You're watching the meeting of the dallas city council with mayor eric l johnson, Mayor pro tem jesse moreno,
deputy mayor pro tem gay donnell willis council members chad west, Zarin d gracey max johnson,
jaime resendez, laura cadena, adam bazaldua, Lori blair, paula blackmon, kathy stewart, william roth,
cara mendelsohn, paul e ridley, city manager kimberly bizor tolbert, City secretary billy ray johnson,
and city attorney tammy palomino. Good
morning. We have a quorum. Today is wednesday, December 10th, 2025 times 9:19 a.m.
and I now call this meeting of the dallas city council to order. Welcome to our last Meeting of the year,
the annual ugly sweater meeting. And I'm trying to gauge whether or not the participation Level this year is at the.
it's just not it's. Yeah. It's okay, it's okay.
rackham came with it. All right. We'll get into that later.
all right, so today's invocation, speaker, I believe, Is our colleague maxie johnson, who represents district four.
he also happens to be a pastor. Everyone. He's the pastor of the new morning star Missionary baptist church in west dallas.
and I'm going to turn it over to chairman pastor council member maxie johnson for our Invocations.
and then we'll have our pledge of allegiance to the united states flag first, And then the state of texas flag.
thank you, mr. Mayor. Can we all stand, please?
let's bow our heads. Father in heaven, we thank you this morning for all that you've done For us.
we thank you for our life, our health, and our strength. God, We thank you because someone laid down that didn't wake up this morning, but you bless us
to see another year that wasn't promised to us. God, we ask today that you bless our council.
we ask that you bless our mayor continue to anoint us to do your work and your will.
god, we ask that you bless our community, bless our city, Guide us and direct us.
god, if there's ever a time we needed you, lord, We sure do need you now. See so much going on in our world and god, you're the only one that can save us.
so we call on you this morning, ask you to guide us, Protect us, be our jehovah jireh, the lord that provides for us.
god, we ask that you continue to bless our children in this holiday season. God, We say thank you.
we may not have all that we desire to have, but god, You bless us with the things that we need to have.
and so we thank you for family. We thank you for our faith. We thank you for friendship. God, we ask that you continue to hover over us, Protect us, lead us god,
and keep us connected to your word because we know it's your word that corrects us, But it's your word also that connects us to you.
so god, we say thank you today. We praise you before you do anything else.
we praise you because your credit is good with us. And if you don't do anything else, god, your credit is wonderful with us.
we thank you. We praise you before the fact because you are never you can never fail.
you've been so good to us, god. You've been better to us than we've been to ourselves. So This morning we say thank you.
we bless you and we give you praise. Now, god, Continue to anoint us. Continue to let us do your work. Continue to speak through us, God, and we praise you.
we don't wait till the battle is over, but we shout now. We give victory now, and we praise you in advance because we know that you are guiding us.
we know that you are protecting us, god, and we know that you are leading us in this path.
anoint us again, god, to do your work. It's not about us. It's about the assignment that you've given us.
and we say thank you. And we give you glory and we give you praise. Because without you, god, we could do nothing.
we're like a ship without a sail. So, god, as we end this prayer, We say, father, we stretch our hands to thee.
no other help that we know. If thou withdraw thyself from me, Where shall we go?
so we need you, and we call on you. It's in your son. We pray in the name of the father. Amen and amen.
amen. Everyone, let's do our pledge of allegiance. This webinar is being transcribed and summarized.
thank you. 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 everyone.
you may be seated. Pastor, you can make your way back to your seat.
I'm sorry. There's not an organ here for us to play while you head back.
alright. I think we have a few announcements this morning. And first I'm going to Recognize our deputy mayor pro tem. Gay donnell willis for a recognition.
thank you so much. Good morning, mayor and colleagues. Today we honor the life and legacy of pedro aguirre junior, A dedicated public servant, a nationally respected architect,
and a longtime resident of district 13. Mr. Aguirre lived for 40 years on millennial lane,
where he was known as a kind neighbor, a mentor and a man committed to service.
a us army captain, he brought the same integrity and discipline to his civic life.
in 1973, he became one of the first mexican americans elected to the dallas city council, Helping open doors for future generations.
he also served on the commission of mexican american affairs, And worked throughout his life to break barriers and create opportunity.
professionally, he built an influential architecture architectural practice and was Recognized as a fellow of the american institute of architects.
