDE US AS WE MAKE DECISIONS TODAY.

WE ASK THAT YOU BLESS OUR COMMUNITIES AND STRENGTHEN THOSE THAT HAVE LOST LIVES.

GOD, WE PRAY FOR THOSE FAMILIES. THAT WAS TRAGIC.

TRAGICALLY HIDDEN DEEP ELLUM. GOD. WE LIFT ON FAMILY THOSE FAMILIES UP BECAUSE GOD.

WE KNOW THAT EVEN WHEN WE DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON, YOU STILL GUIDE US AND YOU'RE STILL IN CONTROL.

SO GOD, EVEN IN THAT, WE SAY, THANK YOU, GOD.

EVEN WHEN WE CAN'T TRACE YOU, WE STILL TRUST YOU BECAUSE YOU NEVER FELT US.

YOU'VE BEEN THERE ALL THROUGHOUT THE BAD, THROUGH THE GOOD.

YOU HAVE DIRECTED US, GOD. AND SO TODAY, AS WE LIFT UP THOSE FAMILIES, WE LIFT UP THE CITY AND GOD.

WE ASK THAT YOU CONTINUE TO BLESS US. GOD, WE.

WE PRAY THAT THAT HYMN THAT SAYS, FATHER, I STRETCH MY HANDS TO THEE.

NO OTHER HELP I KNOW IF THOU WITHDRAW THYSELF FROM US, WHERE SHALL WE GO? GOD, WE NEED YOU. IF THERE'S EVER A TIME WE NEED YOU, LORD, WE SURE DO NEED YOU NOW.

AND SO WE CALL ON YOU. WE CALL ON YOUR GOODNESS, GOD.

WE CALL ON THOSE TWIN BECAUSE GRACE AND MERCY TO CARRY US THROUGH, TO FOLLOW US AND TO GUIDE US.

NOW, LORD, WE ASK THAT YOU CONTINUE TO BLESS US.

CONTINUE TO LET YOUR WILL BE DONE, NOT OUR WILL, LORD YOUR WILL, AND WE'LL FOREVER PRAISE.

YOUR NAME WILL FOREVER GIVE YOU THE GLORY. WE'LL FOREVER LIFT YOU UP.

BECAUSE WE KNOW WHEN WE PRAISE YOUR NAME, OUR SITUATION WILL CHANGE.

AND WE GIVE YOU GLORY THIS MORNING. AND WE THANK YOU. WE THANK YOU FOR AMAZING GRACE.

HALLELUJAH. HOW SWEET THE SOUND THAT SAVED A WRETCH LIKE US WAS LOST.

BUT NOW WE'RE FOUND. GOD WAS BLIND. BUT NOW WE SEE.

AND WE PRAISE YOU AND WE MAGNIFY YOU. IT'S IN YOUR SON.

HOLY NAME WE SAY THANK YOU. LET EVERYONE SAY AMEN AND AMEN.

IF YOU WOULD PLEASE REMAIN STANDING FOR OUR PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE.

I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS.

ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.

HONOR THE TEXAS FLAG. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THEE.

TEXAS. ONE STATE UNDER GOD, ONE AND INDIVISIBLE.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH, EVERYONE. YOU MAY BE SEATED.

AND WE HAVE SEVERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS THIS MORNING, I BELIEVE.

SO JUST BEAR WITH US. I'M GOING TO START WITH THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE AND TURN IT OVER TO OUR CITY MANAGER.

THANK YOU SO MUCH. GOOD MORNING, MR. MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL. I FIRST OF ALL WANT TO SAY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY MOTHER TODAY.

[00:05:02]

THIS MORNING WE DO HAVE A RECOGNITION FOR ONE OF OUR EXECUTIVE TEAM MEMBERS, JESSICA GALLISHAW.

IF I CAN GET JESSICA TO COME OUT. WE ARE PLEASED TO RECOGNIZE JESSICA FOR HER OUTSTANDING LEADERSHIP AND LASTING CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE CITY OF DALLAS.

JESSICA HAS PLAYED A KEY ROLE IN STRENGTHENING PROGRAMS SERVING OUR SENIORS, YOUTH, INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES, AND RESIDENTS FACING SIGNIFICANT LIFE CHALLENGES DURING THE COVID 19 PANDEMIC.

SHE HELPED ENSURE THAT RESIDENTS EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, FOOD INSECURITY, AND MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES THAT THEY CONTINUE TO RECEIVE ESSENTIAL SERVICES. WORKING CLOSELY WITH NONPROFIT PARTNERS ACROSS THIS ENTIRE CITY TO CONNECT THEM WITH NEEDED RESOURCES.

JESSICA'S THOUGHTFUL APPROACH TO PLANNING, RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, AND MENTORING HAS STRENGTHENED OUR CITY SERVICES AND EMPOWERED THE TEAMS THAT SHE HAS LED FOR MANY YEARS. SHE ENCOURAGED COLLABORATION ACROSS CITY DEPARTMENTS.

SHE WORKED WITH VARIOUS BOARDS, COMMISSIONS AND PARTNERSHIPS THAT HAVE REALLY MADE OUR CITY STRONGER.

SHE WORKED WITH PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN OUR COMMISSION ON DISABILITIES, THE MLK ADVISORY BOARD THAT CONTINUES THE ANNUAL TRADITIONS HERE IN OUR CITY.

GROUNDED IN COMPASSION AND COMMITMENT TO DALLAS, HER LEADERSHIP LEAVES A LEGACY OF STRONGER PARTNERSHIPS, MORE RESPONSIVE PROGRAMS, AND DEDICATED PUBLIC SERVANTS WHO SERVE OUR PEOPLE.

WE WANT THIS MORNING TO EXTEND A SINCERE GRATITUDE TO JESSICA FOR HER SERVICE AND THE ENDURING IMPACT THAT SHE HAS HAD ON OUR COMMUNITY. JESSICA, BEST WISHES TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY.

THANK YOU FOR BEING A SERVICE FIRST CHAMPION. GOD BLESS YOU.

OKAY, I WASN'T EXPECTING THIS TO BE EMOTIONAL, BUT I DON'T HAVE TO PRETEND NOT TO HAVE EMOTIONS ANYMORE BECAUSE I DON'T WORK HERE.

I WANT TO SAY FIRST TO EXPRESS MY APPRECIATION FOR THE RECOGNITION AND THE OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE OUR RESIDENTS HAS BEEN THE GREATEST PRIVILEGE OF MY LIFE.

I'VE SPENT SO MANY WEDNESDAYS IN THIS ROOM AND AT THIS PODIUM TALKING ABOUT SO MANY DIFFERENT PROGRAMS AND SERVICES, AND I THINK THAT WHEN YOU'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF IT, IT'S SO EASY TO KIND OF GET CAUGHT UP IN THE DAY TO DAY AND, AND LOSE SIGHT OF HOW IMPORTANT THE WORK THAT WE DO IS.

BUT THE TRUTH IS THAT BEING A PUBLIC SERVANT IS THE GREATEST PRIVILEGE IN MY TIME.

THE CITY HAS BEEN THROUGH A LOT. WE WORKED THROUGH TORNADOES AND WINDSTORMS, SOME MULTI-DAY POWER OUTAGE FROM A FREEZE, OF COURSE, THE PANDEMIC AND EVERYTHING THAT CAME WITH THAT.

AND I FEEL LIKE I WAS PUT HERE TO BE HERE EXACTLY WHEN I NEEDED TO BE FOR WHAT I DO AND WHO I AM.

I THINK THAT I'M SO LUCKY BECAUSE I GOT TO WORK WITH RESIDENTS AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS EVERY SINGLE DAY.

THAT WAS THE CORE OF MY WORK AND IT WAS AMAZING.

AND I JUST, I JUST LOVE THAT I ADMIT WORKING HERE HAS BEEN EXHAUSTING.

THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF EARLY MORNINGS. LATE NIGHTS.

TIME AWAY FROM FAMILY. MY BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER RUBY.

MY PRIDE AND JOY. AND OF COURSE, DEALING WITH RESIDENTS EXPERIENCING TERRIBLE TIMES, HARDSHIPS, FRUSTRATIONS. IT'S HARD. BUT I ALWAYS DID AS MUCH AS I COULD, AND I NEVER FELT LIKE I DID ENOUGH.

AND I THINK MAYBE THAT'S THE WAY THAT IT IS, RIGHT? YOU CAN NEVER HELP EVERYONE AS MUCH AS YOU TRY.

SO TO EVERYONE HERE, TO ALL MY FORMER PEERS, COLLEAGUES, AND EVERY PERSON WITH A HEART FOR THIS CITY WHO HAS SERVED OR WILL SERVE, I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE. THERE'S ALWAYS GOING TO BE DIFFERENCES IN POLICIES AND OPINIONS.

THERE'S ALWAYS GOING TO BE DIFFERENCES THAT ARE IMPORTANT AND SIGNIFICANT. BUT I THINK AS LONG AS OUR PUBLIC SERVICES ARE LEADING WITH HEART, WITH CARE, I BELIEVE THAT THIS CITY CAN CONTINUE TO DO WONDERFUL THINGS.

AND SO I WANT TO CLOSE WITH A LESSON FROM THE RAINBOW FISH.

HE SAID THE MORE HE GAVE, THE MORE DELIGHTED HE BECAME.

AND I AM DELIGHTED TO HAVE BEEN OF SERVICE. THANK YOU.

[00:10:05]

I THINK THERE'S A FEW MEMBERS WHO ARE GOING TO WANT TO HAVE A FEW WORDS TOO.

SO IF EVERYONE CAN TAKE THEIR SEAT, I'M GOING TO RECOGNIZE MR. BAZALDUA FIRST. THANK YOU. MAYOR. JESSICA, I JUST WANT TO SAY HOW APPRECIATIVE I AM FOR YOUR SERVICE.

YOUR YOUR SPEECH WAS VERY HEARTFELT, BUT IT'S INDICATIVE OF THE WORK THAT WE GOT FROM YOU ON A DAY TO DAY.

I HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF WORKING CLOSELY WITH YOU FOR THE WORK THAT YOU DO AT THE MARTIN LUTHER KING JUNIOR COMMUNITY CENTER.

AND YOU AND YOUR LEADERSHIP HAS IMPACTED AT A GRANULAR LEVEL, SO MANY DALLAS RESIDENTS, FROM PROVIDING FORMULA FOR BABIES TO HELPING MOTHERS WITH LACTATION, TO GETTING DIAPERS, TO KEEPING THEM GOING AT THE VERY BEGINNING STAGES OF THEIR FAMILY'S LIVES, ALL THE WAY UP TO THE SENIORS THAT WE WERE ABLE TO HELP THROUGH MULTIPLE SERVICES, INCLUDING GETTING HEATING OR BOX FANS.

I MEAN, JUST SOME OF THE THINGS THAT YOU CAN'T REALLY QUANTIFY, BUT IT WERE THINGS THAT WERE TANGIBLE AND THAT IMPACTED PEOPLE'S LIVES EVERY SINGLE DAY. AND I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT YOUR PASSION FOR PEOPLE REALLY CAME THROUGH.

IT SHINED WITH THE WORK THAT YOU DID. YOU HAVE LEFT AN IMPACT ON THIS CITY THAT HAS SET A BAR THAT REGARDLESS OF YOU BEING IN THIS BUILDING OR NOT, WE HAVE AN EXPECTATION OF WHAT THAT MEANS TO SERVE PEOPLE.

SO I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART FOR THE SERVICE THAT YOU'VE GIVEN OUR CITY, FOR THE PEOPLE THAT YOU'VE HELPED IN DALLAS, AND FOR RAISING THE EXPECTATION IN THE BAR FOR HOW WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO SERVE.

THANK YOU. CHAIRMAN GRACEY THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR.

JESSICA, I WANT TO SAY I FEEL LIKE I SAID ON THE INTERVIEW PANEL WHEN WHEN YOU CAME IN TO THIS ROLE AND I REMEMBER THINKING TO, YOU HAD JUST THIS, THIS, THIS QUIRKINESS ABOUT YOU, WHICH YOU'VE ALWAYS CARRIED WITH YOU.

BUT, BUT IN YOUR RESUME READ GREAT. AND I WAS LIKE, OH, MAN, I WONDER HOW SHE'S GOING TO FIT INTO THIS, INTO THIS ORGANIZATION AND ALL THESE THINGS. AND YOU CAME IN AND YOU FIT AND YOU SAID IT SEVERAL TIMES.

AND THIS IS THE THING THAT I JUST REALLY WANT TO HIGHLIGHT IN ALL OF THE WORK THAT YOU'VE DONE, ALL OF THE LONG NIGHTS, THE PATIENCE AND ALL THESE THINGS YOU'VE HAD TO YOU KNOW, DISPLAY LEADING IN, IN THE AREAS THAT YOU'VE HAD TO LEAD IN IS YOU'VE ALWAYS DONE IT WITH YOUR HEART AND YOU LED THAT.

AND THAT'S THE THING THAT I'VE ALWAYS APPRECIATED ABOUT YOU BECAUSE YOU'RE RIGHT, PUBLIC SERVICE IS HARD. IT'S NOT IT'S, IT'S THANKLESS A LOT OF TIMES, BUT YOU CONTINUE DOING IT BECAUSE IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S IN YOU AND IT'S JUST SOMETHING THAT'S A PART OF WHO YOU ARE.

AND THANK YOU FOR DISPLAYING WHO YOU ARE, NOT JUST A PROFESSIONAL, BUT WHO YOU ARE AS A PERSON AND WHY YOU SERVE EACH AND EVERY DAY THAT YOU SERVE.

SO THANK YOU FOR HOW YOU'VE LED AND HOW YOU'VE SERVED HERE AT CITY HALL AND HOW YOU REPRESENTED THE CITY OF DALLAS AS WELL.

THANK YOU. MISS CADENA. JESSICA, I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU'VE DONE TO HELP THE RESIDENTS OF DISTRICT SIX, BUT ESPECIALLY THE WEST HILLS MULTI-PURPOSE CENTER.

YOU HELPED BRING ASHLEY IN, AND WE HAVE WORKED ON SO MANY DIFFERENT PROJECTS, WHETHER IT'S BRINGING TURKEYS TO THE SENIORS OR HELPING GET FANS, JUST LIKE WHAT COUNCIL MEMBER BAZALDUA SAID THAT CENTER IS REALLY SOMETHING THAT HELPS ALL OF OUR DISTRICTS AND PROVIDE SO MANY RESOURCES.

AND I KNOW THAT WORK IS GOING TO CONTINUE, BUT I'M JUST SO APPRECIATIVE OF YOU BECAUSE THIS WAS SOMETHING THAT YOU'RE SO EXTREMELY PASSIONATE ABOUT AS GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY AND TRYING TO HELP THEM WHERE THEY WERE.

SO THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU'VE DONE.

CHAIRWOMAN WILLIS, THANK YOU. AND I DON'T KNOW THAT ANYONE CAN TOP WHAT YOU READ AND WROTE FROM YOUR OWN HEART.

SO BUT I DO WANT TO SAY I APPRECIATE HOW DEDICATED AND RESPONSIVE YOU'VE BEEN IN CRITICAL SITUATIONS.

AND IT'S VERY CLEAR TO ANYONE WHO COMES INTO CONTACT WITH YOU THAT THIS IS NOT A JOB.

THIS IS FOUNDATIONAL IN WHO YOU ARE. AND THAT SAYS SO MUCH ABOUT YOU.

AND YOUR, YOUR LITTLE GIRL HAS A GREAT EXAMPLE TO LOOK UP TO.

AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE. APPRECIATE IT.

MAYOR PRO TEM, THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. JESSICA, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SERVICE TO OUR CITY.

YOU ARE ONE OF THE PEOPLE THAT I'LL ALWAYS REMEMBER.

[00:15:02]

IT'S JUST SPECIAL. AND I JUST WANT TO EXPRESS MY GRATITUDE.

SO THANK YOU SO MUCH. NOW, IF YOU WOULD NOT MIND, JUST PLEASE COME HERE AND TAKE A PHOTOGRAPH WITH US. AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SERVICE.

AND THANK YOU, EVERYONE FOR BEING HERE TO SUPPORT HER.

ALL RIGHT. AS WE MAKE OUR WAY BACK TO OUR SEATS. I'M GOING TO WAIT FOR CHAIRWOMAN WILLS.

YOU'RE NEXT. SO. WITH US. PROCLAMATION. SPECIAL PRESENTATION.

THANK YOU MAYOR. THIS IS MUNICIPAL COURT WEEK, AND WE LOVE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO BRING ATTENTION TO OUR MUNICIPAL JUDGES AND THE JUSTICE THAT THEY BRING TO OUR CITY AND SERVING THE PUBLIC.

AND SO I'D LIKE TO READ THIS PROCLAMATION THAT MAYOR JOHNSON PROVIDED.

WHEREAS, OH, WE'LL LET YOU COME DOWN HERE. AND WHILE YOU'RE TAKING THAT OPPORTUNITY, I WANT EVERYONE TO CHECK THE CITY'S WEBSITE BECAUSE YOU ALL HAVE AN AMAZING ROSTER OF EVENTS ALL WEEK LONG WHERE THE PUBLIC CAN COME DOWN AND SEE WHAT YOU DO EVERY DAY AND ALL THE EDUCATION YOU DO IN THE COMMUNITY AS WELL.

SO THANK YOU FOR PUTTING THAT TOGETHER EVERY YEAR. WE REALLY APPRECIATE IT.

WHEREAS MUNICIPAL COURT WEEK PROVIDES AN OPPORTUNITY TO RECOGNIZE PUBLIC SERVANTS AND THE VITAL ROLE OF A MUNICIPAL COURT SYSTEM WHERE FAIRNESS IS PRACTICED, ACCOUNTABILITY IS MEANINGFUL, AND EVERY PERSON IS TREATED WITH DIGNITY.

AND WHEREAS MUNICIPAL VOTERS SERVE AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE, PROVIDING A LOCAL FORUM WHERE MATTERS INVOLVE STATE AND CITY, STATE LAW AND CITY ORDINANCES, AND THEY'RE RESOLVED FAIRLY AND EFFICIENTLY.

AND WHEREAS MUNICIPAL COURTS ARE OFTEN WHERE RESIDENTS HAVE THEIR MOST DIRECT INTERACTION WITH THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM, EACH ENCOUNTER PROVIDES AN OPPORTUNITY TO STRENGTHEN PUBLIC TRUST AND DEMONSTRATE THE MEANING OF FAIR AND IMPARTIAL JUSTICE.

AND WHEREAS, THE DALLAS MUNICIPAL COURT CONTRIBUTES TO SAFETY AND QUALITY OF LIFE WHILE PROVIDING MEANINGFUL AND ACCESSIBLE OPPORTUNITIES FOR INDIVIDUALS TO ADDRESS THEIR CASES AND FULFILL THEIR LEGAL OBLIGATIONS. AND WHEREAS, THE CITY OF DALLAS IS COMMITTED TO THE PRINCIPLES THAT AN INDEPENDENT, FAIR AND COMPETENT JUDICIARY WILL PROPERLY INTERPRET AND APPLY THE LAW, AND THAT JUDGES SHOULD ADHERE TO THE LAW AND CONDUCT THEMSELVES IN A WAY THAT PROMOTES PUBLIC CONFIDENCE IN THE JUDICIARY. AND WHEREAS, THE WORK OF THE DALLAS MUNICIPAL COURT EXTENDS BEYOND THE COURTROOM THROUGH PROGRAMS, SERVICES AND COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS THAT HELP RESIDENTS NAVIGATE THE COURT PROCESS, RESOLVE THEIR CASES, AND CONNECT WITH APPROPRIATE RESOURCES. AND WHEREAS THE CITY OF DALLAS RECOGNIZES THE COLLECTIVE EFFORTS OF JUDGES, COURT CLERKS, ADMINISTRATORS, PROSECUTORS, BAILIFFS, WARRANT OFFICERS AND OTHER COURT PROFESSIONALS WHO SERVE THE PEOPLE OF DALLAS EACH DAY TO ALL OF THOSE WHO SEEK THEIR SERVICES. NOW, ON BEHALF OF MAYOR ERIC JOHNSON, I PROCLAIM THIS WEEK MUNICIPAL COURT WEEK IN THE CITY OF DALLAS.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ THE PROCLAMATION.

[00:20:03]

IN THE SPIRIT OF MUNICIPAL COURT WEEK, THERE ARE TRAFFIC SAFETY RELATED ITEMS. I BROUGHT SOME PEOPLE WITH ME SO THAT THEY CAN BE RECOGNIZED.

THE CHAIR OF THE JNC, MATTHEW MCDOUGALL, IS HERE.

THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF COURTS AS FAR AS MARQUEZ IS HERE, JUDGE DEMETRIUS BLACKLOCK, JUDGE JULIE CLANCY, JUDGE DESMOND COOKE'S JUDGE TANYA GAFFNEY, JUDGE AMY GRAY, JUDGE CHRISTIAN KRAMER, JUDGE MARK MORRELL, JUDGE OMAR THACKRAY, JUDGE MARCIA TILGHMAN AND PROBABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON THAT HELPS US GET EVERYTHING DONE.

OUR OFFICE MANAGER, SEAN SESSION, IS HERE. IT TOOK A LOT FOR ME TO CONVINCE HER TO COME AND TRICK HER INTO COMING, BECAUSE SHE DID NOT WANT TO, BUT SHE IS THE ONE PERSON THAT MAKES SURE THAT YOU HAVE EVERYTHING YOU HAVE, AND WE'RE ABLE TO DO WHAT WE DO. SO IF YOU HAVE TIME, WE'D LOVE TO TAKE A PHOTO, AND WE APPRECIATE THE EFFORT AND THE TIME TO BE ABLE TO SERVE.

THANK YOU SO MUCH. ABSOLUTELY. COME ON INSIDE THE RAILING AND YEAH, GO AHEAD.

ALL RIGHT. MOVING RIGHT ALONG. MISS CADENA, ARE YOU READY YET? OH, THERE YOU ARE. ALL ALRIGHT, YOU'RE RECOGNIZED FOR A SPECIAL PRESENTATION.

BEFORE PRESENTING THIS PROCLAMATION, I WANT TO RECOGNIZE THE EMPLOYEES OF THE DALLAS ANIMAL SERVICES AND THE IMPORTANT WORK THEY DO EVERY DAY FOR THE PEOPLE AND ANIMALS OF OUR CITY. I THINK THEY'RE COMING DOWN. ANIMAL SHELTERING IS CHALLENGING WORK THAT REQUIRES COMPASSION, PROFESSIONALISM AND A DEEP COMMITMENT TO PUBLIC SERVICE.

VOLUNTEERS, FOSTERS, ADOPTERS, RESCUE AND ANIMAL WELFARE PARTNERS AND RESIDENTS THROUGHOUT DALLAS STRENGTHENED THIS WORK.

NATIONAL ANIMAL SHELTER APPRECIATION WEEK GIVES US AN OPPORTUNITY TO THANK THE DALLAS ANIMAL SERVICES TEAM AND EVERYONE WHO SUPPORTS THEIR WORK.

ON BEHALF OF THE CITY OF DALLAS, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE AND COMMITMENT TO MAKING DALLAS A SAFER, MORE COMPASSIONATE COMMUNITY FOR PEOPLE AND THE ANIMALS.

NOW I'M GOING TO READ THE PROCLAMATION. WHEREAS NATIONAL ANIMAL SHELTER APPRECIATION WEEK PROVIDES AN OPPORTUNITY TO RECOGNIZE THE DEDICATED PROFESSIONALS AND VOLUNTEERS WHO SERVE ANIMALS AND RESIDENTS EACH DAY, AND TO ENCOURAGE THE COMMUNITY TO SUPPORT ITS LOCAL ANIMAL SHELTER THROUGH ADOPTION, FOSTERING VOLUNTEERING, RESPONSIBLE PET OWNERSHIP AND OTHER FORMS OF ENGAGEMENT.

AND WHEREAS ANIMAL SHELTERS PROVIDE ESSENTIAL SERVICES THAT PROMOTE PUBLIC SAFETY, ANIMAL WELFARE, AND THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF COMMUNITIES BY PROVIDING CARE AND SHELTER FOR ANIMALS IN NEED.

RESPONDING TO ANIMAL RELATED CONCERNS. REUNITING LOST PETS WITH THEIR FAMILIES AND CONNECTING RESIDENTS WITH RESOURCES AND SERVICES.

AND WHEREAS ANIMAL SHELTER PROFESSIONALS PERFORM DEMANDING AND COMPASSIONATE WORK CARING FOR ANIMALS, MEDICAL AND BEHAVIORAL BEHAVIORAL NEEDS WHILE SUPPORTING RESIDENTS AND RESPONDING TO THE EVOLVING NEEDS OF THEIR COMMUNITIES.

AND WHEREAS DALLAS ANIMAL SERVICES SERVES THE RESIDENTS AND ANIMALS OF DALLAS THROUGH ANIMAL CARE, SHELTERING FIELD RESPONSE ENFORCEMENT, VETERINARY SERVICES, PET REUNIFICATION, ADOPTION, FOSTER PROGRAMS AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT THAT HELP PETS AND PEOPLE REMAIN TOGETHER. AND WHEREAS THE CITY OF DALLAS RECOGNIZES ANIMAL SERVICES ARE STRENGTHENED BY THE COMMITMENT OF ITS EMPLOYEES AND VOLUNTEERS, AND THROUGH COLLABORATION WITH RESCUE ORGANIZATIONS, ANIMAL WELFARE PARTNERS, VETERINARY PROVIDERS, FOSTER FAMILIES, ADOPTERS, ADVOCATES, AND RESIDENTS THROUGHOUT OUR CITY.

NOW, I THEREFORE, LAURA GAVINO ON BEHALF OF ERIC JOHNSON, MAYOR OF THE CITY OF DALLAS, DO HEREBY PROCLAIM NOVEMBER 1ST THROUGH SEVENTH, 2026 AS NATIONAL ANIMAL SHELTER APPRECIATION WEEK.

THANK YOU. AND, MR. MAYOR, MAY WE TAKE A PHOTO?

[00:25:03]

ACTUALLY, DID YOU WANT TO SAY ANYTHING? IF THAT'S OKAY.

PLEASE. I JUST MAYOR JOHNSON AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL.

THANK YOU FOR THIS RECOGNITION AND FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO CELEBRATE NATIONAL ANIMAL SHELTER APPRECIATION WEEK HERE IN DALLAS.

OUR. ON BEHALF OF DALLAS ANIMAL SERVICES, I ESPECIALLY WANT TO THANK OUR EMPLOYEES.

ANIMAL SHELTERING IS INCREDIBLY REWARDING WORK, BUT IT'S NOT EASY.

OUR TEAM SHOWS UP EVERY DAY TO CARE FOR THOUSANDS OF ANIMALS EACH YEAR.

RESPOND TO RESIDENTS ACROSS THE CITY, PROVIDE LIFE SAVING CARE, REUNITE PETS WITH THEIR FAMILIES, SUPPORT PEOPLE WHO ARE TRYING TO KEEP THEIR PETS THEY LOVE, AND HELP ANIMALS FIND NEW HOMES.

DID THEY DO THAT WORK WITH COMPASSION, PROFESSIONALISM, EXTRAORDINARY COMMITMENT TO BOTH THE PEOPLE AND ANIMALS OF DALLAS.

WE ARE INCREDIBLY PROUD OF THEM. WE ALSO KNOW THAT WE CANNOT DO THIS WORK ALONE.

OUR VOLUNTEERS, OUR FOSTERS, OUR ADOPTERS, OUR RESCUE AND ANIMAL WELFARE PARTNERS.

AS YOU SEE BEHIND ME VETERINARY PARTNERS, ADVOCATES, RESIDENTS AND RESIDENTS ARE ESSENTIAL TO THE ANIMALS AND TO THE SOLUTION WE ARE BUILDING IN DALLAS. SO WHILE THIS WEEK IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO APPRECIATE OUR ANIMAL SHELTER TEAM, WE HOPE THAT IT'S ALSO AN OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR COMMUNITY TO SEE THEMSELVES AS PART OF THE WORK. WHETHER YOU ADOPT, FOSTER, VOLUNTEER, HELP REUNITE A LOST PET, SUPPORT NEIGHBORS WITH THEIR PET, OR SIMPLY MAKE SURE YOUR PET IS SAFE AND IDENTIFIABLE, YOU ARE HELPING PROTECT THE BOND BETWEEN PEOPLE AND THEIR PETS AND STRENGTHEN THE HEALTH, SAFETY, AND WELL-BEING OF THE DALLAS COMMUNITY.

THANK YOU TO THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL FOR RECOGNIZING OUR TEAM.

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, THANK YOU TO THE EMPLOYEES OF DALLAS ANIMAL SERVICES FOR EVERYTHING YOU DO EVERY DAY.

AND THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS OPERATION KINDNESS AND SPCA OF TEXAS WHO ARE HERE TO HELP US CELEBRATE.

THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH. AND WE WOULD LIKE FOR YOU ALL TO COME INSIDE THE RAIL AND TAKE A PHOTOGRAPH.

THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE THIS MORNING. WE'RE GOING NEXT WEEK.

I DON'T KNOW. I LIKE TO ROTATE WHICH ONE THEY OPEN UP.

YOU KNOW I. COULDN'T DO IT WITHOUT.

ALL RIGHT. IF HE'S READY. WE HAVE ONE MORE ANNOUNCEMENT THIS MORNING FROM COUNCIL MEMBER ROTH.

MR. ROTH WITH A. YEAH. AN ANNOUNCEMENT.

THANK YOU, MAYOR AND COLLEAGUES. I'M PLEASED TO RECOGNIZE THE 71ST ANNUAL DALLAS GREEK FOOD FESTIVAL AT HOLY TRINITY GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH FOR 71 YEARS, THIS EVENT HAS WELCOMED GENERATIONS OF DALLAS RESIDENTS TO CELEBRATE GREEK CULTURE, THE ORTHODOX FAITH AND CULTURAL TRADITIONS BY ENJOYING EXCEPTIONAL FOOD AND HOSPITALITY AND STRENGTHENING THE BONDS THAT UNITE US IN OUR COMMUNITY.

THIS FESTIVAL IS POWERED BY HUNDREDS OF DEDICATED VOLUNTEERS AND SERVES AS A WONDERFUL EXAMPLE OF HOW CULTURAL TRADITIONS CAN ENRICH THE DIVERSITY AND VIBRANCY OF OUR CITY.

I WANT TO CONGRATULATE FATHER MARK PAX FROM HOLY TRINITY GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH.

HIS TEAM, AND TO THANK EVERYONE INVOLVED FOR PRESERVING THE CHAIR THIS CHERISHED DALLAS TRADITION.

I ENCOURAGE ALL THE RESIDENTS TO VISIT THE FESTIVAL AND EXPERIENCE ONE OF THE CITY'S MOST ENDURING CULTURAL CELEBRATIONS.

[00:30:04]

MR. MAYOR, WOULD YOU MIND IF I ALLOW. ALLOW THEM TO, TO HAVE A FEW COMMENTS.

ABSOLUTELY. GOOD MORNING MAYOR. GOOD MORNING, CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS.

MOST OF YOU ALL KNOW ME AS FRANK THE GREEK HERE.

I'M ALSO 71 YEARS OLD, SO I'VE BEEN AROUND THE FESTIVAL AND AN ELDER OF THE COMMUNITY.

BUT ONE OF THE WORDS I WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU WHEN SHE TALKED ABOUT COMMUNITY AND FRIENDSHIP AND CULTURE AND HOSPITALITY, IS PHILOXENIA. AS A GREEK, I ALWAYS TRY TO DO A LITTLE ANCIENT GREEK PHILOSOPHY.

PHILOXENIA MEANS FRIENDS OF STRANGERS, AND THAT'S WHAT WE DO.

WE WELCOME OUR FRIENDS, WE WELCOME OUR STRANGERS TO COME TO OUR COMMUNITY, TO ENJOY OUR CULTURE AND OUR FOOD.

AND WITH THAT, I'D LIKE TO LET FATHER MARK TAKE SAY A FEW WORDS.

AND ALSO THANK YOU FOR FOR BEING HERE AND FATHER COUNCILMAN ROTH FOR HELPING US SET THIS UP AND.

COUNCILMAN. PAULA BLACKMON THANK YOU FOR STEPPING IN TO.

THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. COUNCILMAN BILL ROTH AND ALL ON THE COUNCIL.

WE THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO BE HERE TODAY.

EXCUSE ME. MY VOICE IS A LITTLE RASPY WITH ALL THE ALLERGIES OUT THERE, BUT WE HAVE BEEN FAITHFUL MEMBERS OF THE CITY OF DALLAS COMMUNITY FOR OVER 110 YEARS.

AND AT OUR PRESENT LOCATION AT HILLCREST AND ALPHA.

WE'VE BEEN HERE FOR 30, 33 YEARS, AND WE APPRECIATE THE SUPPORT OF THE CITY OF DALLAS, OF THE COUNCIL AND THE CITY OF DALLAS FOR OUR COMMUNITY. AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO WELCOMING YOU AND INVITING YOU TO OUR COMMUNITY AT HILLCREST AND ALPHA THIS COMING WEEKEND, FRIDAY, SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. FOR, AS FRANK SAID, OUR 71ST ANNUAL GREEK FOOD FESTIVAL, WHERE WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE OUR FAITH, OUR FOOD AND OUR CULTURE WITH THE COMMUNITY OF DALLAS.

SO THANK YOU. THERE'S ANOTHER GREEK TERM WE USE KALA, WHICH MEANS GOOD STRENGTH.

AND I OFFER THAT AND I SHARE THAT. AND I PRAY THAT FOR ALL OF YOU ON THIS COUNCIL, ALL OF YOUR STAFF, ALL OF THOSE HERE IN THE CITY OF DALLAS IT CERTAINLY MEANS GOOD PHYSICAL STRENGTH, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, IT MEANS STRENGTH OF SPIRIT, STRENGTH OF SOUL, STRENGTH OF RESOLVE.

AND IF THERE WAS EVER A TIME THAT ALL OF US NEED THAT IT IS NOW.

SO THANK YOU. WE APPRECIATE YOU. GOD BLESS YOU ALL AND ENJOY THE PASTRIES.

ALL RIGHT. I BELIEVE THAT'S IT FOR OUR ANNOUNCEMENTS THIS MORNING.

SO I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO OUR CITY SECRETARY. GOOD MORNING. THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR, AND GOOD MORNING. THE DALLAS CITY COUNCIL WILL NOW HEAR ITS FIRST FIVE REGISTERED SPEAKERS. I WILL RECITE THE SPEAKER GUIDELINES.

SPEAKERS MUST OBSERVE THE SAME RULES OF PROPRIETY, DECORUM AND GOOD CONDUCT APPLICABLE TO MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL.

ANY SPEAKER MAKING PERSONAL AND PERTINENT, PROFANE OR SLANDEROUS REMARKS, OR WHO BECOMES BOISTEROUS WHILE ADDRESSING THE CITY COUNCIL WILL BE REMOVED FROM THE ROOM.

FOR THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE IN PERSON FOR THOSE VIRTUAL SPEAKERS, YOU WILL BE REMOVED FROM THE SESSION.

INDIVIDUALS WILL BE GIVEN THREE MINUTES TO SPEAK FOR THOSE IN-PERSON SPEAKERS.

YOU'LL NOTICE THE TIME ON THE MONITOR AT THE PODIUM WHEN YOUR TIME IS UP, PLEASE STOP.

FOR THOSE VIRTUAL SPEAKERS, I WILL ANNOUNCE WHEN YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED.

ALSO, SPEAKERS, PLEASE BE MINDFUL THAT DURING YOUR PUBLIC COMMENTS, YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO REFER TO A CITY COUNCIL MEMBER BY NAME AND TO ADDRESS YOUR COMMENTS TO MAYOR JOHNSON. ONLY YOUR FIRST SPEAKER, SHENITA CLEVELAND.

GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. TO THE MAYOR MEMBERS OF THE DALLAS CITY COUNCIL YESTERDAY.

DALLAS VOTED AND I HOPE EVERY SINGLE PERSON SITTING AROUND THE HORSESHOE WAS PAYING ATTENTION.

DALLAS VOTERS REJECTED THE $443 MILLION PUBLIC SAFETY BOND.

YOU ASK THE PEOPLE FOR MORE MONEY, AND THEY ANSWERED.

BUT HERE'S WHAT I REALLY, REALLY WANT TO REMIND EVERYONE SITTING UP HERE THAT 2027 IS COMING AND IT'S COMING FAST.

EVERY SINGLE CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT SEAT COMES UP FOR REELECTION NEXT YEAR.

LET ME SAY IT IS. LET ME SAY IT THIS WAY. ALL 14 OF YOU AND THE MAYOR'S OFFICE IS AT THE TOP OF THE BALLOT.

SO WHILE YOU'RE SITTING UP THERE MAKING DECISIONS ABOUT OUR MONEY, OUR NEIGHBORHOODS, OUR LIBRARIES, OUR HOMELESS COMMUNITIES, OUR EMPLOYEES, OUR HOMELESS COMMUNITIES AND THE FUTURE OF DALLAS CITY HALL.

REMEMBER THAT PEOPLE SITTING OUT HERE. GET A PERFORMANCE REVIEW AS WELL.

IT'S CALLED THE ELECTIONS. AND YESTERDAY SHOULD BE A REMINDER THAT PEOPLE ARE PAYING ATTENTION.

[00:35:04]

WE'RE PAYING ATTENTION. WHEN LIBRARIES LOSE FUNDING, WE'RE PAYING ATTENTION WHEN POLICE SPENDING KEEPS INCREASING.

AND WE'RE STILL ASKING, WHAT IS DALLAS ACTUALLY DOING TO PREVENT VIOLENCE? WE'RE PAYING ATTENTION. WHEN YOU SPEND MONEY ON SURVEILLANCE, WE'RE DAMN SURE PAYING ATTENTION TO WHAT HAPPENS TO DALLAS CITY HALL.

YOU DON'T GET TO ASK PEOPLE TO PARTICIPATE IN GOVERNMENT AND THEN IGNORE THEM WHEN THEY TELL YOU SOMETHING THAT YOU DON'T WANT TO HEAR.

YESTERDAY WAS PUBLIC COMMENT ON THE BALLOT, AND IN 2027, DALLAS VOTERS WILL HAVE ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO EVALUATE THE PEOPLE SITTING AROUND THIS HORSESHOE. SO BETWEEN NOW AND THEN, DO YOUR JOBS.

PLEASE LISTEN TO YOUR DISTRICTS. AS HARD A QUESTIONS IN THE BACK.

SPEND OUR MONEY RESPONSIBLY. PROTECT OUR NEIGHBORHOODS, PROTECT OUR EMPLOYEES, PROTECT OUR PRIVACY, AND REMEMBER THAT THOSE SEATS DON'T BELONG TO YOU.

THEY BELONG TO THE PEOPLE OF DALLAS. THEY BELONG TO US.

2027 IS COMING. SO I SUGGEST THAT YOU START LISTENING.

THANK YOU. AND I YIELD BACK THE REST OF MY TIME.

THANK YOU. NANCY MOORE. GOOD MORNING. I'M NANCY MOORE CONCERNING NEXT WEEK'S COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM ON THE ZONING CHANGE REQUEST AT PRESTON ROAD AND ROYAL LANE.

THE DALLAS DEVELOPMENT CODE WAS REWRITTEN AND ADOPTED IN 1989, ABOUT 37 YEARS AGO, BECAUSE NO NEWER REWRITING OF THE DALLAS DEVELOPMENT CODE HAS YET BEEN PASSED BY THIS BODY.

IT IS INCUMBENT UPON YOU, THE DECISION MAKERS, TO ABIDE BY EXISTING LAW.

YOU ALL TOOK AN OATH WHEN YOU WERE SWORN INTO OFFICE TO UPHOLD THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF TEXAS AND DALLAS.

LET'S LIST THE LAWS AND LAND USE POLICY THAT APPLY TO THIS AREA OF REQUEST.

THE CITY. THE DALLAS DEVELOPMENT CODE, VOLUME THREE, SECTION 51.

A 4.122. RETAIL DISTRICTS. LETTER B COMMUNITY RETAIL DISTRICTS.

THE PURPOSE TO PROVIDE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF COMMUNITY SERVING RETAIL AT A SCALE AND INTENSITY COMPATIBLE WITH RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITIES. STATE'S. THE SB 840 AMENDMENT TO THE TEXAS LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE IS NOT A BLANK CHECK ON HEIGHT. THE TLG STILL RESPECTS CITIES AUTHORITY TO LIMIT HEIGHT WHEN ADDING MULTIFAMILY.

AS TO A COMMERCIAL SITE. THE CITY MAY LIMIT HEIGHT TO THE GREATER OF THE HIGHEST HEIGHT.

THAT WOULD APPLY TO A COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT CONSTRUCTED ON THE SITE OR 45FT.

SO IN COMMUNITY RETAIL, THAT'S 54FT THE GREATER OF THE TWO FORWARD DALLAS 2.0 COMPREHENSIVE LAND USE POLICY.

THE PLACE TYPE FOR PRESTON AND ROYAL IS COMMUNITY MIXED USE, WHICH PRESCRIBES THAT RESIDENTIAL USES ARE ACCOMMODATED WITHIN MID-RISE BUILDINGS, MID-RISE AND NOT HIGH RISE.

IT'S GLOSSARY DEFINES MID-RISE AS GENERALLY LESS THAN TEN STORIES.

ANYBODY WHO COMPARES CAN SEE THAT THE CONDITIONS OF THIS PROPOSED PD WOULD TRIP THE TRIGGER INTO THE NEXT LEVEL UP IN FORWARD DALLAS, WHICH IS REGIONAL MIXED USE, AND THAT PLACE TYPE IS NOT PRESCRIBED AT PRESTON ROYAL.

THE INTERNATIONAL BUILDING CODE STATES THAT A HIGH RISE IS WHEN THERE IS AN OCCUPIED FLOOR MORE THAN 75FT ABOVE THE LOWEST LEVEL OF FIRE DEPARTMENT ACCESS. COUNCIL. THIS PROPOSED ZONING CHANGE INTRODUCES HIGH RISE INTO AN AREA FOR WHICH THE LAW PRESCRIBES MID-RISE BUILDINGS. THERE IS NO BASIS TO PLACE HIGH RISES HERE.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU. LAURA GREEN.

MAYOR AND COUNCIL. THANK YOU. WHEN SOMEONE IS LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO LIVE, THEY ARE NEVER GOING TO FIND A BOX ON ZILLOW TO CHECK FOR HOMES NEXT TO SKYSCRAPERS. THAT IS BECAUSE NO ONE WANTS TO LIVE IN A HOME WITH HIGH RISES IN THE MIDDLE OF THEIR RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD, AND PRESTON ROYAL IS A RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD.

BEYOND THE SMALL COMMERCIAL INTERSECTION, OUR HOMES FOR MILES IN EVERY DIRECTION, WITH SCHOOLS AND CHURCHES DOTTED THROUGHOUT.

NO ONE MOVES TO THIS NEIGHBORHOOD TO LIVE NEAR A SKYSCRAPER OR HIGH RISE.

[00:40:05]

THESE 5200 ENGAGED CONSTITUENTS KNOW THAT EVERY CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS VOTE MATTERS AND PROTECTING NEIGHBORHOODS.

IT IS A FALSE NARRATIVE THAT SKYSCRAPERS ARE INEVITABLE.

RATHER, THERE IS A HUNGER TO SEE A THOUGHTFUL, NEIGHBORHOOD CENTERED, WELL-PLANNED DEVELOPMENT WITHIN THE 54 FOOT HEIGHT HEIGHT OF THE CURRENT ZONING, 54FT IN HEIGHT PROVIDES MORE THAN DOUBLE THE HEIGHT OF THE PREVIOUS BUILDINGS THAT WERE TORN DOWN ON THE SITE.

OVER 91% OF THE CITY'S OFFICIAL BLUE CARD RESPONDENTS VOTED THEIR OPPOSITION TO THE PROPOSED ZONING CHANGE.

THE PROPOSED BUILDINGS ARE TOO TALL FOR THIS NEIGHBORHOOD.

PLEASE LISTEN TO THE RESIDENTS OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND VOTE TO KEEP DEVELOPMENT WITHIN THE PARAMETERS OF THE CURRENT ZONING.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU. VERONICA ARREDONDO.

JOHNSON, MOHAMMAD HAJJ, ALI KHAN, YOSHIYUKI SAHASHI, VERONICA CHATA AOKI. HELLO, MAYOR JOHNSON, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TODAY.

MY NAME IS VERONICA. I AM CHOCTAW. EACH DAY I SLOWLY WORK ON MY MASTERPIECE.

IT MAY TAKE 87 MORE YEARS TO COMPLETE, BUT I AM THANKFUL FOR THE JOURNEY.

LAST NOVEMBER I CREATED THIS POEM AND IT'S TITLED WE STILL DO.