a fulbright scholar and an appointee to state and national boards.
above all, mr. Aguirre is remembered for his humility, His generosity, and his can do spirit.
dallas is better because he was part of it and to his family and friends, Thank you for sharing him with our city.
it is my honor to recognize him today and today we have rose fletcher, The daughter, and john fletcher,
her husband, lisa roden, daughter and gary roden, Husband.
and peter aguirre is here at the mic. He is a son and his wife ernestina is here and I Understand we might even have some grandchildren,
celine and carson here today. So mr. Aguirre was going to make a quick remark.
go ahead please. Thank you for being here, peter aguirre. Mr. Mayor, council members, I very much appreciate this.
I want to especially thank former councilwoman jennifer gates and you, Council willis
council lady willis. And I don't know how much how many of y'all got to know my dad, But he loved this
country having the ability to be born here. His parents, All my grandparents were from mexico,
and he always told me how wonderful it was being born here in the states.
he loved this state. He loved this city. And he used to always tell me, He said, peter.
being a citizen is not a spectator sport. You can't complain if you don't participate.
he very much enjoyed his time on the council. He very much enjoyed his time on the airport board.
and to all of you, I would like to thank you for your service as well.
and thank you for this recognition on behalf of my family, My sister lisa, my sister rose.
thank you very much and merry christmas. Thank you so much for being
here. And you can be seated unless you wanted to do anything. Do you have any other announcements? Okay. I'm going to turn it over to our city manager Now for another announcement.
thank you so very much. Good morning, mr. Mayor. And city council, Today is it's a time for us to acknowledge strong neighborhoods and the work that we have
been engaged with, the east valley neighborhood association.
will you all please stand this morning? Thank you so very much. This is work that we began On the direction and leadership of our very own council member,
zarin d gracey. Our city thrives when neighbors are engaged, When they're informed, and when they work with us.
community involvement, we know, is a powerful driver of meaningful improvements, And this collaboration truly shows exactly what makes dallas extraordinary.
on september the 19th, 2025, council member gracey gracey conducted a field tour of the East valley estates neighborhood in district
three. It included community representatives and city staff being led under the direction Of one of our assistant city managers leads
our city engineers sophia harvey and dallas water utilities assistant director eduardo Valerio.
together, they were able to identify and review priorities and areas of concern for this Community.
the key focus areas included pavement conditions in the various streets and alleys in the Area.
excuse me. Drainage creek erosion along five mile creek and overall intersection.
safety. The transportation. The public works department committed to looking at all the Concerns that were identified and developing a list
of projects looking at funding needs, along with the map showing all of the different Project locations.
our dwu team reinspected and reassessed all of their flood protection, Storm drainage and erosion control projects in the area and in the
2024 bond program. We know that there are seven key projects that are being funded in the Keys valley area alley reconstruction,
street reconstruction, street resurfacing, erosion control.
these projects, just in this community alone, Total 4.5 million in 2024 bond allocations.
and so we know that our efforts have continued in working with council member, Gracey and this community to ensure that the list of those concerns are also included in
future bond considerations. We will be completing the maintenance along the five mile Creek,
including the removal of debris, vegetation and other obstructions.
these efforts are possible in part because committed residents like yourselves stepped Forward,
worked alongside of our staff and made sure that we were not talking past each other, But that we were working together.
so please join me in recognizing the neighbors, Our true neighbors and ambassadors for dallas,
the he's valley estates neighborhood association.
chairman gracey. Thank you, mr. Mayor. I want to just take a moment.
and a lot of times when we do these recognitions, We we we oftentimes sometimes people think it's about,
look at what I'm doing in my district. But this is not that case. This is look at what they're doing in our district.
and what I mean by that is each and every one of them are not just engaged.
each and every one of them don't just send emails and complaints, But they all work.
starting from my left, you have michael jackson, Who serves on our civil service board.
you have miss porsha greer, who served on our bond program task force, And you have miss always.
anitra got it. I was going to say anita. Anitra, Who is the new president of the of the neighborhood.
and then, of course, mr. Fisher, who is also part of our. He's on our senior task force that we meet monthly managing our dogs.
and just a quick story about keith's valley. Talk about the evolution. When I was campaigning, I was kindly escorted out of that neighborhood by a couple of Loose dogs.
so they walked me back to my car. But since then, We've been addressing all of that.
and I just want to take the time to say thank you for how you all serve. Thank you. How you engage with the city. And this is one of those examples.
when you lose faith sometimes in local government, You lose trust in your elected officials,
whatever the case may be, they never stopped working. And I am so honored to recognize you this morning.
thank you for how you served. Can you bring that whole picture?
yeah, yeah. Come on down for a picture. Come on down for a photograph. And and we're going To do a photograph with the the family of the aguirre family as well.
so if y'all would queue up and we'll do two group photos with the council.
yes. Separate two separate photographs is what I'm trying to say.
we're not that pressed for time. Yeah. Now I'm this.