WHO HEARS AUNTIE'S BIG LAUGH FROM ACROSS THE ROOM.

WE STILL DO. WHO REMEMBERS? THE DRUM IS THE HEARTBEAT OF THE EARTH.

WE STILL DO. WHO SINGS AND DANCES FOR OUR CREATOR? WE STILL DO. WHO REMEMBERS THE CHILDREN IN 523 BOARDING SCHOOLS ACROSS THE US? WE STILL DO. WHO HONORS OUR VETERANS FOR THEIR SERVICE WITH AN HONOR SONG.

WE STILL DO. WHO CARRIES THE NATIVE LANGUAGE OF OUR GRANDMAS AND GRANDPAS? WE STILL DO. FROM THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO TO TODAY.

WHO RESPECTS OUR NATIONAL BIRD, THE EAGLE. WE STILL DO.

WHO REMEMBERS WHY WE BRAID OUR HAIR AND OTHERS DON'T? WE STILL DO. WHEN THE SUN RISES IN THE MORNING.

WHO REMEMBERS? WITHOUT IT THERE IS NO LIGHT. WE STILL DO.

WHO KNOWS THE LAND AS MOTHER EARTH OR TURTLE ISLAND? WE STILL DO. WHEN CHAOS ENGULFS ALL THE NATIONS.

WHO RISES TO SAY A PRAYER. WE STILL DO. WHO REMEMBERS THE GENOCIDE ON AMERICAN SOIL? WE STILL DO. WHO RISES EVERY DAY WHEN ALL WE HAVE LEFT TO GIVE IS OUR SPIRIT? WE STILL DO. WHO ACKNOWLEDGES OUR ANCESTORS ARE ALWAYS HERE WITH US.

WE STILL DO. AND WHEN ALL THE WORDS ARE SAID AND DONE.

WHO ENDS EVERY SPECIAL MESSAGE WITH A HO? WE STILL DO.

WHO HONORS OUR CULTURE EVERY DAY, MORE THAN ONE HOUR, ONE DAY OR ONE MONTH.

WE STILL DO. I HOPE. THANK YOU. DANNY. AUGUSTUS.

GOOD AFTERNOON. GOOD MORNING. I'M ALSO GREEK, BUT I DIDN'T BRING YOU GUYS ANY PASTRIES.

[00:45:07]

AND I, I, I SAW THE FATHER OVER HERE, AND I WAS LIKE, MAN, I DIDN'T SHOW UP TO CHURCH FOR THE LAST FOUR WEEKS.

SO IT WAS KIND OF HIDING BACK THERE. BUT. I'M JUST WATCHING YOU GUYS AND I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU GUYS LISTENING TO OUR, OUR, OUR CITIZENS BECAUSE I I THINK IT'S SUPER IMPORTANT THAT YOU GUYS DO THAT.

SOME OF THEM YOU MAY NOT WANT TO. YOU'RE PLAYING ON YOUR PHONES.

I SAW Y'ALL WOULD GET SCOLDED IF YOU WERE IN THE CLASSROOM, BUT LET ME START REAL QUICK BECAUSE I'VE GOT TWO MINUTES AND 14 SECONDS.

BEAR WITH ME. I'M KIND OF OLD, SO I'M TRYING TO READ FROM THIS PHONE.

I'LL GO AHEAD AND START. GOOD MORNING, MAYOR, COUNCIL MEMBERS ADAM MENDOZA, MAXINE JOHNSON, AND MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL. MY NAME IS DANNY AUGUSTUS.

I OWN PROPERTIES ON DIXON CIRCLE, SECOND AVENUE, REESE STREET AND SOUTH GRAND STREET.

I'M HERE ABOUT IMPROVING THE WHOLE NEIGHBORHOOD.

MY CODE ENFORCEMENT PROBLEMS ARE ONE EXAMPLE OF A LARGER ISSUE.

THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE THERE ARE GOOD PEOPLE. THEY WANT A SAFE ENVIRONMENT AND PROSPEROUS COMMUNITY.

RESIDENTS HAVE TOLD ME THEY FACE THE SAME DUMPING, INTIMIDATION AND RECURRING CRIME THAT I HAVE EXPERIENCED.

I BOUGHT DETERIORATED PROPERTIES AND HAVE MADE IMPROVEMENTS WITH LIMITED FUNDS.

PEOPLE HAVE DUMPED AND PARKED ON THEM WITHOUT PERMISSION.

I HAVE INSTALLED FENCES AND THOSE FENCES WERE STOLEN.

I RECEIVED THREATS AGAINST MY LIFE AND REPORTED THEM TO THE POLICE.

SOMETIMES OFFICERS ARRIVED 30 MINUTES TO AN HOUR.

PEOPLE DISPERSED AND RETURNED AFTER OFFICERS LEFT.

I'M NOT BLAMING INDIVIDUAL OFFICERS. I'M. I'M ASKING FOR A SUSTAINED PROTECTION AND EXAMINATION OF RESPONSE TIMES AND EQUALLY URGENT CALLS ACROSS THE NEIGHBORHOODS.

WHEN IMPROVEMENTS ARE STOLEN OR DAMAGED ON OWNERS FACE THREATS.

WE NEED TO HELP MAKE THOSE IMPROVEMENTS LAST.

THERE SEEMS TO BE A FUNDAMENTAL IMBALANCE WITH THE GREATER NEIGHBORHOOD'S NEED FOR INVESTMENT AND SUPPORT.

LET ME START OVER. THERE SEEMS TO BE A FUNDAMENTAL IMBALANCE.

THE GREATER A NEIGHBORHOOD'S NEED FOR INVESTMENTS AND SUPPORT, THE LESS PRACTICAL ASSISTANCE OWNERS RECEIVE WHILE CHARGES ACCUMULATE, THE. THE RESULTS CAN BE. LIENS, FEWER RESOURCES FOR IMPROVEMENTS, AND PRESSURE TO SELL.

MY HANDS ARE NOW. MY HANDS FEEL TIED NOW WITH THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS OF LIENS.

CODE ENFORCEMENT LEADERSHIPS HAVE ASKED ME WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS TO IMPROVE THE PROPERTY? THAT'S A FAIR QUESTION. MY QUESTION IS, WHAT IS DALLAS PLAN TO HELP TAXPAYERS THAT YOU'RE INVESTING IN THESE NEIGHBORHOODS? I HAVE A PLAN IF YOU GUYS ARE INTERESTED.

MY NAME IS DANNY AUGUSTUS. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU.

THIS CONCLUDES YOUR FIRST FIVE REGISTERED SPEAKERS. FOR WHAT PURPOSE? TO SUSPEND THE RULES TO HAVE THE REMAINING SPEAKERS FROM DALLAS PARTICIPATE, FROM CITY OF DALLAS, CITY OF DALLAS, WHICH IS BASICALLY ALL OF THEM. ANY OBJECTION? HEARING NONE SO ORDERED.

MADAM SECRETARY, LET'S HEAR ALL THE REMAINING SPEAKERS FROM THE CITY OF DALLAS.

THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. YOUR NEXT SPEAKER, HONORABLE DWAINE CARAWAY.

HONORABLE. HONORABLE MAYOR. CITY COUNCIL. TO EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU, I'M DWAINE CARAWAY, THE FORMER MAYOR AND MAYOR PRO TEM OF THIS CITY.

I SIT AROUND THIS HORSESHOE. WE MADE PLENTY OF DECISIONS THAT INVOLVED AND SUPPORTED THE CITY OF DALLAS TO MAKE IT THE GREAT CITY AND TO KEEP IT THE GREAT CITY THAT IT IS.

I'M HERE AND DON'T THINK THAT I'M GOING TO BE COMING DOWN HERE ALL THE TIME. I'M HERE BECAUSE ONE, I, I LOVE THE CITY OF DALLAS, AND NO ONE LOVES IT EVEN MORE THAN I DO.

I WAS BORN HERE. HARLAND CROWE'S BUILDING. I WAS BORN WHEN IT WAS PARKLAND HOSPITAL IN THE BASEMENT.

WHEN AFRICAN AMERICANS HAD TO BE BORN IN THE BASEMENT WHERE THE OTHER BABIES COULD BE BORN UPSTAIRS.

SO I LOVE IT. I'M HERE BECAUSE, NUMBER ONE, I'VE BEEN TRYING TO GET SOME MEETINGS AND I WANT TO COME AND I GUESS, PUBLICLY REQUEST A MEETING WITH THE CITY MANAGER, THE CHIEF OF POLICE MAYOR PUBLIC SAFETY, BECAUSE I'M HERE ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY AS PUBLIC SAFETY CHAIR.

WHEN I WAS CHAIR, WE DIDN'T HAVE THIS KIND OF CRIME. WE WERE ZERO TOLERANCE.

WE HAD PLANS AND WE MADE HARD DECISIONS THAT IMPACTED KEEPING THE CRIME LOW.

[00:50:02]

AT THIS POINT, YOU GOT TO HAVE WISDOM IN ORDER TO MAKE DECISIONS AS YOU GUYS MOVE FORWARD.

SO YOU CAN AT LEAST KNOW WHAT DID TAKE PLACE IN IN DEEP ELLUM, FOR EXAMPLE, BARRY ANNINO, THE LATE BARRY ANNINO. HE AND I, WE PUT TOGETHER THE DEEP M ASSOCIATION, SO THAT WE COULD ADDRESS THE CRIME AT THAT TIME AND KEEP IT DOWN. THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT CAN TAKE PLACE. I SIMPLY WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A MEETING WITH CHIEF POLICE CITY MANAGER, THE CHAIR OF PUBLIC SAFETY, VICE CHAIR AND THE COMMITTEE AND COUNCIL, SO THAT WE CAN EXCHANGE IDEAS AND THOUGHTS OF WHAT WILL MAKE THIS CITY MOVE FORWARD AND SAFE. STOP LETTING THE PEOPLE IN THE WISDOM WALK OUT THE DOOR.

BRING THEM TO THE TABLE SO THAT YOU CAN REACH BACK AND MAKE THE RIGHT DECISIONS.

AS YOU GUYS WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE CAN CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD.

A LOT OF THINGS WE NEED TO ADDRESS THAT. I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ADDRESS.

I WANT TO MAKE SURE WE ADDRESS HOMELESS. I WANT TO MAKE SURE WE ADDRESS THE CURFEWS.

THE COUNCILMAN FROM DISTRICT SEVEN YESTERDAY AND I WE HAD A BACK AND FORTH.

AND IT WAS ABOUT SAFETY. KIDS NOT BEING RUNNING AROUND IN DEEP AIR WITH GUNS.

CREATE A GUN SAFETY ZONE FOR DEEP ELLUM. DO SOMETHING.

DO SOMETHING OUT OF THE BOX. THINKING ABOUT WHAT WE CAN DO.

WE HAVE SCHOOL ZONES WHERE YOU CAN'T HAVE GUNS.

YOU GOT CERTAIN DISTRICTS WHERE YOU HAVE ZERO TOLERANCE WITH GUNS, WE CAN DO THE SAME THING.

DEEP ELLUM HAVE THE COURAGE TO GET TO THE TABLE, PUT THE TOUGH DECISIONS ON THE FLOOR, AND LET'S DO SOMETHING ABOUT THEM.

I DON'T WANT TO COME BACK DOWN HERE NOW, BUT I WILL.

THANK YOU. FRANCISCA MUNOZ. FRANCISCA MUNOZ. IT'S NOT PRESENT.

PEYTON. JACKSON. PEYTON. JACKSON. IT'S NOT PRESENT. NELL. BUTLER.

GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS NELL BUTLER AND I LIVE LESS THAN 300FT FROM THE PROPOSED.

A LITTLE CLOSER TO THE MICROPHONE. MY NAME IS NELL BUTLER, AND I LIVE MORE THAN.

I LIVE LESS THAN 300FT FROM THE PROPOSED REDEVELOPMENT OF PRESTON ROYAL.

THAT COMES BEFORE CITY COUNCIL NEXT WEEK. TWO YEARS AGO, DALLAS FIRE STATION 41 WAS REOPENED AFTER THE 2019 TORNADOES.

THE PROJECT MANAGER FOR THE CITY STATED THIS NEW STATION HONORED THE HISTORICAL STYLE, BUT IT IMPROVED FUNCTIONALITY.

IT FIT INTO THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND IT FIT THE SITE SIZE AND A FUNCTIONAL WAY.

THIS NEW FIRE STATION WILL BE COMPLETELY OVERSHADOWED BY THE ENORMOUS COMPLEX THIS DEVELOPER HAS PROPOSED THROUGHOUT THE PAST YEAR.

EVERY MEETING HAS STRESSED THE IMPORTANCE OF THESE CITY PLANNING COMMISSIONS.

BLUE FORMS WITH OVER 9,291% ON OPPOSITION ON THESE FORMS. THE PLANNING COMMISSION OVERRULED THEIR OWN PROCESS TO APPROVE THIS DEVELOPMENT BY NOT HOLDING THIS PROJECT TO CURRENT ZONING.

THE CITY IS GIVING THIS DEVELOPER MORE RIGHTS THAN THE RESIDENTS AROUND IN THE AREA.

I ASK THE CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS TO VOTE NO ON THE PROPOSED REZONING FOR DEVELOPMENT AT PRESTON AND ROYAL, AND ENCOURAGE THE DEVELOPER TO USE THE PROPERTY TO MEET THE SAME GOALS.

THE CITY'S FIRE STATION REBUILD, USED TO IMPROVE FUNCTIONALITY, FIT INTO THE NEIGHBORHOOD, AND FIT SITE SIZE IN A FUNCTIONAL WAY. THANK YOU.

THANK YOU. KAREN COSTIN.

GOOD MORNING. THANK YOU FOR HEARING FROM US. I'M KAREN COSTIN.

I LIVE IN DISTRICT 13. I AM HERE TO OPPOSE THE RESTRUCTURING OF THE HEIGHT LIMITS FOR THE PROPERTY AT 5801 OR WHATEVER. PRESTON ROAD.

I LIVE NEXT DOOR TO IT. I GREW UP IN THIS COMMUNITY.

I WAS BORN IN DALLAS. I, MY GRANDFATHER HAD THE BIGGEST MULE BARN IN DALLAS DURING WORLD WAR ONE, AND I FEEL ITS ROOTS. IF LAST NIGHT DIDN'T TEACH US ANYTHING, IT SHOULD HAVE TAUGHT US THAT WE NEED TO LISTEN TO OUR

[00:55:07]

I HOPE YOU TAKE THAT INTO CONSIDERATION. THE FACT THAT WE WANT AN EXCEPTION IN NORTH DALLAS, BUT WE WON'T GIVE ANY VARIANCES TO OUR SOUTH DALLAS VARIANT WHEN THAT COMES UP BEFORE THE BOARDS.

SO LET'S MAKE IT RIGHT FOR EVERYBODY. LET'S LISTEN TO THE CONSTITUENTS IN OUR AREA AND PLEASE VOTE NO ON THIS PROJECT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. PAUL CARDIN.

JUST TO CONFIRM, HOW MUCH TIME DO WE HAVE TO SPEAK? OH THANK YOU.

GOOD AFTERNOON. GOOD MORNING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL.

THANK YOU AGAIN FOR GIVING US THIS TIME TO SPEAK HERE.

I WANTED TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOUSING PARTICULARLY CONDOS AND HOMEOWNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES IN OUR CORE.

IF YOU WOULD. AND WHEN YOU HAVE THE TIME, I WOULD ASK YOU AND ENCOURAGE YOU TO TAKE A LITTLE TEST CASE.

IF YOU GO ON TO ZILLOW AND CHANGE TWO SETTINGS, LOOK AT NEW HOME CONSTRUCTION AFTER 2016, THE LAST TEN YEARS, AND THEN REDUCE THE PRICE POINT BELOW 500,000.

AND YOU MAY NOTICE THERE IS A VERY SUBSTANTIAL VOID IN OUR URBAN CORE IN DOWNTOWN, NEAR YAWL STREET IN UPTOWN.

IN FACT, YOU COULD KEEP SLIDING IT UP UP UNTIL ABOUT 7 OR 800,000 BEFORE YOU JUST BEGIN TO SEE ANY HOMEOWNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES.

IN OUR CORE. PART OF THIS IS DUE TO THE COMPLEXITIES AND THE RISK OF CONSTRUCTING CONDOS IN THE STATE OF TEXAS.

I WOULD ASK THAT THE CITY MAKE IT A PRIORITY, AS I BELIEVE IT IS IMPERATIVE TO OUR WELL-BEING AS A CITY TO LOOK AT WAYS THAT WE CAN BETTER AND MAKE IT A LITTLE BIT EASIER TO CONSTRUCT CONDOS.

ONE OF THOSE MAIN ISSUES WOULD BE WITH CONDO CONSTRUCTION IS THE SOURCE OF CAPITAL AND THE COST OF CAPITAL FOR WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT FROM A DEVELOPMENT STANDPOINT, THE RISK. WHAT'S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW IS THAT THE RISK PROFILE OF CONSTRUCTING MULTIFAMILY RENTALS IS FAR LOWER, SUBSTANTIALLY LOWER IN MOST CASES THAN CONSTRUCTING THAT FOR FOR SALE PRODUCT.

ONE WAY TO HELP THAT WOULD BE TO LOOK AT USING DEPOSITS WITH PROPER CONSUMER PROTECTIONS TO ENABLE THAT TO BE USED FOR HARD CONSTRUCTION COSTS. THAT HELPS TO LOWER THE COST OF CAPITAL AND MAKES IT EASIER TO CONSTRUCT THOSE HOMEOWNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES.

AND THIS IS MOST CRITICAL AND MOST ACUTE AGAIN, IN OUR CORE, BECAUSE IN THE AREAS OF OUR CITY THAT ARE MOST DESIRABLE, OFTEN THE ONLY WAY TO REALLY CONSTRUCT HOMES OF ANY TYPE, RENTAL OR FOR SALE WOULD BE FOR MID-RISE OR HIGH RISE CONSTRUCTION.

AND THAT IS EXACTLY THE TYPE OF RISK PROFILE WHERE CONDO CONSTRUCTION HAS BECOME INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT AND AT LOWER PRICE POINTS, FUNCTIONALLY IMPOSSIBLE IN OUR STATE. SO I WOULD ASK THIS COUNCIL TO TAKE A LOOK AT THAT AND ENCOURAGE THE USE WITH PROPER CONSUMER PROTECTIONS, OF USING EARNEST MONEY IN BUYER DEPOSITS TO FUND THE HARD CONSTRUCTION COSTS FOR CONDO CONSTRUCTION IN OUR CITY AND OUR STATE.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU. KIMBERLY RODRIGUEZ WILL BE VIRTUAL.

GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS KIMBERLY.

I'M REPRESENTING EAST TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY. IN REGARDS TO FOOD INSECURITY FACED IN SOUTH DALLAS, SPECIFICALLY THE 75215 ZIP CODE FOR THIS PROPOSED PROJECT.

I HAD TO RESEARCH A LOT AND FOUND OUT THE DIFFICULTIES SOUTH DALLAS RESIDENTS FACE.

AS FAR AS FOOD, HIGH FOOD COST, LACK OF GROCERY STORES, TRANSPORTATION DIFFICULTIES AND FINANCIAL HARDSHIPS IN OBTAINING NUTRITIOUS FOOD. THE SOUTH DALLAS COMMUNITY FOOD ACCESS PROJECT IS A PROJECT THAT I COORDINATED WITH THE DALLAS CITY COUNCIL CAN CONSIDER FURTHER FUNDING THIS THIS

[01:00:02]

INSTEAD, IT WOULD STRENGTHEN THE SERVICES ALREADY AVAILABLE BY BRINGING PROVIDERS TOGETHER AND IDENTIFYING GAPS IN LOCATIONS, OPERATING HOURS, TRANSPORTATION ACCESS AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH.

THE PROPOSED PROJECT WOULD HOLD TWO EVENTS EACH MONTH TO ACCESSIBLE LOCATIONS IN THE ZIP CODE 75215.

AND IT WOULD REQUIRE FUNDING AND THE SUPPORT OF THE CITY COUNCIL.

THIS WOULD THE PROJECT WOULD FOCUS ON COLLECTING INFORMATION ABOUT PARTICIPATION, BENEFIT REFERRALS, SERVICE GAPS, RESIDENT EXPERIENCES. AND AFTER THE FIRST YEAR DEPENDING ON WHAT THE CITY COUNCIL DETERMINES IF IT SHOULD BE REVISED, CONTINUED, EXPANDED OR EXPANDED.

FOOD INSECURITY IS NOT SIMPLY A RESULT OF FOOD CHOICES.

IT'S CONNECTED TO INCOME, TRANSPORTATION, NEIGHBORHOOD INVESTMENT, FOOD PRICES, AND THE LOCATION OF GROCERY STORES AND SERVICES.

I RESPECTFULLY REQUEST THAT THE CITY COUNCIL CONSIDERS SUPPORTING THE SOUTH DALLAS COMMUNITY FOOD ACCESS PROJECT AS A PRACTICAL STEP TO IMPROVE EQUITABLE FOOD ACCESS IN SOUTH DALLAS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

MARGARET. CHAVERS.

MAYOR. MICROPHONE. THERE'S A BUTTON AT THE BASE. HOW ABOUT THAT? YEAH. OKAY. GOOD MORNING, MARGARET SHABRIE. FIVE SEVEN, ONE FIVE ORCHARD LANE.

I POSED THIS QUESTION. HOW IS DEMOCRACY WORKING IN THE PRESTON ROYAL HIGH RISE ZONING CASE THAT WILL BE BEFORE YOU ON TUESDAY.

IS DEMOCRACY NOT BUILT ON THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE, OF THE VOTERS? ISN'T DEMOCRACY ABOUT LISTENING TO THE PEOPLE? CITY COUNCIL REPRESENTS EVEN PASSING WHAT THE MAJORITY WANTS.

MANY HUNDREDS SENT EMAILS, LETTERS AND POSTCARDS TO COUNCIL MEMBERS AND PLANNED COMMISSIONERS NOT A VOCAL MINORITY, BUT RESIDENTS, BUSINESS OWNERS AND TAXPAYERS WHO CARE ABOUT THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS.

MORE THAN 5200 PEOPLE SIGNED PETITIONS OPPOSING THE EXTRAORDINARY HEIGHT OF THESE PROPOSED TOWERS.