I'm sitting at the very center. So if you want to arrange yourselves here first and fan Out from there,
makes for a nicer photo. I'm not quite so good,
but you can do that too.
you're welcome.
believe me. Oh! You goddamn dog show escorted me the hell out of that neighborhood.
I was just walking. They ain't growled. They didn't. Okay, we're ready to turn it over to the city secretary for our open microphone speakers.
thank you, mr. Mayor. Thank you, mr. Mayor. Good morning. The dallas city council will now hear his first five registered speakers.
I'll 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 are given three minutes to speak.
you'll notice the time 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 address your comments to
mayor johnson only. Your first speaker is the honorable casey thomas.
the second.
good morning. Mayor johnson, former colleagues and new members of the dallas city council.
today is a day that I never thought would come in my lifetime. You would take a vote to end the racial equity policy for the city of dallas and move in a New direction,
a policy that was a model not just for dallas, Not just for texas, but for the entire country.
not because of the enemy from within, but because of outside forces who want to control How we do things in dallas.
many of you who sit at the horseshoe today sat there only a few years ago when we not only Passed the racial equity policy,
but passed the racial equity a resolution that would set this city on a course that would Cause us to no longer be the most inequitable city in the country,
but to begin to implement policies that will make dallas a city that will level the Playing field for people who live south of the trinity.
this is personal for me and many others who could not be here today.
while my sister was laying on a ventilator taking her last few breaths from covid, I was speaking at a predominantly white church in north dallas about how this policy will
make it possible for their members to no longer have to carry the financial burden of this City.
thank you, doctor george mason, for courageously leading your congregation to see the Value of dallas being a more equitable city.
there are many people who could not be here who stand with me today as I speak.
thank you to former council member janey schultz, Who took the torch from me and led us through the challenging process of bringing the
racial equity plan across the finish line. Today you will take a vote that will be more Than just a vote.
it will be a statement. It will speak to what the values of this city are now and will be In the near future.
the question is and will be, what did you say and what did you do on the record?
because your voting record will be all that matters. Vote your conscience. The policy may no longer say racial equity, But I challenge you each to continue the work for equitable city and equitable
policies. I will be watching, and so will the residents of the city of dallas.
thank you for your time. Thank you. Andrea sanders.
yes. Okay, good. Good morning, mr. Mayor. Honorable council members.
merry christmas, happy hanukkah, blessed kwanzaa.
I stand here today for the last time before you this year to speak of 2929 southampton.
those dreaded words. The most dreaded address. I want you to know that I appreciate that you have been as stressed out about this Development as my community has.
we have fought a long, arduous fight for four years and now it's at a conclusion.
I cross my fingers as to what that conclusion might be.
I am asking you today, and this will probably be your last request from my community about This.
I'm asking you to approve one specific development.
oak cliff is widely recognized as the most demographically beautiful community in dallas, But it is unfortunately a community that has been
disregarded, disrespected, dismissed, unrecognized for many, Many years.
and I am asking you to vote today for a project that will go a long way toward rectifying That situation,
that long term situation. And we'll take one small step toward remedying
the relationship between my community and this council.
I'm not here as a representative of the community. I'm here as a member of the community. We have a representative.
we have, in fact, several representatives for southern dallas.
but please know that the words I'm about to say, My community, stands beside me and behind me in support.