AND THESE ARE NOT JUST NORTH DALLAS PEOPLE. WE INTERACTED WITH CONCERNED RESIDENTS, WORKERS AND BUSINESS OWNERS, AND OTHER COUNCIL DISTRICTS. CONSIDER THE CITY'S OWN BLUE NOTIFICATION FORMS. 283 WERE MAILED TO NEARBY PROPERTY OWNERS. 265 WERE RETURNED AND 97% OPPOSED THE PROPOSED HIGH RISE TOWERS. THAT'S AN OVERWHELMING MAJORITY FROM THE PEOPLE.

THE CITY ASKED TO PARTICIPATE. YET DESPITE THIS FACT, THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT RECOMMENDED APPROVAL TO MOVE THE ZONING CHANGE REQUEST FORWARD, AND A MAJORITY OF PLAN COMMISSIONERS VOTED TO ADVANCE THE CASE TO CITY COUNCIL.

SO WHAT DOES PUBLIC PARTICIPATION MEAN IF THE VOICES OF RESIDENTS CAN BE COLLECTED, COUNTED AND THEN DISREGARDED? WE'VE SEEN SIMILAR FRUSTRATIONS IN MELCHIOR ESTATES AND WIMBERLY COURT.

NEIGHBORS CAME BEFORE THIS COUNCIL MADE THEIR CASE, BUT WERE DENIED AND LEFT FEELING THEIR VOICES CARRIED LITTLE WEIGHT.

YOU HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY NEXT WEEK TO DEMONSTRATE THAT DEMOCRACY IS MORE THAN SIMPLY ALLOWING PEOPLE TO SPEAK.

IT MEANS GIVING THEIR CONCERNS MEANINGFUL CONSIDERATION, ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY APPEAR TO BE IN THE MAJORITY.

WE ASK YOU, PLEASE DENY A ZONING CHANGE THAT ALLOWS HIGH RISE TOWERS IN A LOW RISE NEIGHBORHOOD.

AND FINALLY, WE COMMIT TO SUPPORTING FINANCIALLY AND WITH OUR VOTES, CITY LEADERS AND THOSE WITH POLITICAL ASPIRATIONS WHO SUPPORT THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS, WHO LISTEN TO AND ACT ON BEHALF OF RESIDENTS.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU. HASANI. BURTON.

[01:05:07]

SPEAKING OF THE GRAND RETURN OF THE FOREST THEATER IN 2015, ON NOVEMBER 2ND, THIS COUNCIL CONSIDERED MAKING THE FOREST THEATER A LANDMARK PROPERTY, AND WE DID SO.

IT WAS A FEW MONTHS AFTER I HAD LEFT THE LANDMARK COMMISSION.

IT WAS ALREADY IN THE WORKS. VERY GOOD DECISION.

NOW, 50 YEARS AFTER THE HISTORIC FOREST THEATER BEACON WAS TURNED OFF, IT IS LIT BACK UP AGAIN AND SOUTH DALLAS CELEBRATED. WE LITERALLY DANCED IN THE STREETS.

WE HUGGED EACH OTHER. WE LAUGHED. WE SHARED STORIES, AND WE THOUGHT ABOUT THE BRIGHT DAYS THAT ARE AHEAD BECAUSE OUR BEST DAYS ARE AHEAD. THE FOREST THEATER IS A STORY OF THE RESILIENCE.

WE HAVE $21 MILLION COMING DOWN THE MLK CORRIDOR TO FIX THE STREETS.

WE HAVE $40 MILLION PLANNED FOR THE DALLAS CULTURE TRAIL.

SOUTH DALLAS FAIR PARK IS THE THIRD CULTURAL DISTRICT FOR THE CITY.

ALL OF THESE THINGS ARE COMING. THAT'S WHY I ANNOUNCED LAST MONTH THROUGH THE JOBS ACT OF 2012, SIGNED BY PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA, THE INVESTMENT OF 2734 MLK AT MX DOWN IN SOUTH DALLAS. THIS NEW FACILITY, $5 MILLION FACILITY, WILL BRING HUNDREDS OF REMOTELY OPERATED SMALL BUSINESSES TO SOUTH DALLAS AND SUPPORT THOSE BUSINESSES IN PHASE ONE. WE WILL ALSO ALLOW THEM TO ADVERTISE AND MARKET ON A LOCAL AND GLOBAL SCALE AND PHASE TWO. WE HAVE OTHER THINGS BECAUSE OF THE DEMOCRATIZATION ANYONE ON THIS HORSESHOE IN THE CITY OF DALLAS. IN THIS HALLWAY, ANYONE WITHIN THE SOUND OF MY VOICE CAN INVEST.

AND I HOPE YOU WILL JUST GO TO INVEST AT BENN YOU INVEST IN VENUE.COM AND REMEMBER THESE WORDS SOUTH DALLAS RENAISSANCE INITIATIVE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

THANK YOU. SALLY LAROCCA HAS CANCELED AND CRISTINA CAMPANIS WAS A PART OF THE SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS THIS MORNING.

THEREFORE, THIS CONCLUDES YOUR OPEN MICROPHONE SPEAKERS FOR THIS MEETING, MR. MAYOR. ALL RIGHT,

[VOTING AGENDA]

YOU DO HAVE HANDOUTS. MAYOR JOHNSON CAN YOU LOOK AT THE 12 PAGE HANDOUT? IT'S DIFFERENT THIS TIME. I REPORTED TO THE FBI THAT MY IDENTITY WAS STOLEN, AND I WANTED THEM TO CHECK BECAUSE PRIOR TO 2023, WHEN MY DAD CAME HERE OVER AT REHABILITATION WELLNESS CENTER, OUR POWER OF ATTORNEYS, ALL OF THAT WAS MISSING. SO I'M GOING TO SPEAK SLOWLY AND DISTINCTLY SO YOU CAN UNDERSTAND ME, BECAUSE Y'ALL NEED TO BE HONEST WITH CHIEF COMEAUX BECAUSE Y'ALL PLAYING WITH PEOPLE'S LIVES AND CHIEF COMEAUX IS JUST LIKE A PASTOR.

YOU PRAY THAT YOUR FLOCK IS DOING THE RIGHT THING OR YOUR PEOPLE, BUT YOU REALLY DON'T KNOW.

SO WHEN MY DAD WAS HERE AND STAY WITH ME BECAUSE NOW WE KNOW.

BESIDES THE 2013 PREMEDITATED FABRICATED POLICE REPORT, THERE ARE NOW TWO.

WHEN I HAD TO SEND MY FINGERPRINTS TO THE FBI AND THEY GOT A HIT IN IRVING, WHERE NOW THAT IRVING POLICE REPORT HAS BEEN CHANGED. BEFORE I GOT IT, A POLICE OFFICER TOOK HIS TIME TO TELL ME WHAT THAT POLICE REPORT WAS ABOUT.

AND IT WAS ABOUT AN ARREST OF ME AND A FEMALE WHO I.

[01:10:01]

WITH A WHOLE PICTURE. HOW HOW HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN? SO STAY WITH ME BECAUSE IT'S DIFFERENT NOW. THE FBI WAS KIND OF IN HIS FEELINGS WHEN I ASKED HIM, SIR, DO YOU THINK THAT YOU COULD HAVE MADE A MISTAKE? THAT WASN'T ME. HE SAID, MA'AM, I SUGGEST THAT YOU START WITH THESE AGENCIES AND DEPARTMENTS FIRST.

NOW I'M GOING TO GET I'M. I'M GOING TO REQUEST ALL OF MY SPEAKING ON RECORD FROM 2012 UNTIL PRESENT.

NOW, WHEN I WAS DOWN THERE. OCTOBER 25TH, 2013.

PREARRANGED BY MAYOR ROLLINS. CORPORAL COTNER DIDN'T WANT ANYTHING TO DO WITH IT, JUST LIKE FRANK WALKER.

OFFICERS FRANK WALKER AND VINCENT GOLDBECK DIDN'T WANT ANYTHING TO DO WITH VIOLATING ROBERT GRODEN CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS FOR 20 YEARS.

STAY WITH ME NOW. WHEN THEY SAY THAT THEY WANT TO SAVE THIS BUILDING AND SAVE CITY HALL, IT'S ABOUT THE PEOPLE.

IT'S NOT ABOUT THIS BUILDING THEY'RE NETWORKING FROM IN THIS BUILDING.

3 OR 4 WEEKS AGO, IT WAS A DPD OFFICER WHO SAID THAT THEY WERE CONSIDERING USING AI.

I SAY THAT THEY ALREADY HAVE BEEN UNBEKNOWNST TO SOME OF THE FELLOW OFFICERS.

YOU HAVE TO START FACT CHECKING BECAUSE YOU'RE PLAYING WITH AI AND AI.

IS INTEL INTENTIONALLY GIVING FAKE INFORMATION? AND I BELIEVE THAT AI HAS THE MENTALITY OF MEN TO BE GOOD AND BAD.

STAY WITH ME. WE HAVE THREE FABRICATED POLICE REPORTS AND IT WAS DONE TO STEAL MONIES.

YOU LOOK AT THE REPORT FROM TONYA EISER ON CHANNEL EIGHT ABOUT MONIES BEING YOUR TIME, MONEYS BEING TAKEN BY GUARDIANSHIPS, BY PEOPLE BEING SET UP BY THESE FACADE BUILDING.

STAY WITH ME. YOU BUILDING FILES AND IT'S COMING OUT, MISS PHILLIPS.

THANK YOU, MAYOR JOHNSON. THAT'S YOUR TIME. YOU BUILDING FILES AND IT'S A DANGER.

AND IT'S A THREAT TO EVERYBODY IN THIS BUILDING IN LAW ENFORCEMENT.

WELL, NOW MOVE TO THE OFFICERS AT THE TOP. WHEN WE SAY IT'S TIME, YOU NEED TO ACTUALLY HELP US OUT WITH THAT.

YOU COULDN'T HEAR THE TIME SHE WAS TALKING SO LOUD.

OKAY. ALL RIGHT. GO AHEAD. THANK YOU. WE'LL NOW MOVE TO YOUR VOTING AGENDA.

AGENDA ITEM ONE IS APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF THE OCTOBER 21ST, 2026 CITY COUNCIL MEETING.

I HEARD A MOTION AND A SECOND. ANY DISCUSSION? SEEING NONE. ALL IN FAVOR, SAY AYE. ANY OPPOSED? THE AYES HAVE IT. NEXT ITEM. AGENDA ITEM TWO IS CONSIDERATION OF APPOINTMENTS TO BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS.

THIS MORNING YOU ONLY HAVE ONE NOMINEE FOR INDIVIDUAL APPOINTMENT.

YOUR NOMINEE, TESSA JEAN, IS BEING NOMINATED TO THE YOUTH COMMISSION BY COUNCIL MEMBER STEWART.

THIS IS YOUR NOMINEE, MR. MAYOR. I'M LOOKING FOR A MOTION AND A SECOND AND A SECOND.

ALL RIGHT. ANY DISCUSSION? SEEING NONE. ALL IN FAVOR, SAY AYE.

ANY OPPOSED? AYES HAVE IT. CONGRATULATIONS, TESSA.

MR. MAYOR, YOUR BRIEFINGS CONTINUE. ALL RIGHT, WE'LL TURN IT OVER TO THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE.

[BRIEFINGS]

I'LL GO AHEAD AND HAVE STAFF COME OUT. FOLLOWING THE OCTOBER MEETING OF THE AD HOC COMMITTEE ON LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS.

TODAY, WE'RE PROVIDING YOU WITH A COMPREHENSIVE BRIEFING WHICH WAS REQUESTED TO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE TRANSPARENCY AND WE FOSTER FULL ENGAGEMENT WITH THE CITY COUNCIL IN PREPARATION FOR THE UPCOMING 90TH TEXAS LEGISLATIVE SESSION.

THE LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM REFLECTS THE PRIORITIES THAT YOU'VE IDENTIFIED AS IMPORTANT TO THE CITY OF DALLAS, AND WILL SERVE AS A FOUNDATION FOR OUR ENGAGEMENT WITH MEMBERS OF THE DALLAS DELEGATION AND OTHER STATE LEGISLATORS AT THE TEXAS CAPITOL.

TODAY, THE PRESENTATION WILL BE LED BY OUR DIRECTOR OF GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS, ERIC DOMINGUEZ, WITH CLIFFORD SPARKS, OUR STATE LEGISLATIVE DIRECTOR.

WE ALSO HAVE MEMBERS OF OUR CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE, AND THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE WILL SUPPORT THE BRIEFING AT THIS TIME.

I'M GOING TO GO AHEAD AND TURN IT OVER TO ERIC TO BEGIN OUR BRIEFING FOR THE STATE LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM.

ERIC, THANK YOU. CITY MANAGER ERIC DOMINGUEZ, DIRECTOR OF GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS.

I WILL PAUSE TO ALLOW THE OPPORTUNITY FOR MY COLLEAGUES. IS YOUR MIC ON OR JUST TOO FAR AWAY? PULL IT ALL THE WAY UP. THANK YOU. CITY MANAGER.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU. MAYOR. COUNCIL MEMBERS.

ERIC DOMINGUEZ, DIRECTOR OF GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS. I'LL PAUSE AT THIS TIME TO ALLOW MY COLLEAGUES TO MY LEFT AND RIGHT, INTRODUCE THEMSELVES IF POSSIBLE. YES. CLIFFORD SPARKS, STATE LEGISLATIVE DIRECTOR FOR STAFFORD POLICY.

AND A MICHAEL REED, CHIEF OF STAFF TO THE CITY MANAGER. OKAY.

GOOD MORNING. TODAY, THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE A OVERVIEW OF THE 90TH LEGISLATIVE SESSION AND THE CITY OF DALLAS LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES.

[01:15:04]

AS YOU ARE AWARE, THE LEGISLATIVE AGENDA PROVIDES THE STAFF THE NECESSARY STEPS IN DEVELOPING AND ADVANCING THE PROPOSALS, RESPONDING TO FILED LEGISLATIVE LEGISLATION, TESTIFYING BEFORE COMMITTEES, AND ALSO PURSUING STATE FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES.

THIS LEGISLATIVE AGENDA ALLOWS THAT ENGAGEMENT WITH OUR DELEGATION MEMBERS ON TELLING WHAT THOSE PRIORITIES ARE THAT THE CITY OF DALLAS DEEMS IMPORTANT.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. AS MANY OF YOU ARE AWARE, WE ARE 69 DAYS OF UPCOMING 90TH LEGISLATIVE SESSION IN 2023. THERE WERE OVER 8000 BILLS FILED. AND IN 2025, DURING THE 89TH LEGISLATIVE SESSION, THERE WAS OVER 9000 BILLS FILED. I WILL SAY THAT HISTORICALLY, FROM THE LAST LEGISLATIVE SESSION ON THE FIRST DAY OF PRE-FILING, THERE WERE OVER 1500 BILLS THAT WERE PRE-FILED BY MEMBERS IN THE STATE LEGISLATURE.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. AS AN OVERVIEW, I WANTED TO PROVIDE.

BECAUSE OF YOUR INPUT AND LEADERSHIP, I WANT TO PROVIDE AN OVERVIEW OF WHERE WE ARE WITH THE TIMELINE OF ACTIONS.

FROM THE FIRST CALLED OPPORTUNITY IN APRIL 2022, THERE WAS A CALL OPEN TO MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL AS WELL AS CITY DEPARTMENTS TO PROVIDE INPUT ON WHAT PROPOSED ITEMS YOU DEEM FIT FOR CONSIDERATION BEFORE YOUR REVIEW.

THAT DEADLINE WAS SET FOR MAY 8TH. AFTERWARDS, WE HAD HELD A COMMITTEE ON AD HOC COMMITTEE FOR JUST ONE SECOND.

I THINK WE HAVE THE WRONG SLIDE UP, SO LET'S WE'RE ACTUALLY DOING THE STATE PROGRAM FIRST.

YES. SO LET'S STOP FOR JUST A MINUTE AND PUT UP THE RIGHT PRESENTATION.

MR. MAYOR, IF YOU JUST GIVE US JUST A SECOND.

SLIDE FOUR, AND I APOLOGIZE FOR THE INCONVENIENCE. OKAY.

AS WE START OVER. AND SO AS WE ARE IN PREPARATION FOR THE UPCOMING LEGISLATIVE AGENDA, THE LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES PROVIDE THAT FRAMEWORK FOR US TO PRIORITIZE WHAT THOSE ISSUES ARE BEFORE MEMBERS OF OUR LEGISLATIVE DELEGATION.

AS YOU KNOW, THIS ALSO PROVIDES THE OPPORTUNITY TO WEIGH IN ON ISSUES THAT ARE BEFORE COMMITTEES WEIGH IN ON POSSIBLE LEGISLATION AND ALSO

[01:20:04]

GREAT. AND SO AND COVERING THAT 2023, THERE WERE OVER 8000 BILLS.

THIS WAS THE 88TH LEGISLATIVE SESSION WITH THE 89TH LEGISLATIVE SESSION.

THERE WERE OVER 9000 BILLS THAT WERE FILED. OVER 1400 BILLS WERE TRACKED BY THE CITY OF DALLAS AND ALSO WEIGHED IN ON VARIOUS OPPORTUNITIES TO ENGAGE WITH OUR LAWMAKERS ABOUT WHAT THAT POTENTIAL IMPACT WAS GOING TO BE TO THE CITY.

AS AN OVERVIEW OF A TIMELINE OF ACTIONS WITH THE LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES THERE WAS A CALL ON APRIL 2022 TO PROVIDE INPUT TO THE COUNCIL AS WELL AS DEPARTMENTS TO WEIGH IN ON WHAT ISSUES YOU DEEMED IMPORTANT.

THAT DEADLINE WAS EXTENDED TO MAY 8TH, AS WELL AS THE AD HOC COMMITTEE ON MAY 5TH, PROVIDING AN OVERVIEW ON POTENTIAL NEXT STEPS AND WHAT THAT OUTLOOK WAS GOING TO BE MOVING ALONG POST AD HOC COMMITTEE ON LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS IN MAY.

THE DEPARTMENT OF OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS PROVIDED STAFF BRIEFINGS TO THE VARIOUS STANDING CITY COUNCIL AND MOST RECENTLY WITH THE OCTOBER 1ST AD HOC COMMITTEE ON LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS. THERE WAS A CONSIDERATION FOR DRAFT STATE FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

SHOULD BE DOWN ON BREAKDOWN OF LEGISLATIVE PROPOSALS.

WE SHOULD BE ON SLIDE FIVE.

YES. SO WITH THE OPPORTUNITY FOR INCLUSIONS OF OPPORTUNITIES, THERE WERE OVER 169 PROPOSED LEGISLATIVE ITEMS, 102 WERE IDENTIFIED AS STATE ISSUES AS WELL AS 55 IDENTIFIED AS STATE AND FEDERAL.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

YES. AND SO WITH THAT, WE WANTED TO PROVIDE AN AGENDA IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS TO SHOW YOU THAT UPON TODAY WITH THE CITY COUNCIL BRIEFING ON NOVEMBER 4TH, JUST AGAIN, A GENERAL OVERVIEW OF WHERE WE ARE WITH THIS PROPOSAL.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. WITH THE LEGISLATIVE POSITION FRAMEWORK BEFORE YOUR CONSIDERATION IS.

BOTH OPPORTUNITIES FOR PURSUE AS WELL AS TO MONITOR.

THIS HAD VARIED DIFFERENTLY FROM PAST PREVIOUS LEGISLATIVE SESSIONS WHERE THERE WAS BOTH PURSUE SUPPORT SUPPORT AS WELL AS OPPOSE AND MONITOR.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. SO FOR THE CONSIDERATION AND AS A GENERAL OVERVIEW, THERE IS THE OPPORTUNITY TO ENSURE THAT WE SECURE FUNDING FROM THE STATE. ALSO IDENTIFY WHAT THAT LEGISLATIVE DELEGATION PRIORITIES ARE GOING TO BE.

TRY TO POTENTIALLY SEE POLITICAL CLIMATE. THAT CERTAINLY IS OF AN ISSUE BEFORE CONSIDERING A LEGISLATIVE AGENDA ITEM.

AND OF COURSE TO ENSURE THAT IT ALIGNS WITH COUNCIL PRIORITIES AND POLICY DIRECTION.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. AND SO AS A GENERAL OVERVIEW AND CERTAINLY SOMETHING TO KEEP HIM MINDFUL OF IS THAT WHILE PRE-FILING BEGINS NEXT WEEK, THE OFFICIAL LEGISLATIVE SESSION, 69 DAYS AWAY, WILL COMMENCE ON JANUARY 12TH. THERE WE WILL HAVE NEW MEMBERS OF OUR LEGISLATIVE DELEGATION ON THE STATEWIDE, AS WELL AS THE LOCAL LEVEL, ENGAGING IN ALL OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE CITY OF DALLAS.

WE WILL SEE THE END OF SESSION OCCURRING ON MAY 31ST.

BUT ALSO PLEASE CONSIDER FOR YOUR REVIEW THAT WHILE THE GOVERNOR OF TEXAS DOES HAVE THE ABILITY TO CALL A SPECIAL LEGISLATIVE SESSION, THERE IS ALSO THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THE GOVERNOR TO DECLARE EMERGENCY ITEMS AS WELL.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. YES. AND

[01:25:07]

A LIST OF THOSE ITEMS THAT WERE NOT PRESENTED BEFORE COMMITTEE.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

IN ADDITION, WE WANTED TO BE REFLECTIVE AND NOTATE TO THOSE ITEMS THAT WERE REMOVED BEFORE THE AD HOC COMMITTEE ON LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS.

NEXT SLIDE. BEFORE YOU AS WELL, IN THE NEXT SLIDES, THERE'S GOING TO BE THOSE ITEMS THAT WERE NOT PRESENTED BEFORE COMMITTEE.

THIS AS NOTED PRIOR IN THE LEGISLATIVE SLIDES, IS THAT DUE TO THE ITEM BEING CONSIDERED LATE THEY WERE NOT CONSIDERED.

PLEASE. NEXT SLIDE. AND IN NOTATING WITH THE FINAL TWO SLIDES, IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT WHILE THE ISSUES WERE CONSIDERED LATE AND NOT MOVE FORWARD INTO COMMITTEE, MANY OF THEM DID MIRROR AS DUPLICATES.

OTHER ISSUES THAT WERE ALREADY IN CONSIDERATION NOTATED AS LATE RESPONSES.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. AND NEXT SLIDE.

SO BEFORE YOU AS A LEGISLATIVE PRIORITY BREAKDOWN, ARE THOSE NINE ITEMS DESIGNATED AS LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES WITH PER THE COMMITTEE'S RECOMMENDATION AT THE AD HOC COMMITTEE ON LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS, 47 ITEMS THAT WERE DESIGNATED AS MONITOR, AS WELL AS TWO ITEMS THAT WERE IDENTIFIED AS OPPOSE PER THE RECOMMENDATIONS.

MOVED OUT OF THE AD HOC COMMITTEE ON LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. AND FOR YOUR REVIEW IN THE APPENDIX IS THE DRAFT LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES BREAKDOWN FOR THE UPCOMING 90TH LEGISLATIVE SESSION.

AGAIN, THESE LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES FOR APPROVAL BY THE AD HOC COMMITTEE ON LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS.

WITH THAT NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE ARE THE NINE IDENTIFIED STATE LEGISLATIVE PRIORITY ITEMS FOR CONSIDERATION.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

AND AGAIN PER THE RECOMMENDATIONS OUT OF THE AD HOC COMMITTEE, THE 47 ITEMS UNDER MONITOR FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION AS WELL.

IN CLOSING NEXT SLIDE. NEXT SLIDE. WE ARE HAPPY TO ANSWER AND ASK QUESTIONS AT THIS TIME. ALL RIGHT.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH, ERIC AND TEAM. I'M GOING TO RECOGNIZE CHAIRMAN MORENO FIRST FOR FIVE MINUTES FOR THE PUBLIC.

WE ARE ON BRIEFING ITEM A. THANK YOU MAYOR. ERIC, THANK YOU FOR JUMPING RIGHT IN AND STARTING THE WORK WITH COUNCIL ON OUR PRIORITIES FOR FOR DALLAS AND WHAT THAT FRAMEWORK LOOKED LIKE.

I KNOW THAT YOU DIDN'T HAVE A LOT OF TIME TO, TO GET TO WORK, SO THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE SO FAR.

TO COUNCIL MEMBER MIDDLETON, THANK YOU FOR THE WORK THAT YOU'VE DONE BOTH ON STATE AND FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE PROGRAMS. AT OUR LAST LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS AD HOC MEETING, WE WENT OVER SOME OF THOSE PRIORITIES.

WE WERE ABLE TO NARROW THEM DOWN TO WHAT I BELIEVE WAS A REALISTIC NUMBER IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO BE EFFECTIVE IN AUSTIN. BACK IN 2023 AND 2025 OF THE BILLS THAT WERE PRIORITIZED FOR THE CITY OF DALLAS. HOW MANY OF THOSE ITEMS WERE HEARD? HOW MANY BILLS WERE PASSED ON THE ITEMS THAT DALLAS SELECTED AS PRIORITIES? YES, SIR. I'LL TAKE THAT QUESTION FOR YOU. CLIFFORD SPARKS, LEGISLATIVE DIRECTOR FOR OVER THE COMBINED PAST TWO SESSIONS WE PROBABLY HAD SOMEWHERE AROUND 40 SOMETHING ITEMS THAT WERE PASSED.

THERE WERE ABOUT 50 SOMETHING ITEMS THAT WERE CONSIDERED.

SO WE HAD A PRETTY GOOD TRACK RECORD. AND BEING IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE LEGISLATURE AT THAT TIME.

OKAY. CAN, CAN WE GET AN UPDATE ON WHERE WE ARE WITH OUR LOBBYIST SELECTIONS? SO IT'S CURRENTLY AN OPEN SOLICITATION CHAIR.

[01:30:01]

SO WE'RE ACTUALLY IN A QUIET PERIOD AS IT RELATES TO THAT PROCUREMENTS ON STANDBY IF YOU HAVE ANY SPECIFIC QUESTIONS.

BUT THAT'S WHERE WE ARE. OKAY. ERIC, WHEN DO WE NEED TO HAVE A FINAL ADOPTED LIST OF PRIORITIES THAT WE'RE EITHER PURSUING OR MONITORING? AND WHAT'S A REALISTIC NUMBER? MY ANSWER WOULD BE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, HOPEFULLY PRIOR TO DECEMBER AS OUR MEMBERS OF OUR DELEGATION PRIOR TO, AS YOU KNOW HAVING UPCOMING BILL FILING THAT IS COMING UP NEXT WEEK.

THOSE MEMBERS DO LIKE TO, AS YOU KNOW, ENGAGE WITH MUNICIPALITIES, MEMBERS OF THEIR DELEGATION THAT THEY'RE PROUD TO SERVE.

SO DEFINITELY WITHIN THE RADAR AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

AND WHAT'S A REALISTIC NUMBER OF PRIORITIES TO EITHER PURSUE OR TO MONITOR? YEAH, I'LL JUMP IN ON THAT. I STILL THINK WE NEED TO KEEP IT AROUND SINGLE DIGITS.

BECAUSE AGAIN, MEMBERS ARE STILL GOING TO TRY TO GET THEIR ITEMS DONE.

AND SO YOU DON'T WANT TO TRY TO TAKE TOO MANY ITEMS DOWN, ESPECIALLY SINCE THERE'S AN ENTIRELY NEW ADMINISTRATION IN.

WE'RE NOT REALLY FAMILIAR WITH HOW THE WAY THAT THEY'RE GOING TO GOVERN. SO WE NEED TO STILL KIND OF BE CONSERVATIVE IN OUR APPROACH.

OKAY. SO TODAY, YOU KNOW, WE, WE'RE LOOKING AT PAGE EIGHT, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT POLITICAL CLIMATE.

WE'RE TALKING ABOUT CHANGES THAT ARE, THAT ARE UNFOLDING TO THIS HOUR.

WE ALSO KNOW THAT OUR, NOT ALL OUR COLLEAGUES WERE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE AT OUR LAST AD HOC MEETING.

AND I KNOW THERE WERE SOME ADDITIONAL COMMENTS AND ADDITIONAL PRIORITIES THAT SOME MEMBERS WOULD LIKE TO SEE FORTHCOMING.

AND IN ORDER TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE MOVING THIS FORWARD WITH TRANSPARENCY AND EVERYONE TO BEING AN OPPORTUNITY TO WEIGH IN. MAYOR. I WANT TO SEE IF THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE A SPECIAL CALLED MEETING IN ORDER TO BRING THOSE PRIORITIES BACK.

LET US HEARING THEM OUT BEFORE THE DECEMBER LAST MEETING IN DECEMBER, WHICH I BELIEVE IS DECEMBER 9TH.

SO TRYING TO GET A SPECIAL CALLED MEETING BEFORE THAT IN ORDER FOR EVERYBODY TO WEIGH IN.

ABSOLUTELY. WE'LL TAKE UNDER ADVISEMENT FOR SURE. THANK YOU. MAYOR. IS THAT WAS THAT ALL YOU HAD FOR YOUR FIRST ROUND THEN, CHAIRWOMAN STEWART, YOU ASKED FOR FIVE MINUTES. THANK YOU.

AND I KNOW CHAIR MORENO, I DID MISS THE LAST ADMINISTRATIVE AFFAIRS OR LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS COMMITTEE MEETING.

SO I'M A LITTLE BIT BEHIND HERE. BUT THE, WHAT DOES THE LATE RESPONSE CATEGORY MEAN? AND I THINK WE ACTUALLY HAVE THE SUPPORT FOR FUNDING FOR WHITE ROCK LAKE SHOWS UP TWICE IN THIS LIST OF.

YEAH. SO THIS CAME, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THIS CAME THROUGH THE PARKS, TRAILS AND ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE.

AND IT'S NOW LISTED ON HERE TWICE, BUT IT'S LISTED AS A LATE RESPONSE AND I DON'T QUITE UNDERSTAND THAT.

SO WHAT WHAT IS THE LATE RESPONSE CATEGORY. WHAT WAS THE DEADLINE THAT I MEAN IF IT COMES TO A COMMITTEE, HOW DID IT END UP AS A LATE RESPONSE? YES. AND SO THE LATE RESPONSE IS AN ITEM AS REQUESTED, PER THE MEMO ON APRIL 22ND WAS A MICROSOFT FORM.

AND SO THOSE ITEMS WERE SUBMITTED LATE PER THE DEADLINE.

HOWEVER, DURING THE COMMITTEE PROCESS AND THE STANDING COMMITTEE PROCESS COUNCIL MEMBERS WERE ALLOWED TO ADD ADDITIONAL ITEMS PURSUANT TO THE MOTION BEING SUCCESSFULLY AMENDED. AND SO IN THAT PARTICULAR CASE, TO ANSWER THE QUESTION AS BRIEFLY AS POSSIBLE, IS THAT IT'S ONLY IDENTIFIED AS LATE BECAUSE IT WAS POSTED THE MAY 8TH DEADLINE.

THAT IS NOT TO SAY THAT, AGAIN, IT COULD NOT BE TAKEN BACK UP DURING THE COMMITTEE PROCESS, BUT THAT IS WHAT HAD OCCURRED. WELL, I'M GOING TO HAVE TO GO BACK AND REFRESH MY MEMORY AND.

YOU KNOW, TRY TO LOOK AT THOSE DATES BECAUSE THAT IS NOT ALIGNING WITH MY MEMORY, BUT IN MY UNDERSTANDING.

SO I'LL DO MY HOMEWORK AND WE'LL SEE WHAT WE CAN FIGURE OUT.

BUT I THAT'S JUST, IT'S NOT LIKE I SAID, IT'S JUST NOT MY UNDERSTANDING.

THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. MR. ROTH IS RECOGNIZED FOR FIVE MINUTES.

THANK YOU. I THINK THAT AGAIN, I'M, I'M LEARNING A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW THIS WORKS.

AND SO MY QUESTIONS MAY BE NAIVE, BUT I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO MAKE SURE I UNDERSTAND IT.

THIS SEEMS TO ME THAT THIS IS A VERY SIGNIFICANT LEGISLATIVE SESSION BECAUSE OF THE CHANGES THAT ARE RECURRING.

I THINK THAT THIS IS NOT A CHANCE, A TIME TO BE CONSERVATIVE.

[01:35:04]

AND I THINK THAT THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO GET SOME THINGS CHANGED AND TO GET SOME THINGS IMPLEMENTED.

IF WE DO IT RIGHT, I WANT TO UNDERSTAND HOW WE CAN DO IT.

I WANT TO MAKE SURE. ON BEHALF THAT, THAT WE ARE, ARE PRIORITIZING OUR ABILITY TO HAVE HOME RULE AND MUNICIPAL ORDINANCE PRIORITY. I DON'T THINK, I DON'T WANT THE STATE TO BE TAKEN OVER STUFF THAT WE SHOULD BE HANDLING AND THAT WE SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR. AND I THINK THAT WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY NOW TO CHANGE SOME THINGS THAT I THINK WERE IMPROPERLY OR NOT THOUGHTFULLY IMPOSED ON US, ESPECIALLY IN THE ZONING CATEGORIES AND ESPECIALLY IN THE STATE MANDATED RIGHTS THAT THEY'RE TAKING OVER RESPONSIBILITIES OR DIRECTING US IN DOING THINGS.

WE'RE THE NINTH LARGEST CITY IN THE UNITED STATES.

WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO CONTROL WHAT WE WERE GOING TO DO.

WE SHOULD HAVE POWER TO DO WHAT WE WANT TO DO, AND WE SHOULDN'T BE TOLD WHAT TO DO BY FOLKS THAT ARE NOT LIVING HERE, NOT DEALING WITH US AND NOT DEALING WITH OUR PROBLEMS. I'M CONCERNED ABOUT SB 840. I'M CONCERNED ABOUT SB 15.

I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THE REGULATIONS OF THE PFC AND THE.

REGULATIONS. AND I WANT TO KNOW THOSE ARE JUST A VERY SHORT PERIOD.

YOU'VE IDENTIFIED THAT THOSE ARE IN YOUR GENERAL CATEGORIES, BUT I DON'T SEE ANY SPECIFIC LEGISLATION THAT WE ARE GOING TO BE PUSHING FORWARD NOW. IT MAY NOT BE APPROPRIATE IN THIS BRIEFING, AND YOU MAY NOT BE IN THAT POSITION TO DO IT, BUT I WANT TO KNOW WHAT IS THE PROCESS? WHAT WHAT BILLS ARE WE GOING TO BE PROMOTING? WHO'S GOING TO BE CARRYING OUR BILLS? WHO ARE WHO IS GOING TO BE FORMULATING THE LEGISLATION THAT'S GOING TO BENEFIT OUR CITIZENS AND BENEFIT OUR CITY AND GIVE US BACK AND PROMOTE OUR OUR POSITION OF HAVING RESPONSIBILITY, AUTHORITY, AND THE ABILITY TO DIRECT OUR BUSINESS HERE IN TOWN, NOT HAVING SOMEBODY ELSE DO IT. SO EXPLAIN TO ME, WHAT IS THE PROCESS OF GETTING SPECIFIC LEGISLATION IDENTIFIED WITH REAL BILLS, AND WHO'S GOING TO CARRY IT, AND WHO'S GOING TO BE MANAGING THAT PROCESS AND WHO'S GOING TO BE ACCOUNTABLE? IN OUR GROUP HERE, THE FOLKS, THE FOLKS THAT ARE SITTING HERE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GET SOMETHING DONE THIS TIME AS OPPOSED TO IN PREVIOUS YEARS WHEN WE HAVEN'T.

THANK YOU. IF YOU DON'T MIND RESPONDING, PLEASE LET ME START.

THANK YOU SO MUCH, COUNCIL MEMBER ROTH, FOR YOUR QUESTIONS.

AND I THINK WHAT YOU HAVE BEFORE YOU TODAY IS THE PRIORITIES THAT WE KNOW HAVE BEEN DISCUSSED AT COMMITTEE.

WHEN OUR CHIEF OF STAFF TALKED ABOUT THE CURRENT RFP THAT IS UNDERWAY TO GET LEGISLATIVE CONSULTANT SUPPORT SERVICES THAT WE WILL HAVE IN AUSTIN.

THAT IS KIND OF WHAT WE'RE WORKING THROUGH RIGHT NOW. WE DON'T TAKE ANYTHING TO OUR NORTH TEXAS DELEGATION THAT THIS CITY COUNCIL HAS NOT TOLD THE STAFF TO MAKE US A PRIORITY. AND SO WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO TODAY IS DO EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE ASKING, WHICH IS TO UNDERSTAND NOW THAT THE COMMITTEE WORK HAS HAPPENED, THE AD HOC LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE HAS HAPPENED.

WHAT ARE THE THINGS THAT YOU WANT US TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE PUTTING INTO THE OVERALL PROGRAM? SO WHATEVER DATE THAT IS IN DECEMBER, THE COUNCIL IS THEN ADOPTING A PROGRAM THAT ALLOWS FOR US TO BEGIN THE EXACT WORK THAT YOU'RE THAT YOU'RE ADDRESSING.

AND SO WITHOUT KNOWING ANY OF THAT, I CAN'T LAY OUT FOR YOU WHO'S CARRYING WHAT WHICH BILLS ARE GOING TO BE UNDER WHICH AUTHORSHIP.

WE CAN'T GET THERE YET. AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH THIS BODY TO RIGHT NOW, WE GOT TO UNDERSTAND THE PRIORITIES. AND I THINK ONCE WE UNDERSTAND THAT THROUGH WHATEVER ADDITIONAL WORK THAT THIS COMMITTEE, THIS COUNCIL WANTS US TO TAKE, OUR JOBS ARE TO MAKE SURE THAT WHOEVER IS ON THE GROUND WORKING WITH OUR LEGISLATIVE DIRECTOR, THAT WE TRULY HAVE OUR GAME PLAN READY TO GO.

AND SO THAT'S REALLY WHERE WE ARE. AND I THINK THAT BECAUSE WE WANTED TO GET THROUGH UNDERSTANDING WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN.

AND THAT'S WHAT WAS REQUESTED. REMEMBER THIS ITEM WAS ON FOR A VOTING ITEM A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, AND WE PULLED IT TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS CONVERSATION HAPPENED TODAY.

AND SO WITH THAT, I JUST WANT YOU TO, I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT THAT IS THE DIRECTION THAT WE'RE WORKING, BUT WE HAVE TO HAVE A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT THE COUNCIL WANTS AS THOSE MAIN PRIORITIES.

AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO ADDRESS TODAY. LEGISLATIVE DIRECTOR SPARKS, DID YOU WANT TO ADD ANYTHING ELSE TO THAT? I COULDN'T HAVE SAID IT BETTER. I MEAN, BECAUSE OF THE CHANGE, WE REALLY NEED TO CHANGE OUR APPROACH BECAUSE THIS ORIGINAL THESE ORIGINAL

[01:40:06]

SO JUST LIKE THE CITY MANAGER POINTED OUT, WE DECIDED TO WAIT UNTIL TODAY AFTER THE DUST IS NOT COMPLETELY SETTLED TO BETTER UNDERSTAND WHAT THE TEMPERATURE WOULD BE, SO THAT WE COULD FIGURE ALL THAT OUT, BECAUSE IT IS GOING TO TAKE SOME TIME.

THERE'S A LOT OF PHONE CALLS THAT NEED TO BE MADE. THERE'S A LOT OF, YOU KNOW, TOUCHING BASES WITH PEOPLE THAT NEED TO BE HAD, AND WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IT IS THAT THE NEW REGIME WANTS TO DO, BECAUSE EVERY NEW REGIME HAS A DIFFERENT SET OF PRIORITIES.

SO TO YOUR POINT, YOU KNOW, THAT COULD BE SOMETHING THAT MAKES US MORE CONSERVATIVE OR AGGRESSIVE DEPENDING ON WHAT THEY WANT TO DO.

SO WE NEED TO HEAR FROM THEM FIRST SO THAT WE CAN COME BACK AND ADVISE YOU BETTER AS YOU CONTINUE TO BUILD THE LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM.

WHAT I'D LIKE TO REALLY HEAR IS THAT YOU GUYS ARE GOING TO BE WORKING HARD ON OUR BEHALF, AND THAT YOU'RE GOING TO BE AGGRESSIVE AND YOU'RE GOING TO FIGHT FOR US.

I KNOW THAT THAT AND I'M BEING FACETIOUS. I'M JOKING WITH YOU AND TO THE AND TO THE FACT THAT WHAT THE CITY MANAGER HAS EXPRESSED IS EXACTLY WHAT I WANTED TO HEAR.

AND I WANT TO HEAR THAT FROM YOU ALL TOO. I WANT TO KNOW THAT WE HAVE ADVOCATES IN OUR CITY ADVOCATING FOR OUR CITIZENS, FOR OUR PROTECTION, AND FOR OUR CITY GOVERNANCE, AND FOR THE PROTECTING OF OUR OF OUR BUSINESS MODEL THAT'S HERE.

THAT'S WHAT I WANT US TO BE AGGRESSIVELY PROMOTING.

AND I WANT THE I WANT EVERYBODY TO KNOW THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE COMING OUT STRONG AND WE'RE GOING TO COME OUT OF SIGNIFICANT IN TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE PROTECTING OUR BUSINESS HERE, WHICH IS OUR CITY GOVERNMENT AND OUR CITY.

THANK YOU. YES, SIR. I JUST WANTED TO, FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER ROTH, FOR YOUR COMMENTS.

AND I THINK IT'S NOT ONLY THE WORD STRONG, BUT IT'S ALSO THE WORD TOGETHER.

AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT'S GOING TO ALLOW FOR US TO HAVE ANY LEVEL OF EFFECTIVENESS IN AUSTIN.

AND SO WE NEED DIRECTION FROM THIS BODY. WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU ARE WANTING US TO PUT FORWARD AS WE GO INTO THE FINAL PIECES OF THIS.

SO WHEN WE GET NOT JUST TO THAT DECEMBER TIMELINE, WE CAN BEGIN TO DO A LOT OF THE LEGWORK RIGHT NOW, BUT WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHERE WE'RE HEADED.

AND THEN THIS TEAM, AS WELL AS MYSELF AND MY ENTIRE EXECUTIVE TEAM AND ALL THE DEPARTMENT DIRECTORS, THAT IS WHAT WE DO, AND WE WILL BE WORKING HARD WITH THE DELEGATION AND MAKING SURE THAT DALLAS IS HEARD.

PARTNERING WITH OTHER CITIES AS NEEDED ON A LOT OF THESE PRIORITIES TO MAKE SURE THAT THE RESIDENTS OF OUR CITY KNOW THAT WE TOOK CARE OF BUSINESS IN AUSTIN, BUT WE NEED TO GET CLARITY FROM THIS CITY COUNCIL.

THANK YOU SO MUCH. MR. BAZALDUA, YOU RECOGNIZED FOR FIVE MINUTES.

THANK YOU. MAYOR. THANK YOU ALL FOR THE PRESENTATION.

AND THANK YOU TO CHAIRMAN MORENO FOR YOUR SUGGESTION.

I WILL GIVE MY SUPPORT FOR US BRINGING THIS BACK TO THE FULL BODY TO WORK THROUGH.

I WILL SAY THAT THERE SHOULDN'T BE AN ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM, BUT WE HADN'T REALLY GONE INTO IT.

WE HAVE A HUGE SHIFT IN OUR STATE AND I THINK IT'S BEEN ARTICULATED ON RECORD AND IN MANY DIFFERENT WAYS ON A STRATEGY THAT WAS PUT FORWARD ON HOW WE EVEN CAME UP WITH THE AGENDA THAT'S IN FRONT OF US AND BEING PRESENTED.

IF WE WEREN'T READY AND WILLING TO RECALIBRATE BECAUSE OF THE SHIFT THAT WE'VE SEEN, THEN WE AREN'T TRULY BEING STRATEGIC IF THAT'S WHAT THIS AGENDA WAS TO REFLECT. WE, IN THAT RESPECT SHOULD BE WILLING TO RECALIBRATE, TO RESET.

I THINK THAT THERE'S CONVERSATIONS THAT I HOPE YOU, CLIFF, ARE GOING TO BE ABLE TO HAVE WITH OUR DELEGATION TO WORK THROUGH WHERE PRIORITIES AND WILL APPEAR TO BE SO THAT WE CAN TAILOR THIS TO BEING MOST ADVANTAGEOUS.

WE HAVE SUCH AN AMAZING OPPORTUNITY, COLLEAGUES.

WE HAVE SUCH AN AMAZING OPPORTUNITY. WE HAVE SO MANY THINGS THAT WE HAVE BEEN WANTING TO FIGHT FOR.

THAT IS LIKE BEATING OUR HEAD UP AGAINST THE WALL WHEN IT COMES TO LOCAL CONTROL, WHEN IT COMES TO REAL MONEY TRICKLING DOWN FROM THE STATE THAT'S SITTING ON A SURPLUS RIGHT NOW. WE HAVE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY SERIOUS, AND WE CANNOT PASS A LEGISLATIVE AGENDA THAT'S GOING TO LEAVE ANYTHING FOR THE IMAGINATION. WE NEED TO BE AGGRESSIVE AND INTENTIONAL, AND I BELIEVE THAT THERE ARE SOME THINGS ON HERE THAT WE APPROACHED IN THE WAY OF WANTING TO APPEASE THE POWERS IN A STRATEGIC WAY.