29. 29. Southampton was put up for sale and that bid process has now closed.
and it is in your hands to make a selection. I am asking you to select the project that Was proposed by monty
anderson, a well known local developer who grew up in oak cliff. He proposes to bring quality housing for sale to our community.
that's something that seldom happens, and you can rectify that.
you can remedy the relationship between yourselves and our community, And you can open the gateway to oak cliff.
with that, I say thank you for your time. Thank you for the diligence and the effort that You spent in working through this project and these proposals with us.
and I wish you all a happy holiday. Thank you. Thank you. Michael simmons has canceled. Nancy carson has canceled sharon shepard.
sharon shepard, it's not present. Robert wyland or
robert wyland. Robert whelan, it's not present.
deborah moore. Thank you. You may come forward.
and you can have a seat right in that chair right in front of you, You can have a seat there and just turn on the microphone and speak.
okay. Okay. Good morning everybody.
good morning everybody. There's a button at the base of that microphone.
yes, ma'am. Can you hear me now? Yes. Good morning everybody.
my name is deborah moore, and I'm 71 years old.
and they have so much stuff going on in west dallas.
and sometime I reported to the code people. It's a property called 3221 puget.
puget street, dallas, texas. People hang out across the street doing everything.
all kind of things, you know, and trashing it. I got some pictures. So I reported to the old lady and she said, Well, I can't say nothing to those people.
they might hurt me. But the police used to stop them from being over there.
but now they're all coming back. They come in the evening and stay sometime at 10:00 at Night.
you know what they doing? I can't risk my life telling what they doing.
but you know what they doing. They're not doing nothing legally. They doing illegal. So I come here today because that property been vacant for over 20 Years and the owner is
deceased. So that's one problem I have. And I have so many problems, But I need to find out what can they do about people obstructing
the sidewalk? The kids get out of school. They can't walk on the sidewalk.
they have to walk in the street and then cross over. We have a lot of spanish kids come and and black kids be trying to come home from school, And it's not right.
and people be pushing their babies and they have to endure our seeing all the drug Activity and prostitution and all kind of things.
and we do need something for for homeless people. We need something put up for west dallas, for homeless people everywhere.
they just lay everywhere. They don't care where they lay. My heart go out to them. And I just want to know, You know, the city is building all these parks and we need to build something for the
homeless people. They need somewhere to go. They need most of them, Probably on drugs, need treatment.
so we need to find try to find out about do something about that.
and then cold. This lady, she a cold and ain't cockle.
she bothering me. And I have a building. And I done boarded up, So can't nobody get in the building.
can't nobody do nothing with the building. I'd like to see if I can.
I had one buyer that wanted to buy it, but he said, I can't buy this. Look at all that traffic. You know, drugs and trash.
that's trash. Like they didn't dump trash out. So he said, I can't buy this. And so I had another guy.
so the problem is, how can you sell something when the cold people won't cold these people For laying all over the sidewalk?
or they got their ice chests? I mean, it's a blanket doing everything.
anyway, that's all I wanted to say. I just need support to check on 32, 21 puget.
that's where they hang at. Thank you. Okay. Thank you all.
thank you. I had a hard time, but I wasn't going to miss it.
thank you. Your next speaker will be peter brodsky.
yeah. Can you help me? Yeah. Of course. Oh, good.
oh, good morning, mr. Mayor. City council, I first want to apologize for my grossly Inappropriate attire.
I was unaware of the dress code today. I hope you'll forgive me.
I'm speaking today to urge you not to defer item 13, Which is the potential $10 million grant to housing forward so that we can continue
our efforts to address unsheltered street homelessness in our city.
just to be clear on on what the strategy we're implementing is we have partnered very Effectively with the city.
I want to thank city manager tolbert for her partnership and the entire the entire staff.
we've partnered with the with dpd as well to enforce a no sleeping ban downtown.
and very importantly, our job, together with the entire continuum of care, Many of whom are represented here today is to keep the beds at the
shelters turning so that there is always a bed available for for someone who's on the Street to be brought to
what we do where where the exit pathway is for each individual at the at the shelters Where we're turning the beds really depends on
their condition. We bring in behavioral health, We bring in drug treatment.
sometimes they end up in a behavioral health facility. Sometimes they're ready for transitional housing.
sometimes they're ready for permanent housing. In all cases, they are case managed and surrounded with services.
and we have an over 90% rate of people still being off the street one year later.
so it's very successful. I know there are members of the city council that have questioned Our data.
but the fact is that since we've been implementing this strategy, Our unsheltered homeless population has declined by 28%,
and we believe it's continuing to decline in the next month.
if this item is deferred, 700 new people will fall into homelessness.
and if we are unable to receive this funding and continue with this strategy people will Spill out onto the street.
we are under a timeline with fifa. We're trying to make our city show the best side of our City.
this is a critical strategy for that. And fifa is approaching very, Very quickly.
we also have issues downtown that we're trying to to deal with. And the only thing that is accomplished by deferring this item is waiting another month.
so on behalf of the board of housing forward I would urge you to not to to vote, To overrule the deferral
and then vote to approve it. I thank you very much for your time.
thank you. David woody the third.
good morning, mayor johnson, city manager tolbert. Good to see you and members of the dallas city council.