THAT WAS VERY THOUGHTFUL BECAUSE WE STILL WANT TO HAVE A SEAT AT THE TABLE.

BUT WE AGAIN, HAVE A NEW DAY AT THE LEGISLATURE, AND I WAS PREPARED TO COME IN TODAY AND TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE PRIORITIES SPECIFICALLY AND SEEING WHAT THOSE CHANGES COULD LOOK LIKE. BUT I ALSO THINK THAT THAT MAY EVEN BE A LITTLE PREMATURE WITHOUT US HAVING SOME OF THE CONVERSATIONS WITH THE DELEGATION AND HAVING A

[01:45:05]

I THINK THAT THERE'S NO FAULT TO ANYONE OF BEING ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, KIND OF PAUSE THE BRAKES, PUMP, PUMP THE BRAKES, TAKE A PAUSE, FIGURE OUT WHERE WE CAN BE MOST SUCCESSFUL AND EFFICIENT DOWN IN AUSTIN.

AND AND SO I JUST ENCOURAGE US TO GO IN THAT DIRECTION SO THAT WE CAN GO THROUGH, JUST LIKE WE WOULD WITH OUR BUDGET, HAVE THE ABILITY TO HAVE SOME STRAW POLLS MAKE SOME SERIOUS LINE ITEM BY LINE ITEM CHANGES.

AND LET'S BRING HOME THE BACON FOR THE CITY OF DALLAS.

LET'S MAKE SOME CHANGE THAT'S GOING TO IMPACT THE COMMUNITIES.

AND LET'S LOOK AT WHERE WE'VE LACKED HAVING THE SUPPORT FROM OUR STATE PARTNERS IN MANY PLACES THAT THE BURDEN HAS FALLEN ON OUR TAXPAYERS IN THE LOCAL REALM, INSTEAD OF A SHARED RESPONSIBILITY AND A SHARED, COORDINATED EFFORT TO ADDRESS SOME OF THESE ISSUES, SPECIFICALLY WHEN IT COMES TO HOMELESSNESS, MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES, SUBSTANCE USE, AND THINGS THAT, QUITE FRANKLY, WERE NEVER GOING TO BE A PRIORITY OF THE LEGISLATURE IN THE PAST WITH THE LEADERSHIP THAT WE'VE HAD.

SO I'M A STRONG PROPONENT AND SUPPORTER OF US TAKING A RESET.

I HOPE THAT THIS BODY WOULD BE WILLING TO DO THAT.

LET US KNOW, MR. CHAIR, WHEN IS GOING TO BE THE BEST TIME FOR US TO HAVE THAT SPECIAL CALLED MEETING.

AND I THINK THAT IT'S GOING TO BE A PRIORITY FOR ANY OF US TO GET HERE TO, TO DO WHAT WE HAVE TO DO FOR THE CITY OF DALLAS.

THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. CHAIRMAN RIDLEY, YOU'RE RECOGNIZED FOR FIVE MINUTES.

THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. I WANT TO START BY THANKING THE COMMITTEES, ALL OF OUR STANDING COMMITTEES, FOR THEIR WORK IN GENERATING LEGISLATIVE AGENDA ITEMS, AND SPECIFICALLY FOR THE LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS COMMITTEE AND CHAIR MORENO FOR CONSOLIDATING THOSE INTO WHAT HAS BEEN PRESENTED IN THE BRIEFING HERE TODAY.

BUT SINCE ALL OF THAT WORK WAS DONE, THE WORLD CHANGED OVERNIGHT.

WE NEED TO ADJUST OUR PERSPECTIVE AND OUR VIEW OF WHAT IS NOW POSSIBLE IN THIS RECONSTITUTED LEGISLATIVE SESSION. TO THAT END, I HAVE PREPARED A LIST OF WHAT I CONSIDER A MINIMAL LIST OF PURSUIT ITEMS, WHICH I AM NOW HAVING PASSED OUT TO YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION.

THESE ARE FOUR ITEMS ONE PRESERVE HOME RULE BY CITY LOCAL CONTROL, INCLUDING REPEAL OF HOUSE BILL 2127. TWO SUPPORT LEGISLATION RELATED TO THE PROPOSED GOVERNANCE MODEL FOR DART, WHICH THE CITY OF DALLAS IS DEVELOPING IN COLLABORATION WITH OTHER MEMBER CITIES.

THREE SUPPORT LEGISLATION THAT INCENTIVIZES AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT, PRESERVATION AND OFFICE TO RESIDENTIAL CONVERSION.

AND FINALLY, FOURTH, SUPPORT ADDITIONAL STATE AUTHORIZED LOCAL FUNDING MECHANISMS TO OFFSET MUNICIPAL COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH SCHOOL CROSSING GUARD PROGRAMS, INCLUDING EXPANDED VEHICLE REGISTRATION FEE AUTHORITY AND INCREASED FUNDING PARTICIPATION FROM SCHOOL DISTRICTS.

BRIEF COMMENTS ABOUT EACH HOUSE BILL 2127 WAS THE FOCUS OF NOT ONLY ANGST BY.

I THINK, MANY MEMBERS OF THIS COUNCIL AND ADMINISTRATION, BUT ALSO LITIGATION THAT WAS FILED AGAINST THAT HOUSE BILL AS A VIOLATION OF DALLAS AND OTHER HOME RULE CITIES, LOCAL CONTROL AUTHORITY.

THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE NOW ARE ABLE TO BRING UP AT THE LEGISLATURE WITH HOPE THAT IT WILL BE REPEALED.

WE ALSO NEED TO SUPPORT LEGISLATION RELATED TO THE GOVERNANCE MODEL FOR DART.

I DON'T THINK THERE WILL BE ANY RISK OF DISPUTE ABOUT THAT.

WE'VE REACHED A DEAL. WE'VE SIGNED AN AGREEMENT WITH THE OTHER MEMBERS OF DART.

WE JUST NEED TO GET THAT THROUGH THE LEGISLATURE.

THIRD, SUPPORT LEGISLATION THAT IS SENSITIVE ISES AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT.

WE DO A LOT OF THIS ON THE LOCAL LEVEL, BUT OUR RESOURCES ARE LIMITED.

WE CAN ALWAYS USE MORE STATE RESOURCES. THE LEGISLATURE IN THE PAST HAS RECOGNIZED AFFORDABLE HOUSING AS A CRISIS IN THE STATE. THEY SHOULD PUT THEIR MONEY WHERE THEIR MOUTH IS AND FINALLY SUPPORT ADDITIONAL STATE AUTHORIZED FUNDING MECHANISMS. I'VE BEEN INFORMED THAT IT COSTS THE CITY OF DALLAS ALONE $14 MILLION TO PAY FOR SCHOOL CROSSING GUARDS.

WE NEED HELP WITH THAT BURDEN. THANK YOU. MAYOR.

MISS BLACKMON, YOU'RE RECOGNIZED FOR FIVE MINUTES. THEN WE'LL GO TO

[01:50:05]

THANK YOU. WELL, I WANT TO ECHO THE SENTIMENTS OF MANY OF MY COLLEAGUES HERE TO SAY THAT WE REALLY HAVE TO TAKE A FRESH LOOK.

I DARE I SAY, CLEAR EYED. LOOK AT AT HOW WE APPROACH THIS SESSION.

YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN WALKING ON EGGSHELLS AND LIVING IN A WORLD OF SELF-PRESERVATION TO PROTECT OUR STATE AND FEDERAL MONEY.

AND SO I THINK TAKING A MORE ACTIVE POSITION ON WHAT IF WE HAD OUR OUR CANVAS, WHAT WE WOULD WANT TO GO FOR ON BEHALF OF THE RESIDENTS OF DALLAS IS A NEW FRAMING OF WHAT WE NEED TO DO. I ALSO TO THE POINT THE CITY MANAGER MADE, IT'S NOT JUST TOGETHER AROUND HERE.

IT'S WHETHER HOW WE COME TOGETHER ON ISSUES WHERE WE ARE LIKE MINDED, WHETHER IT'S IN NORTH TEXAS, WHETHER IT IS WITH SAN ANTONIO AND HOUSTON AND AUSTIN AND OTHERS JUST WHERE WE CAN BOND TOGETHER A LITTLE BIT MORE AND, AND GET THINGS DONE. AND CHAIR MORENO. I THINK THIS CALLS FOR MOBILIZATION BEYOND THE LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE.

I MEAN, THIS IS WE ALL NEED TO GET TO WORK ON HOW WE STRATEGIZE ON THE, THE LEAD UP TO ALL OF THIS.

WHAT ARE THE ISSUES THAT WE CAN MOVE ON SO THAT WHEN WE COME BACK TOGETHER AT THE MAYOR'S SPECIAL CALLED MEETING, THAT IT IS A WORK SESSION WHERE WE CAN GET A LOT DEFINED, A LOT DONE, AND THEN HIT THAT GROUND RUNNING.

BUT WHAT I'D REALLY LOVE TO DO IS SHOW HOW DALLAS CAN LEAD AND HOW OUR STATE CAN LEAD, AND THAT IT'S POSSIBLE TO TAKE CARE OF PEOPLE AND ALSO BE PRO-BUSINESS AND BE PRO PUBLIC SAFETY. THESE ARE NOT SILOED. IT CAN IT CAN ALL BE DONE AND WITH INTEGRITY.

AND SO I LOOK FORWARD TO THIS. AND I KNOW WE WERE GOING TO HAVE SOME DISCUSSIONS TODAY, BUT I THINK THE DISCUSSION WE HAVE IN THE COMING WEEKS WILL BE FAR MORE FRUITFUL AND PRODUCTIVE, AND PROBABLY A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT. THANK YOU.

CHAIRMAN WEST RECOGNIZED FOR FIVE MINUTES. THANK YOU.

I AGREE WITH EVERYTHING THAT'S BEEN SAID. I JUST HAVE A QUESTION FOR OUR LEGISLATIVE TEAM.

AS WE, AS THE, THE SESSION STARTS TO GET CLOSE, IF WE ARE AGGRESSIVELY SUPPORTING, PURSUING, IF COUNCIL DECIDES TO AGGRESSIVELY PURSUE A BILL THAT OR A CHANGE TO CURRENT LEGISLATION WHEN SHOULD WE BE SEEKING, YOU KNOW, A CHAMPION FOR THAT. LIKE, I JUST WORRY, YOU KNOW, WE COULD GET INTO ANALYSIS PARALYSIS.

YOU KNOW, IF WE WAIT TOO LONG AND WE MAY MISS THE BOAT AND EVERYONE'S ALREADY GRABBED THE LEGISLATION THEY WANT FOR THE SESSION, I HOPE I'M WRONG, BUT THAT'S, THAT'S MY CONCERN THAT I WANT YOU TO TALK ABOUT.

YEAH. SO THE SOONER THE BETTER. ESPECIALLY AT THIS POINT BECAUSE WE'VE, WE BASICALLY HAVE 140 DAY WINDOW ONCE JANUARY ARRIVES. YOU KNOW, WE'RE RECALIBRATING, AS I MENTIONED BEFORE.

THERE'S GOING TO BE A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS THAT ARE HAPPENING. WE NEED TO HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS. I KNOW A LOT OF Y'ALL HAVE PROBABLY BEEN TEXTING AND CALLING PEOPLE SINCE LAST NIGHT. SO I'M HOPING THAT YOU'RE ALSO FLOATING IDEAS THAT YOU WANT TO PURSUE AS A LEGISLATIVE ITEM.

BUT YEAH, THE SOONER THE BETTER BECAUSE WE NEED TO IDENTIFY WITH THIS ENTIRELY NEW REGIME THAT WE HAVE.

WHO WANTS TO DO WHAT? HOW THEY WANT TO GOVERN, WHAT PRIORITIES THEY HAVE.

BECAUSE I THINK I MENTIONED THIS BEFORE ON THE SIDE.

A LOT OF THE PLATFORMS THAT THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION HAS, WE'RE NOT EVEN FAMILIAR WITH BECAUSE IT WASN'T REALLY PUT OUT THERE LIKE THAT.

SO SO FOR ME TO SIT HERE AND SAY, HEY, LET'S GO TO THIS PERSON OR THAT PERSON, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT THE SAME AS IT WAS BEFORE.

SO THINGS HAVE DEFINITELY CHANGED. SO WE'LL CONTINUE TO, YOU KNOW, CONTINUE TO HAVE TALKS WITH YOU AND OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS AS WELL AS STAFF TO TRY TO IDENTIFY WHO OUR CHAMPIONS ARE GOING TO BE BETWEEN NOW AND DECEMBER 7TH, AND HOPEFULLY SOONER THAN THAT.

BUT YES, SO IN SHORT, THE SOONER THE BETTER. ALL RIGHT.

AND I'LL JUST PUT A PLUG IN. I THE SOME OF THE ITEMS THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN READ OFF ARE ALL THINGS I WOULD SUPPORT.

MR. CARDIN SPOKE EARLIER ON THE CONDO LEGISLATION, AND I KNOW SOME OF THE POLICY LIAISONS FOR SOME OF MY COLLEAGUES HAVE BEEN IN DISCUSSION ON THIS TOO. I THINK THIS IS A REALLY GOOD ITEM FOR US TO TAKE UP TO HELP IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF NOT, YOU KNOW, APARTMENT APARTMENTS ARE ARE BUILT IN MASS NOW BECAUSE IT'S SO HARD TO ACTUALLY BUILD CONDOMINIUMS OR CONVERT THEM INTO CONDOMINIUMS FOR SALE. BECAUSE OF SOME REGULATORY ISSUES THAT HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED AT THE STATE.

AND WE'VE HAD DALLAS HOUSING COALITION WORKING ON THIS AND FRANK BLISS FROM WINSTED.

AND OF COURSE, MR. CARDIN TESTIFIED ON IT TODAY.

WOULD LOVE TO SEE THIS LEGISLATION GO FORWARD SO WE CAN SEE MORE FOR SALE TYPE UNITS OF ALL TYPES IN

[01:55:05]

I'M COMING BACK TO ARE, CHAIRMAN. OH. I'M SORRY.

YEAH. YOU WERE RECOGNIZED FOR FIVE MINUTES. MR. BLACKMON. SORRY ABOUT THAT.

OKAY. SO SO WE ARE GOING TO HAVE A WORK SESSION BEFORE WE GO ON BREAK.

SO WHAT ARE THE PARAMETERS FOR ME TO ASK QUESTIONS? JUST BASICALLY WHAT'S POSTED. OKAY. LET CAN WE TALK ABOUT THE TIMELINES BECAUSE I THINK I MENTIONED HERE WITH A LATE SUBMITTAL WHEN WAS THE DEADLINE TO SUBMIT REQUESTS FOR LEGISLATION? SORRY. YES. THE ORIGINAL DEADLINE WAS SET FOR MAY 1ST.

OKAY. AND EXTENDED TO MAY 8TH. OKAY. AND I BELIEVE IN YOUR PRESENTATION.

YOU HAVE ME LISTED AS A LATE RESPONSE. A COUPLE OF PLACES.

I DIDN'T HAVE SPECIFICALLY NOTATE YOU, MA'AM.

NO, IT DOES SAY THAT, THOUGH. I THINK IT DOES SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT, YOU KNOW I'M MINE LISTED UNDER HERE IT SAYS, WHICH MEANS I PROBABLY SUBMITTED IT AND IT SAYS LATE RESPONSE MCC ON PAGE 12.

AND THEN OF COURSE, WHITE ROCK LAKE WOULD BE THE ONE THAT I WOULD COME FOR ME SINCE IT'S IN D NINE.

YES. AND SO I STAND CORRECTED. SO WHAT YOU SEE BEFORE YOU IS EXACTLY HOW THEY WERE ENTERED INTO THIS SYSTEM.

AND SO TO BE TRANSPARENT, WE LITERALLY HAD JUST TOOK A SNIPPET OF THAT AND PROVIDED IT IN THERE.

AND SO THAT'S AN OVERSIGHT ON MY PART. EXCLUDING YOUR NAME, IT SAYS STATUS AND LATE RESPONSE, WHICH MEANS IT WAS LATE, CORRECT? YES. OKAY. BUT I HAVE A I HAVE A EMAIL THAT I SENT YOU ON APRIL 29TH AND YOU JUST STATED MAY 1ST AND THEN MAY 8TH WAS THE DEADLINE. BUT NOW I'M A LATE RESPONSE.

AND THEN IT WASN'T SHOWING UP ON ENVIRONMENTAL AND WE TALKED ABOUT IT.

SUBMITTED IT THROUGH THE PROCESS. SO I GUESS I'M CONFUSED ON WHY I'M LATE, BUT I'M NOT LATE.

THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION. SO YES PER THE DIRECTION OF THE MEMO, FOR IT TO BE CONSIDERED, THE ITEM HAD TO BE SUBMITTED ON THE MICROSOFT FORM.

I DO RECALL THAT EMAIL COMING THROUGH, AND I BELIEVE IT WAS THE RESPONSE OF THE PAST CHAIR THAT IT AGAIN ECHOED THAT THE RESPONSES NEEDED TO BE UPLOADED ON THE MICROSOFT FORM FOR IT TO BE CONSIDERED.

I BELIEVE THAT WAS THE RESPONSE. YES. AND SO THEN, OKAY, SO I NEEDED TO USE THE FORM.

MY APOLOGIES. THAT WAS A PREVIOUS YES, BUT I DON'T THINK ANYBODY RESPONDED BACK AND SAID, HEY, CAN YOU PUT IT IN THE FORM? I'M JUST SAYING. SO IF I COULD JUST JUMP IN.

COUNCILWOMAN. BLACKMON. AND THANK YOU, ERIC. I KNOW HE JUMPED IN TO THE FIRE.

THE REASON WHY WE WANTED TO SHOW EVERYTHING TODAY I THINK IT WAS REQUESTED TO SEE EVERYTHING THAT GOT SUBMITTED AND IF ANYTHING THAT COUNCIL WANTS TO NOW CONSIDER AS PART OF THAT WORK SESSION, WHAT WE CAN DO AFTER TODAY'S CONVERSATION IS SEND BACK OUT THE FORM, BECAUSE I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DIDN'T MISS AND WE DIDN'T MESS UP ANYTHING FOR THIS BODY, BECAUSE I KNOW THAT THIS IS A IMPORTANT CONVERSATION AND WE WANT TO GET IT RIGHT.

SO ANYTHING THAT DIDN'T GET ON THE FORM DIDN'T MAKE IT ON THE FORM, WHATEVER.

THEN WE WILL WORK TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GET THAT BACK OUT.

AND BEFORE THE WORK SESSION DATE IS POSTED, WE'LL GIVE GET EVERYTHING BACK OUT THERE.

WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT EVERYTHING IS READY TO GO. SO YOU'LL HAVE EVERY SINGLE THING FOR THE CONVERSATION AT YOUR SPECIAL CALL MEETING.

SO WE'LL DO THAT. SO PLEASE, DO YOU WANT THE COMMITTEE WORK THAT WE DID ON THESE TO BE SUBMITTED IN THE FORM? SO THE CHAIRS WOULD DO THAT OR DO WE DO IT AS PART OF I MEAN, I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHO'S DOING THE FORMS. SO I THINK THAT IF THE CHAIRS WOULD AGREE THAT IF IT'S RELATED TO A CONVERSATION THAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED AT THE COMMITTEE, THEN IT WOULD AUTOMATICALLY GO IN BASED ON THE WORK THAT THE CHAIR HAS SUBMITTED, ANYTHING THAT FALLS OUTSIDE OF THAT SAY IT DID NOT GET HEARD AT ONE OF THE COMMITTEE MEETINGS OF ONE OF THE CHAIRS. STILL USE THE FORM TO SUBMIT IT, AND WE WILL SHOW EVERYTHING.

AND CAN WE ALSO MAKE SURE THAT STAFF, BECAUSE THEY'RE THEY'RE THE ONES THAT ARE REALLY WORKING ON THE FRONT LINES AND THEY MAY NEED SOME CHANGES.

OKAY. IS THERE ARE WE GOING TO MAKE SURE THAT STAFF IS PART OF THIS CONVERSATION AS WELL? YES, MA'AM. WE CAN DO THAT. YES. BECAUSE I FEEL THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY THEY REALLY KNOW WHAT CHANGES ARE NEEDED AT THE LEGISLATURE BECAUSE THEY'RE WORKING IN THE WEEDS ON THIS. AND GIVEN THE NEW CLIMATE, THERE MAY BE SOME OTHER OPPORTUNITIES NOW THAT WE CAN LOOK AT.

I THINK THAT'S A GREAT PLAN. I THINK WE WANT TO BE ALL ENCOMPASSING, AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THE BEST POSSIBLE PROGRAM GOING FORWARD.

THAT REALLY DOES INCLUDE EVERYBODY'S FEEDBACK. SO WE CAN WE CAN WORK THROUGH THAT.

[02:00:01]

IS DOING GREAT WORK. I MEAN, I WAS KIND OF I WAS KIND OF.

AND THAT'S WHY WE WENT THROUGH THE COMMITTEE AND PUT IT THROUGH THE COMMITTEE. AND THEN IT'S STILL ANYWAY.

OKAY. JUST MAKING SURE. YES, I THINK THAT TECHNICALITY.

I WILL MAKE SURE MY OFFICE USES THE FORM VERSUS JUST EMAIL.

AND IF WE DON'T PUT IT ON THE FORM, WILL YOU PLEASE REMIND US? WE WILL DO WE WILL DO A BETTER JOB IN COMMUNICATING THAT.

AND I THINK AGAIN, AFTER TODAY, LET US GET A MEMO OUT.

LET'S BE VERY CLEAR ABOUT TIMELINES. WE'LL WORK WITH THE CHAIR AND WITH MR. MAYOR ON DATES. MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY KNOWS THOSE DATES IN ADVANCE, AND THEN WE WILL LAY OUT FORMS AND EVERYTHING THAT I THINK YOU'RE GOING TO WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU'RE PREPARED FOR. BUT PRIOR TO THAT SPECIAL CALL.

SO WE'LL DO A BETTER JOB IN HOW WE COMMUNICATE THAT.

APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. NOW, CHAIR MORENO, WE'RE BACK TO YOU FOR THREE MINUTES.

THANK YOU MAYOR. SO ONCE WE ADOPT OUR PRIORITIES, WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO DO IS SET SOME PROCEDURES AND PROCESSES.

WE HAVE LEADERSHIP THAT CHANGES, AND IF WE CAN GET SOMETHING THAT IS CONSISTENT, BECAUSE I KNOW THAT AT OUR LAST AD HOC MEETING, WE OPENED IT UP FOR ANYONE TO BRING IN NEW PRIORITIES.

WE PROBABLY DIDN'T. WE DIDN'T PROBABLY COMMUNICATE THAT VERY WELL TO JUST LET FOLKS KNOW, HEY, IF YOUR ITEM DIDN'T MAKE IT, HERE'S ANOTHER CONSIDERATION TO BE HEARD AGAIN.

CLIFFORD OR ERIC, CAN YOU ALL TALK ABOUT IS IT IMPORTANT TO HAVE A SPONSOR OR AS WE'RE TALKING TO OUR DELEGATION ON WORK THAT WE FEEL ARE OUR PRIORITIES, BUT IF IT'S NOT GOING TO ADVANCE, IF WE DON'T HAVE SOMEONE TO SPONSOR THAT, THAT BILL, SHOULD WE? I MEAN, I, YOU KNOW, WE STILL WANT TO INCLUDE IT, BUT WHAT'S THE REALISTIC OF THAT BILL ADVANCING? YES, SIR. YOU YOU TYPICALLY ALWAYS NEED A SPONSOR BECAUSE YOU NEED A CHAMPION TO CARRY IT FROM INCEPTION TO CONCEPTION.

SO AT THE END OF THE DAY, YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S AN APPETITE FOR YOUR ITEM.

NOW, AGAIN, THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT YOU NEED TO HAVE ONE ON DAY ONE, BUT IT DOES HELP.

IT MAKES THE LIKELIHOOD OF IT PASSING IN THE FUTURE A LOT BETTER.

BUT YEAH, BUT TYPICALLY YOU WANT TO YOU KNOW, AND AGAIN, I KNOW YOU GUYS TALKED TO DELEGATION MEMBERS, NOT JUST HERE LOCALLY, BUT ALSO ALSO AROUND THE STATE.

THERE JUST NEEDS TO BE AN APPETITE FOR YOUR ITEM.

I MEAN, THAT, THAT JUST HELPS OVERALL. THANK YOU. AND AS WE TALKED ABOUT THIS BEING A TEAM JOINT EFFORT, OBVIOUSLY WE HAVE YOU GUYS, WE HAVE OUR LOBBYING TEAM THAT'S GOING TO COME, BUT US AS US 15 ARE THE ONES WHO CAN REALLY ADVOCATE AND ADVANCE THESE BILLS BY TALKING TO OUR DELEGATION, LETTING THEM KNOW WHY IT'S IMPORTANT, WHY OUR RESIDENTS ARE PUSHING THESE.

AND SO WE ARE REALLY THE ONES WHO I BELIEVE CAN HELP ADVANCE THOSE BILLS.

COUNCIL MEMBER RIDLEY, THANK YOU FOR SUBMITTING THESE.

OBVIOUSLY, TODAY WE'RE JUST DISCUSSING WHERE WE'RE NOT MOVING FORWARD WITH ANY BILLS OR ANY PRIORITIES.

BUT MADAM MAYOR, I THINK. EXCUSE ME, MADAM CITY MANAGER.

YOU MENTIONED USING THE THE SPREADSHEET TO SUBMIT ANY NEW PRIORITIES THAT ARE NOT LISTED.

CAN WE MAKE SURE THAT WE SEND THAT BACK OUT SO THAT EVERY EVERYONE HAS THAT IN FRONT OF THEM AND CAN SUBMIT IT? YES. I THINK THAT WAY WE AGAIN, IT GIVES US A BETTER.

I MEAN, LISTEN, I'LL BE VERY HONEST WITH YOU ALL.

I KNOW Y'ALL GET TIRED OF ALL THE EMAILS THAT WE SEND TO YOU.

WE GET A LOT OF EMAILS AS WELL. SO I THINK IT JUST GIVES US A BETTER WAY OF TRACKING AND MANAGING THE FLOW.

AND SO WE WILL DEFINITELY GET THAT BACK OUT. COUNCILWOMAN BLACKMON IDEA ABOUT MAKING SURE THAT STAFF IS INCLUDED I THINK IS IT'S GREAT BECAUSE I THINK THAT THERE ARE SOME ADDITIONAL THINGS THAT I THINK STAFF MIGHT HAVE SOME PERSPECTIVE ON THAT WE ALSO WANT TO INCLUDE.

SO WE'LL HAVE A MEMO. WE'LL BE VERY CLEAR ABOUT THE PROCESS FORMS AND TIMELINES.

AND THEN WE WILL START CHECKING CALENDARS AND WORKING WITH YOU CHAIR, AS WELL AS WITH THE MAYOR ON GETTING THAT DATE SET.

WE KNOW THAT THE HOLIDAYS ARE APPROACHING, AND WE WANT TO GET AS MUCH OF THAT OUT OF THE WAY AS WE CAN. SO WE'LL WE'LL START THAT IMMEDIATELY.

THANK YOU. AND SO WE ALREADY HAVE SOME WORK ON ON HOME ROOM, HOME RULE AND LOCAL CONTROL.

BUT FOR, FOR STAFF HOW SOON DO YOU GUYS NEED TO KNOW WHAT THOSE PRIORITIES ARE THAT ARE GOING TO BE RECOMMENDED SO THAT YOU GUYS HAVE SOME OPPORTUNITY TO START DOING SOME WORK ON THOSE? YEAH. I MEAN, IF SOMEONE BRINGS SOMETHING ON THE FLOOR, HOW MUCH TIME DO Y'ALL HAVE TO ACTUALLY GIVE AN OPINION AND TO BE ABLE TO GIVE US SOME GUIDANCE?

[02:05:01]

I KNOW I TALKED WITH A LOT OF COUNCIL MEMBERS HERE AROUND THE HORSESHOE.

YOU KNOW, WE TEXT, WE CALL, WE MEET IN PERSON.

IF YOU HAVE YOUR ITEMS AND YOU KNOW, YOU'VE GOT A SPONSOR LINED UP, PLEASE TALK TO ME.

TELL ME BECAUSE I'M GOING TO BE HAVING A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS THAT I NEED TO KNOW WHAT YOU KNOW, SO THAT I CAN FOLD THAT INTO MY ROLODEX. SO THE SOONER THE BETTER.

I MEAN, IF IT STARTS TODAY, THAT'S GREAT, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT TO WAIT UNTIL DECEMBER 7TH BECAUSE WE HAVE TO REMEMBER OTHER CITIES AND OTHER ENTITIES ARE DOING THE SAME THING THAT WE'RE DOING RIGHT NOW.

I'M GETTING TEXTS JUST SITTING RIGHT HERE SAYING THAT PEOPLE ARE ALREADY BACKING UP THEIR LEGISLATIVE PROGRAMS SO THAT THEY CAN DO EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE DOING TODAY.

SO PEOPLE ARE RECALIBRATING JUST LIKE WE ARE, BUT KNOW THAT THAT'S GOING TO CREATE A LOGJAM AT THE END OF THE DAY.

WE STILL ONLY HAVE A CERTAIN NUMBER OF SLOTS TO BE ABLE TO GET THINGS PASSED, AND THAT'S STILL A REALITY.

NO MATTER WHO'S IN POWER. SO WE WANT TO GET OUR REQUEST IN SOONER RATHER THAN LATER.

SO AS SOON AS WE KNOW SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU. MAYOR. MR. BAZALDUA. YOU'RE RECOGNIZED FOR THREE MINUTES.

THANK YOU. MAYOR. I JUST WOULD LIKE TO JUST ECHO THE, THE, THE SENTIMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN BROUGHT UP ON THE KIND OF REVAMP OF THE PROCESS AS A WHOLE. I FEEL THAT THERE HAS BEEN SOMEWHAT OF A LACK OF TRANSPARENCY AND COLLABORATION IN HOW THIS HAS BEEN PRESENTED TO US.

THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF QUESTION ON HOW THINGS WENT TO CERTAIN COMMITTEES AND THEN WERE REMOVED AND THEN WENT TO AD HOC AND THEN WERE REMOVED.

AND, YOU KNOW, I WANT TO MAKE IT REAL CLEAR THAT THAT OUR AND WE'VE BEEN TOLD THIS SEVERAL TIMES THAT OUR COMMITTEE WORK IS ADVISORY IN NATURE.

DEFINITIVE ACTION SHOULD NOT BE TAKEN AT A COMMITTEE LEVEL SO THAT ITEMS ARE COMPLETELY REMOVED AND NEVER GIVEN TO THE FULL BODY TO TAKE THE ACTION.

THAT'S NOT WHAT IS WHAT HAS OCCURRED. AND SO ALL I'M ASKING IS FOR A MORE OF AN OPEN BOOK THROUGH THIS PROCESS, YOU CAN ASK US TO JUMP THROUGH HOOPS AND PUT CERTAIN THINGS ON CERTAIN FORMS AND MEET CERTAIN DEADLINES.

BUT THEN IF WE'VE GONE THROUGH THOSE HOOPS AND DONE IT, AND THEN WE HAVEN'T EVEN SEEN OUR WORK MAKE IT TO THE DESK THAT THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR THAT. I UNDERSTAND WE CAN PARTICIPATE IN AD HOC COMMITTEE THAT WE AREN'T, AREN'T ATTENDING OR THAT WE AREN'T MEMBERS OF BUT WE STILL HAVE A PROCESS IN PLACE FOR, FOR THAT REASON.

AND SO, YOU KNOW, I, I HAVE A DETAILED TIMELINE FROM MY STAFF OF WHEN WE'VE TURNED OUR STUFF IN ON TIME, WHEN IT WAS DISCUSSED IN WHAT COMMITTEE AND THEN THAT IT WAS JUST COMPLETELY REMOVED AT THE AD HOC, REMOVING SOMETHING BEFORE COMING BACK TO FULL COUNCIL IS NOT THE NATURE OF A COMMITTEE.

IT'S NOT ADVISORY THAT'S DEFINITIVE ACTION. AND I WANT US TO BE VERY CLEAR AND TRANSPARENT ABOUT HOW WE MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS.

IT WAS EVEN STATED IN COMMITTEE FROM THE PREVIOUS CHAIR OF THE LEGISLATIVE AD HOC THAT IT WAS DONE SO UNILATERALLY BY HER BECAUSE OF WHAT SHE BELIEVED TO BE THE SENTIMENT OF THE LEGISLATURE AND WHAT SHE BELIEVED THE WILL TO CONSIDER CERTAIN THINGS.

I DON'T THINK THAT ANY ONE OF US 15 SHOULD HAVE THE ABILITY TO UNILATERALLY MAKE THAT DECISION.

AND SO MAYOR, I KNOW THAT YOU'VE APPOINTED THIS COMMITTEE TO BE VERY SMALL, VERY CLOSE KNIT.

I ALSO THINK THAT THOSE MEMBERS KIND OF REFLECT A LITTLE BIT OF THE THE SENTIMENT OF WHAT WE THOUGHT THE LEGISLATURE WAS MADE UP OF THAT, THAT NOW HAS CHANGED. AND I JUST WOULD LIKE FOR THIS TO BE A MORE COLLABORATIVE PROCESS AND ONE THAT MORE MEMBERS HAVE THE ABILITY TO WEIGH IN IN OUR RESPECTIVE ROLES.

AGAIN, IN A COLLABORATIVE WAY. THIS IS NOT MEANT TO BE COMBATIVE IN ANY WAY, BUT IF WE TRY TO ADHERE TO THE REQUIREMENTS THAT YOU ALL HAVE PUT IN PLACE FOR US TO GET THINGS ON THIS AGENDA, AND THEN THE PROCESS IS JUST GOES BY THE WAYSIDE BECAUSE ONE OF US IS ABLE TO TO WAVE A WAND.

THEN IT'S JUST, IT'S JUST NOT A FAIR AND TRANSPARENT PROCESS. AND THAT'S ALL I'M ASKING IS FOR US TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THESE DISCUSSIONS.

AND THEN AS WE MOVE FORWARD AND WE SET THIS AGENDA AND WE CONTINUE THROUGHOUT THE AD HOC COMMITTEES MEETINGS THAT WE DO SO IN A WAY THAT IS MORE TRANSPARENT TO THE FULL BODY. THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. JIM RIDLEY, YOU'RE RECOGNIZED FOR THREE MINUTES.

SO ERIC OR CLIFFORD COULD YOU PROVIDE SOME GUIDANCE ON THE WRITING, THE DRAFTING OF PROPOSED PURSUE ITEMS FOR THIS FORM? I NOTICED FROM WHAT CAME OUT OF THE LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS COMMITTEE SOME WERE VERY SPECIFIC AS OPPOSED TO BEING MORE GENERAL.

THAT WOULD ALLOW US TO PURSUE LEGISLATION THAT MAY NOT BE CONTEMPLATED TODAY.

ALSO, SOME OF THEM RELATED TO AUTHORITY THAT THE CITY ALREADY HAS, WHICH MAY BE

[02:10:04]

YOU NEED TO PURSUE YOUR OWN AUTHORITY. SO CAN YOU PROVIDE SOME GUIDANCE ALONG THOSE LINES AS TO HOW BEST TO DRAFT PROPOSED PURSUE ITEMS? SURE. SO TYPICALLY WHAT WE WANT TO ASK FOR IS THINGS THAT ARE BEYOND OUR CONTROL TO, TO DO. MEANING WHETHER IT'S LET'S START WITH APPROPRIATIONS.

IF WE'RE, IF WE NEED MORE MONEY THAN WE'RE ABLE TO ACTUALLY BRING IN THROUGH TAX REVENUE, WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO ASK FOR THAT MONEY.

WE DON'T WANT TO ASK FOR MONEY THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE ACCESS TO.

THE SAME THING COMES TO LEGISLATION. YOU DON'T WANT TO ASK FOR AUTHORITY THAT EITHER THE STATE ALREADY PROVIDES OR THE STATE DOESN'T ALREADY GIVES YOU THE ABILITY TO DO WITHOUT HAVING TO COME TALK TO THEM, BECAUSE THEN IT'S REALLY A WASTE OF TIME.

YOU ULTIMATELY WANT TO EITHER EXPAND YOUR ABILITY TO, YOU KNOW, EXPAND YOUR FOOTPRINT IN AREAS THAT YOU PREVIOUSLY DIDN'T HAVE BEFORE.

AND THE SAME THING WITH APPROPRIATIONS. THE, THE, THE POINT IS EITHER TO EXPAND YOUR FOOTPRINT ONE WAY OR ANOTHER IN AN AREA THAT HELPS YOU GUYS ACCOMPLISH WHAT THE CITIZENS HERE IN DALLAS WANT YOU TO DO.

THAT'S HOW REALLY YOU WANT TO SET YOUR PURSUIT UP AND MONITOR.

MONITOR MORE THINGS THAT YOU KNOW, WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE HAPPEN.

DON'T NECESSARILY NEED TO PURSUE IT, BUT IF THE LEGISLATURE HAS AN APPETITE FOR IT, THEN WE CAN GO AFTER IT.

MEANING IF SOMEONE FILES A BILL AND IT WASN'T SOMETHING THAT WE WERE NECESSARILY CHAMPIONING, WE WOULD TREAT IT LIKE A PURSUIT AT THAT POINT, BECAUSE WE WOULD WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT IT HAS THE RIGHT EFFECT FOR US HERE IN THE CITY OF DALLAS. SO GIVEN YOUR EXPERIENCE IN DEALING WITH LEGISLATURES? MANY DIFFERENT SESSIONS. I THINK IT WOULD BE HELPFUL IF WE HAD SET A DEADLINE FOR THE SUBMISSION OF THE FORMS SO THAT YOUR STAFF, YOU AND YOUR STAFF CAN HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW THOSE AND PROVIDE US SOME COMMENTS AT IF WE HAVE A SPECIAL CALLED MEETING AT THAT TIME, SO THAT WE'RE NOT TRYING TO REVISE OR EDIT FROM THE MICROPHONE, I THINK IT WOULD BE MUCH MORE HELPFUL AND EXPEDITIOUS IF YOU GET A CHANCE TO LOOK AT THEM AND REVIEW THEM AND PROPOSE CONSOLIDATION OF SIMILAR ITEMS, ELIMINATION OF DUPLICATE ITEMS, AND FOLLOWING THE GUIDELINES THAT YOU'VE JUST OUTLINED FOR US SO THAT WE CAN FOCUS OUR DISCUSSION AT THAT MEETING ON THE ITEMS THAT CAN ACTUALLY LEAD TO PRODUCTIVE DISCUSSION.

COUNCIL MEMBER REALLY THANK YOU FOR THAT. AND I THINK THE WAY YOU LAID IT OUT IS A, A, AN APPROACH THAT DEFINITELY, I THINK WILL HELP US CREATE A BETTER WORKING SESSION FOR YOU.

AND SO WHEN WE SEND OUT THE MEMO, WE WILL GIVE THE DEADLINES.

I THINK AS WE DO ANY TYPE OF CONSOLIDATION, WE'RE GOING TO STILL MAKE SURE THAT YOU SEE EVERYTHING.

AND THAT WAY WE DON'T RUN THE RISK OF ELIMINATING SOMETHING BECAUSE WE THOUGHT IT WAS A DUPLICATION, BUT IT MIGHT NEED TO HAVE A DIFFERENT SPIN ON IT.

SO I THINK WE WILL DO THAT ADDITIONAL LEGWORK AND STILL PROVIDE COUNSEL EVEN IN AN APPENDIX.

LET YOU SEE EVERYTHING. WE'LL TALK ABOUT WHAT GOT CONSOLIDATED, WHAT WE BELIEVE MIGHT BE SOMETHING THAT STAFF MIGHT HAVE A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE ON IT.

SO WE'LL DO A BETTER JOB OF HOW WE LAY THAT OUT IN ADVANCE.

AND MY COMMITMENT IS I DO WANT TO APOLOGIZE THAT YOU DID NOT GET THIS BRIEFING UNTIL YESTERDAY.

WE'LL TRY TO GET IT OUT AT LEAST A WEEK BEFORE.

SO THEN YOU HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO THEN EVEN HAVE THE BRIEFING MATERIALS TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT THE WORK SESSION.

SO WE'LL JUST WORK DIRECTLY WITH YOU TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GET ALL THOSE PIECES COVERED.

BUT THANK YOU FOR THAT. COUNCIL MEMBER JUST AS A FOLLOW UP, I'D LIKE STAFF TO PLAY A LITTLE MORE ACTIVE ROLE IN TERMS OF LOOKING AT ALL OF THE AND OF COURSE, WE'LL LIST ALL OF THE SUBMISSIONS, BUT MAKING SUGGESTIONS ABOUT HOW TO MAKE THE MOST LEGISLATURE FRIENDLY THAT WE CAN SO THAT THERE ARE A LIMITED NUMBER THAT IS CONSUMABLE BY THE LEGISLATIVE DELEGATION. AND IS GENERAL ENOUGH THAT GIVES US THE FLEXIBILITY DURING THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION TO, FOR YOU TO KNOW WHAT BILLS TO SUPPORT AND WHAT NOT TO SUPPORT.

YES, WE RECEIVED THAT. AND I THINK THAT'S THE DIRECTION THAT WILL MAKE THE BETTER SENSE.

AND AGAIN, I THINK IT'LL GET BACK TO WHAT COUNCIL MEMBER ROTH MENTIONED EARLIER, A MORE EFFECTIVE STRATEGY THAT WE CAN THEN SUPPORT AND GET THE GET ALL OF THE EFFORTS WITH THE DELEGATION AROUND THOSE THINGS. I THINK IF WE HAVE TOO MANY AND THEY'RE A LITTLE MUDDIER,

[02:15:01]

SO THE MORE WE CAN BRING CLARITY FOR OURSELVES, I THINK WE CAN ALSO HELP OUR DELEGATION BETTER SUPPORT THE CITY.

SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. IS THERE ANYONE ELSE WHO WANTS TO SPEAK ON FOR OR AGAINST ITEM A AS WELL? ASK ANY QUESTIONS. I DON'T SEE ANY. MADAM CITY MANAGER, ARE YOU READY TO RELEASE YOUR PANEL ON THIS OR.

YES, WE CAN GO. DO YOU WANT TO GO RIGHT INTO ITEM NUMBER B? THAT'S IT. OKAY. OR DO WE WANT. I MEAN, ARE YOU GOING TO TAKE A BREAK AND WE COME BACK.

WE JUST NEED TO LOAD UP THE PRESENTATION. THEY'RE READY TO GO. THEY WANT TO GO ON.

SO WE'LL KEEP YOU WANT TO KEEP GOING. YEAH. WE'RE READY. OKAY.

GIVE US JUST A MINUTE. WE WERE HAVING SOME TECHNICAL ISSUES A LITTLE WHILE AGO, SO LET ME MAKE SURE THE PRESENTATION CAN GET PULLED UP, AND THEN WE'LL BE READY TO START.

SO, MR. MAYOR, WE'RE READY FOR THE SECOND BRIEFING ITEM FOR TODAY.

THIS IS THE ACTUAL FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM FOR 2027.

MEMBERS OF OUR LEGISLATIVE, FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE DELEGATION WILL SOON CONVENE FOR THE 120TH U.S.

CONGRESS, PRESENTING AN IMPORTANT OPPORTUNITY TO ADVANCE THE CITY'S PRIORITIES AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL.

AS YOU MANY OF YOU KNOW, THE FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM SERVES AS THE FOUNDATION FOR HOW WE WILL ENGAGE WITH CONGRESS.

IT WILL OUTLINE KEY ISSUES. MANY OF THOSE KIND OF OVERLAP WITH SOME OF THE THINGS WE'VE DISCUSSED TODAY, IT WILL GIVE US AN OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY CONFIRM OUR POLICY PRIORITIES AND BE ABLE TO WORK COLLECTIVELY ON FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO DALLAS. IT WILL HELP GUIDE THE DISCUSSIONS, THE ADVOCACY EFFORTS THAT WE KNOW WE NEED TO HAVE WITH MEMBERS OF OUR CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE ADVANCING THE INTERESTS OF THE THE INTERESTS OF THE CITY.

SO WE'RE GOING TO JUMP RIGHT INTO THE PRESENTATION WITH DIRECTOR DOMINGUEZ, AND THEN WE WILL THEN TAKE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE APPROACH THAT YOU WOULD LIKE FOR US TO, TO HAVE GOING INTO THIS SESSION AS WELL. WITH THAT, ERIC, CAN YOU GO AHEAD AND START? YES. THANK YOU, MADAM CITY MANAGER, MAYOR, COUNCIL MEMBERS.

ERIC DOMINGUEZ. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. AND JUST AS A BRIEF OVERVIEW, NEXT SLIDE RIGHT INTO OUR UPCOMING FEDERAL CONGRESS WITH THE 119TH CONGRESS. WE WANTED TO PROVIDE YOU A SNAPSHOT OF WHERE WE'VE BEEN AND CERTAINLY WHERE WE'RE GOING AS WE EMBARK ON OUR 120TH CONGRESS? AS WE KNOW, WE DO HAVE A NEW DELEGATION MEMBERS THAT ARE GOING TO BE WELL REPRESENTED WITHIN THE CITY OF DALLAS.

AND SO WITHIN THIS OPPORTUNITY LAYING OUT THE GROUNDWORK AND CERTAINLY THE SAME OVERVIEW IS PROVIDED.

WHAT ARE THOSE CONSIDERATIONS THAT YOU DEEM AS COUNCIL AS IMPORTANT ON THE FEDERAL LEVEL? NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. AGAIN, JUST PROVIDING AN OVERVIEW OF THE TIMELINE.

WE HAD ECHOED. NEXT SLIDE. FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION ARE BOTH THE STATE AND FEDERAL PROPOSALS THAT WERE SUBMITTED WITH THERE BEING OVER 55 AND CAPTURING IN THE NEXT SLIDE AGAIN FOR YOU, REVIEW IS WHERE WE ARE IN THE IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS CAPTURING WHERE WE HAVE BEEN AND FOLLOWING ALONG THOSE SAME GUIDELINES ABOUT WHAT ITEMS WERE CONSIDERED FOR SUBMISSION BEFORE THE COMMITTEES FOR YOUR REVIEW.

NEXT SLIDE. WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT WHAT WE HAD PREVIOUSLY UTILIZED IN ADDRESSING A PREVIOUS QUESTION IS THAT PURSUING IS ACTIVELY INITIATING OR LEADING EFFORTS TO CREATE ADVANCE OR PASS LEGISLATION WITH MONITORING TRADITIONALLY SET AS TRACKING AND REVIEWING LEGISLATION AND DETERMINING WHETHER OR TO SUPPORT OR OPPOSE BASED ON ITS IMPACT WITH CITY OPERATIONS.

NEXT SLIDE. NEXT SLIDE. JUST PROVIDING AGAIN THOSE PROPOSED ITEMS THAT BOTH WERE SUBMITTED, AND ALSO THOSE THAT WERE GIVEN A MOTION TO REMOVE PER THE AD HOC COMMITTEE ON LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS.

NEXT SLIDE. NEXT SLIDE. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. JUST CAPTURING AGAIN ANY ITEMS THAT WERE AGAIN IDENTIFIED BY STAFF TO PROVIDE EITHER A STATE OR FEDERAL OVERSIGHT.

NEXT SLIDE. AND SO PER THE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE AGENDA ITEMS. THERE ARE SIX DESIGNATED ITEMS WITH 26 THAT ARE DESIGNATED AS MONITORED.

AGAIN, THESE ITEMS WERE VOTED ON AND APPROVED BY THE AD HOC COMMITTEE ON LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS ON OCTOBER.

NEXT SLIDE IS THE APPENDIX AND ONE NOTATION. ON THE NEXT SLIDE FOR YOUR REVIEW IS AFTER CONSULTATION WITH THE DALLAS POLICE DEPARTMENT.

[02:20:03]

AS THAT IS BOTH PERHAPS A BOTH STATE AND FEDERAL ISSUE AND THAT WE COULD CERTAINLY LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR FURTHER RECOMMENDATION INCLUDING THAT WITHIN THE FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM FOR YOUR REVIEW AND CONSIDERATION. HOWEVER, WE DID WANT TO NOTATE THAT FOR YOUR REVIEW AS WELL AS BEING IN CONSULTATION WITH DPD.

HAPPY TO ENTERTAIN AND ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE ON BEHALF OF THE 120TH CONGRESS LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM FOR THE CITY OF DALLAS.

ALL RIGHT. ANY QUESTIONS FOR OUR PANEL ON THIS? MR. ROFF? YEAH. FIVE MINUTES. WE'RE NOW ON ITEM B.

THANK YOU. AGAIN LOOK, I'M NEW TO THIS TO THIS BUSINESS, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE THE, THE PRESENTATION HERE IS THE EXACT SAME PRESENTATION YOU HAD IN THE OTHER PRESENTATION. IT'S ALL THE SAME STUFF. SO I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE FEDERAL STUFF AND THE STATE STUFF.

AND AGAIN, I DO UNDERSTAND, BUT I DON'T UNDERSTAND AND I WANT YOU TO EXPLAIN IT TO ME.

IT'S IN A SECOND. BUT WHAT I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND HERE IS THAT FEDERAL LEGISLATION HAS TO DO WITH BIG, BIGGER ISSUES, AND IT HAS TO DO WITH ISSUES THAT ARE NOT MUNICIPAL THAT THAT WOULD THAT WOULD INVOLVE FEDERAL FUNDING, THAT WOULD INVOLVE FEDERAL LAWS WITH REGARD TO CIVIL RIGHTS, OTHER THINGS WITH REGARD TO PRIVACY, CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUES. AGAIN, IT'S NOT THAT THEY'RE SEPARATE FROM MUNICIPAL RELATED STUFF, BUT IT'S BIGGER ITEMS. IT'S TRANSPORTATION, IT'S BIG MONEY.

IT'S STUFF LIKE THAT. I DON'T SEE THAT THIS IS DESIGNATED SPECIFICALLY AGAIN IN OUR BRIEFING HERE.

NOW, I UNDERSTAND FROM THE CITY MANAGER AND FROM OTHERS FROM YOU ALL THAT THIS IS A HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW.

BUT I'M TELLING YOU, WE'RE GOING TO RUN OUT OF DAYLIGHT HERE.

YOU KNOW, THIS JANUARY IS IS TOMORROW AND IN MARCH IS THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW.

IT'S TOO FAST. SO IF WE DON'T HAVE THIS THING REALLY BAKED AND UNDERSTOOD AND WE DON'T HAVE OUR BOOTS ON THE GROUND, WE'RE NOT GOING TO BE EFFECTIVE. AND IF WE'RE NOT EFFECTIVE, WE'RE NOT HELPING OURSELVES.

WE'RE NOT TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE OPPORTUNITY HERE TO REALLY MAKE AN IMPACT.

AND I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT WE'RE WE'RE FOCUSING ON BIG ISSUES.

WE HEAR OUR CITIZENS, WE HEAR THAT THEY'RE CONCERNED ABOUT PRIVACY, THAT THEY'RE CONCERNED ABOUT CIVIL RIGHTS, THAT THEY'RE CONCERNED ABOUT TRANSPORTATION. THEY WANT MORE MONEY HERE FOR FOR SERVICES, BOTH TO STIMULATE BUSINESS AND STIMULATE YOU KNOW, THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITIES THAT ARE UNDERSERVED. AND WE ALSO, BUT WE ALSO WANT TO HAVE THE ABILITY TO, TO HAVE SOME DIRECTIVE PROMOTED AND, AND FOCUSED ADVOCACY TO GET WHAT WE WANT.

AND WE ONLY HAVE LIMITED TIME TO DO THAT IN THIS LEGISLATIVE STUFF.

NOW FEDERAL IS A LOT MORE PROACTIVE. IT'S A LOT LONGER, BUT I'M NOT GETTING THE WARM AND FUZZY THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE AGGRESSIVE AND WE'RE GOING TO GET STUFF FOR THIS PLACE. AND THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO HEAR FROM THE FOLKS THAT ARE GOING OUT TRYING TO GET PART OF THE GOLDEN RING FOR US.

SO I KNOW THAT YOU'RE GOING TO DO IT, BUT I WANT THE PUBLIC TO KNOW THAT WE'RE GOING TO DO IT.

I WANT THIS GROUP TO KNOW THAT YOU WANT US TO HELP YOU DO IT.

AND I WANT TO KNOW THAT YOU GUYS ARE GOING TO HAVE THE RESOURCES ON THE GROUND TO GET IT DONE, AND THAT IT'S THAT THIS ISN'T JUST HIGH LEVEL SMOKE.

THIS IS REAL. SOMETHING THAT WE'VE GOT TO GET IT.

WE NEED THE MONEY. WE NEED THE LAWS. WE NEED THE AUTHORITY.

WE NEED THE POWER. WE NEED TO HAVE THE RESPONSIBILITY TO BE ABLE TO GET THINGS DONE FOR US.

THAT'S YOUR JOB, IN MY OPINION. I THINK THAT'S YOUR JOB.

AND IF THAT'S NOT THE JOB, THEN PLEASE CORRECT ME AND LET ME KNOW WHAT WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE DOING HERE.

THANKS. YES. TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION. SORRY. DIRECTOR DOMINGUEZ.

YEAH. THANK YOU FOR THE INFORMATION, COUNCIL MEMBER ROFF.

THE TWO AGENDAS ARE A BIT DIFFERENT. THE STATE LEGISLATIVE AGENDA COVERED ABOUT 46 ITEMS IN THE APPENDIX.

THIS ONE FOR FEDERAL COVERS ABOUT 26. SO THERE ARE SOME THAT DO MIRROR EACH OTHER.

HOWEVER, IT IS A BIT DIFFERENT THAN THE STATE LEGISLATIVE AGENDA.

AS THE CITY MANAGER STATED WE WILL SERVE AS THE, OF THE BODY WHATEVER THE BODY DECIDES ON COMING BACK TO DISCUSS THIS.

AS FOR COUNCIL, THE STAFF WILL BE READY AND WILLING TO WORK WITH THE COUNCIL TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GET A LEGISLATIVE AGENDA ON BOTH THE STATE AND FEDERAL SIDE IN TIME.

OF COURSE, WE'LL WORK WITH OUR OUR LOBBYISTS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GET THOSE PARTICULAR AGENDA ITEMS PUSHED WITH THE VARIOUS DELEGATION MEMBERS FOR OUR AREA, BUT ALSO WORKING WITH THOSE NEW MEMBERS THAT DO COME IN IN THE NEW LEGISLATIVE SESSION.

AND JUST TO ECHO THAT AGAIN, IT'S JUST TO HIGHLIGHT THAT PER THE DIRECTION TO, OF OUR FEDERAL LOBBYISTS AND ALSO OUR NEW COMING CONGRESSIONAL MEMBERS THAT ARE ONBOARDING

[02:25:01]

SENATORS, AS THEY OFTEN COME TIMES OFTENTIMES SAY, WHAT ARE THOSE PRIORITIES? WHAT DO I NEED TO ADVOCATE FOR YOU ON BEHALF OF THE CITY OF DALLAS? AND SO THIS PACKAGE, WHICH SPEAKS TO, IF I MAY, SHOULD THERE BE A FUNDING FOR WHITE ROCK, LIKE WHAT TRANSPORTATION RELATED ISSUES? THAT'S IS THE DIRECTION WE GET FROM YOU TO ECHO THAT TO OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS WHO REPRESENT THE CITY OF DALLAS ON THE FEDERAL LEVEL.

AND SO WE ARE ON THAT VERY AGGRESSIVELY ON HOW WE CERTAINLY PROMOTE THE CITY OF DALLAS.

AND CERTAINLY, HOW DO WE WEIGH IN POTENTIAL FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES AND ENSURE THAT DALLAS HAS A SEAT AS IT RELATES TO A PRESENCE IN WASHINGTON, DC, WITH OUR MEMBERS OF CONGRESS? MISS BLACK? MISS BLACKMON, YOU RECOGNIZED FOR FIVE MINUTES.

THANK YOU. OKAY. SO I'M A BIT CONFUSED ON WE'RE TALKING ABOUT FEDERAL.

CORRECT. BUT SOME OF THE ITEMS HERE SEEM TO BE STATE.

AND MAYBE I HAVE THE WRONG PRESENTATION, BUT LIKE LIKE A NUMBER ON PAGE 19 IT'S NUMBER 18.

SO SO I GUESS WHAT I SAY IS WE MAY NEED TO BRING THE FEDERAL IN THE SAME PROCESS.

IS THAT AND I DON'T OF COURSE. SO WE'RE GOING TO DO BOTH.

SO I'M NOT GOING TO GO THROUGH BECAUSE I'M GOING THERE'S NO U O, C OR OIC, WHATEVER THAT ACRONYM.

LIKE THE ONE THINGS THAT WE'RE USUALLY ADVOCATING FOR AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL, BECAUSE I GUARANTEE YOU, THE FEDS ARE NOT GOING TO PROBABLY GIVE US SUPPORT OF LIBRARIES.

YOU KNOW, THAT'S USUALLY IN A GRANT. I AGREE.

OKAY. SO WE'LL DO THE SAME PROCESS. AND SO Y'ALL ARE GOING TO GO BACK AND KIND OF CLEAN IT UP.

YES, MA'AM. OKAY. AND WE'LL DO THE SAME PROCESS.

AND BECAUSE LIKE, YOU KNOW, MY CORPS OF ENGINEERS, MY WHITE ROCK LAKE IS NOT ON THERE.

AND WE'RE WORKING WITH THE CORPS OF ENGINEERS. RIGHT. AND WE WILL USE THE FORM EVEN THOUGH IT WASN'T. PLEASE BE VERY CLEAR TO USE THE FORM BECAUSE THE EMAIL DIDN'T SAY USE THE FORM.

AND SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE WE'RE GOING TO REMIND YOU ABOUT FIVE TIMES TO USE THE FORM.

YES. I THINK WE ALL NEED T SHIRTS OR BUTTONS.

USE THE FORM. OKAY. AND SO OKAY, THEN I'M NOT GOING TO GO DIVE INTO THIS BECAUSE IT SEEMS LIKE THERE'S SOME THAT ARE MISSING AND SOME THAT NEED TO BE ADDED.

BUT I JUST WANT TO CLARIFY, WE'RE DOING THE SAME PROCESS FOR FEDERAL AS WELL.

WE'RE GOING TO MAKE IT CONSISTENT. I THINK IT'LL BE A LOT EASIER FOR US AND FOR THE COUNCIL. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. YES.

AND TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION TOO WHEN STAFF MADE THE RECOMMENDATION.

AND SO THIS OVERVIEW WAS REALLY DESIGNATED BY STAFF TO SAY, IS THIS A STATE ISSUE OR FEDERAL ISSUE? AND SO GOING ALONG THE LINES WITH THE ITEM THAT WAS PRESENTED, WERE WE NOTATED BOTH STATE AND FEDERAL? THAT IS WHERE WHEN THEY WERE INCLUDED IN THE APPENDIX, IT WAS IDENTIFIED THE LOW INCOME HOUSING TAX CREDIT.

AND AGAIN, WE DO HAVE DEPARTMENT REPRESENTATION HERE TO ANSWER THAT DOES HAVE SOME CAPACITY WITH FEDERAL INITIATIVES.

AND SO IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT LIBRARIES, AGAIN, IT JUST COUPLES INTO WHAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT MIGHT INCLUDE, ESPECIALLY AS IT RELATES TO ISSUES RELATED TO THE LIBRARY AS BOTH STATE AND FEDERAL FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES.

CHAIRMAN RIDLEY RECOGNIZED FOR FIVE MINUTES. THANK YOU, MAYOR. SO I WAS ALSO GOING TO MENTION, IN RESPECT TO COUNCIL MEMBER BLACKMAN'S COMMENTS, THAT I THINK WE NEED SOME DIRECTION FROM STAFF AS TO WHICH SUBJECT MATTERS ARE BEST SUITED FOR WHICH LEVEL OF GOVERNMENT. NOW, THERE MAY BE SOME THAT ARE APPROPRIATE FOR BOTH, BUT I THINK THAT JUST IN WHAT I'VE SEEN IN THE PRESENTATION, THERE WERE MANY THAT ARE IDENTIFIED FOR A LESS FAVORABLE OR LESS APPROPRIATE JURISDICTION THAN THEY DESERVE. HAVING DONE THIS A FEW YEARS NOW, IT'S BECOME APPARENT TO ME THAT THE PURPOSE OF IDENTIFYING PURSUIT ITEMS IN OUR LEGISLATIVE AGENDA IS NOT TO PUT STRICT LIMITS ON WHAT WE'RE GOING TO SUPPORT AT THE LEGISLATURE, BUT RATHER TO PROVIDE A FOCUS TO OUR LOBBYING EFFORTS.

WE CAN'T BE SO SCATTERSHOT THAT WE HAVE 100 DIFFERENT PRIORITIES, SUCH AS ALL THE LISTINGS IN THE MONITOR.

THAT'S THE PURPOSE OF THE PURSUIT ITEMS IS TO FOCUS OUR ATTENTION ON WHAT WE THINK IS ACHIEVABLE.

WHAT HAS THE MOST IMPACT ON THE CITY, AT WHICH LEVEL OF GOVERNMENT IT WILL HAVE THE GREATEST IMPACT.

DO YOU AGREE WITH THAT ASSESSMENT? YES, SIR. ALL RIGHT.

SO IN LIGHT OF THAT, I HAVE IDENTIFIED FOUR PURSUIT ITEMS THAT I THINK ARE GENERAL ENOUGH THAT THEY CAN PROVIDE SOME FOCUS TO OUR EFFORTS, BUT AT THE SAME TIME ALLOW US SOME FLEXIBILITY.

STARTING WITH SUPPORTING LEGISLATION, INCENTIVES AND FINANCING PROGRAMS THAT EXPAND AFFORDABLE HOUSING PRODUCTION AND PRESERVATION, INCLUDING INCENTIVES FOR OFFICE TO RESIDENTIAL CONVERSIONS SIMILAR TO WHAT WE DID AT THE STATE LEVEL.

PURSUE FUNDING FOR WATER, WASTEWATER, STORMWATER FLOOD PROTECTION, LEVEE IMPROVEMENTS AND RELATED INFRASTRUCTURE,

[02:30:05]

THIRD, SUPPORT LEGISLATION AND PURSUE FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR STREETCAR EXTENSIONS AND MULTIMODAL INFRASTRUCTURE IN THAT WE ARE NOW ENGAGING CONSULTANTS TO GUIDE US ON A PATH TO EXTENDING OUR STREETCAR SYSTEMS. BUT WE DON'T HAVE FUNDING FOR THAT CONSTRUCTION.

AND THEN FINALLY, FOR SUPPORT DATA CENTER REGULATIONS ADDRESSING THE ENVIRONMENTAL AND INFRASTRUCTURE IMPACTS OF DATA CENTER DEVELOPMENT, INCLUDING AIR AND NOISE POLLUTION, ENERGY CONSUMPTION AND WATER USAGE.

NOW WE HAVE SOME ABILITY TO LEGISLATE THAT ON THE LOCAL LEVEL.

BUT AT THE SAME TIME, I THINK THERE'S BENEFIT IN LOOKING AT THAT FROM THE OVERALL JURISDICTION SO THAT WE DON'T FIND THAT DATA CENTERS AND RELATED BUSINESSES ARE AVOIDING DALLAS AND CAMPING OUT IN THE NEXT DOOR JURISDICTION.

THERE'S SOME BENEFIT TO CONSISTENCY IN THE JURISDICTION IN SUCH REGULATIONS, I BELIEVE.

THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. I DON'T SEE ANYONE ELSE IN THE QUEUE, BUT I WANT TO MAKE SURE I'M NOT OVERLOOKING ANYONE.

ALL RIGHT. LET ME CONSULT WITH OUR CITY ATTORNEY FOR JUST ONE SECOND, BECAUSE I THINK WE ARE.

MADAM CITY MANAGER, I'LL LET YOU WRAP UP WITH THE PANEL IF THERE'S ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANT TO SAY, BUT BUT THEN I WANT TO MAKE SURE WE'RE. WE'RE GOOD.

YES, SIR. THANK YOU SO MUCH, MR. MAYOR. AND THANK THANK YOU TO THE CITY COUNCIL FOR YOUR INPUT THIS MORNING.

I THINK WE'VE GOTTEN REAL GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF HOW YOU WANT US TO COME BACK AND PREPARE YOU FOR THE WORK SESSION.

AND SO WE WILL SPEND THIS. OH, WOW. WE GOT A LOT OF TIME LEFT TODAY.

WE WILL SPEND TODAY GETTING THE MEMO READY TO GO.

WE WILL PUT IN THE DETAILS THAT WE NEED ON, ON TIMELINES AS WELL AS FORMS. WE WILL WORK WITH STAFF, WE WILL REMIND STAFF WE'RE GOING TO DO ALL OF THAT, AND WE'LL START WORKING ON THAT DATE AND GET THAT OUT THERE SO YOU CAN START PLANNING FOR IT. AND IF THERE'S ANYTHING ELSE THAT YOU WANT TO GIVE INPUT ON, EVEN BEFORE WE FINALIZE THE MEMO, PLEASE REACH OUT TO ME DIRECTLY. WE WILL BE WORKING THE REST OF THE DAY AND USING THIS TIME EFFECTIVELY.

I WANT TO THANK THE TEAM. I KNOW THAT WE'VE BEEN IN A TRANSITION WITH THE LEADERSHIP IN THE OFFICE OF GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS.

I WANT TO THANK YOU, ERIC, FOR JUMPING IN. THANK YOU TO CHIEF OF STAFF COREY, FOR ALSO PROVIDING OVERSIGHT AND POLICE IN A NEW ROLE.

AND THANK YOU TO CLIFFORD. WE ARE WORKING FOR YOU, AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE, AS COUNCIL MEMBER BAZALDUA MENTIONED, THAT WE'RE CREATING EXTRA LAYERS OF TRANSPARENCY.

WE WANT TO ENSURE THAT THIS IS A PROCESS THAT WE'LL BE ABLE TO LOOK BACK AND SAY THAT WE GOT IT RIGHT, AND THAT THE RESULTS WILL SHOW AND HOW THAT LEGISLATION SHOWS UP FOR THE RESIDENTS OF DALLAS.

SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR ATTENTION AND YOUR TIME THIS MORNING. WE APPRECIATE IT. ALL RIGHT.

THANK YOU. SO, PANEL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND, MADAM SECRETARY, I'M TOLD THAT WE HAVE NO EXECUTIVE SESSION OR ANY FURTHER BUSINESS.

SO DID YOU HAVE ANYTHING OTHER THAN THE MICROPHONE? SPEAKER? WE GOT NO FURTHER BUSINESS FOR THIS MEETING, MR. MAYOR. ALL RIGHT. WELL, THEN THE TIME IS 1151, AND THIS MEETING'S ADJOURNED. THANK YOU.

* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.