I'm david woody, the third president and ceo of the bridge homeless recovery center here In dallas.
I had come this morning prepared to inspire your support for what was to be agenda item 13,
in the approval of funds for phase two of the street to home initiative, Also known as safe in the city.
but I've been made to understand that this item may not be engaged, So let me offer some critical thinking in regard to the need for this funding to more
keenly focus our continuum of care lead agency on increasing within our community the Number of exit pathways for the unhoused,
which include guests recovering from homelessness at the bridge homeless recovery center.
employees of the bridge engaged some 6778 guests for day shelter services during fiscal Year 2025.
the goal of maintaining a suite of day shelter services at the bridge creates the Opportunity to establish a karen housing plan,
an exit strategy from homelessness with each guest.
the resulted. This resulted in our single diversion specialist diverting some 200 Individuals from the homeless response system in the past year,
and our employees transitioning another 720 guests from the bridge to a home of their own.
95% of which our data reflects, remain in their home 12 months after placement.
please know that the bridge maintains a minimum of 100 guests down the road on their Homeless recovery pilgrimage.
living in our transitional shelter who are housing ready as a result of their accessing Services,
finding employment and or acquiring benefits, The bridge care managers are assisting these guests with finding a housing solution,
an exit pathway they can sustain. Continued funding from the city of dallas to housing Forward would translate into creating additional
shelter exit pathways. Finally, the bridge continues to respond to those involved in the Homeless outreach through safe in the city initiative,
resulting in some 300 new guest intakes during the month of october that we can transition More guests more quickly from the bridge
campus through exit pathways. Funding allows expected outcomes of the safe in the city Initiative to come true.
so please continue to ask questions and assist the bridges. Focus on building and sustaining the collaborative relationships necessary to further Strengthen the dallas homeless homeless response system.
happy holidays and thank you. Thank you. This concludes the city's first five registered Speakers.
the remaining speakers will have an opportunity opportunity to address the city council at The conclusion of its city business.
this is your speakers, mr. Mayor. Okay, then we'll move on to our voting agenda.
it's a big one. Thank you, mr. Mayor. The first item on the agenda is approval of minutes On the of the november 12th,
2025 city council meeting. Second, I heard a motion and a second.
is there any discussion? Seeing none. All in favor, Say aye. Any opposed? Ayes have it. Next item. Mayor that. Miss that.
miss anything? I'm saying that. Do something. No. For what purpose? I move to suspend city council rules of procedure, Section 7.11 a to allow consideration of agenda.
item number 13. Second. Okay. It's been moved and seconded.
I just want to make sure I know where we are in the agenda and what we're doing here. So we're about to take up, I guess, a vote, mr.
mayor, on that suspension of the rules. But yeah, We just finished the minutes and we were going to take up the consent agenda.
so is this the time? Is this is this the appropriate time for something like that? I want to make sure I believe it is. It would.
unsuspend item 13. Okay. Is there any discussion on this?
there is none. Okay, then, madam secretary, we'll have a vote on this.
I suppose we first see if we can do it by voice vote. All in favor, say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Nay.
all right, madam secretary. Go ahead. Call the roll. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. When I call your name,
please state yes if you're in favor. No. If you oppose council member west.
yes. Council member. Gracey. Yes. Councilmember. Johnson. Yes. Councilmember. Resendez. Yes. Councilmember.
kadina. Yes. Councilmember. Bazaldua. Yes. Councilmember.
blair. Yes. Councilmember. Blackmon. Yes. Councilmember.
stewart. Yes. Councilmember. Roth. No. Councilmember.
mendelsohn. No. Councilmember. Ridley. No. Deputy mayor pro tem.
willis. Yes. Mayor pro tem moreno. No. Mayor.
johnson. No. With ten voting in favor, five opposed.
that motion passes, mr. Mayor. All right, so it's back on the agenda now, And we'll take up.
we'll let you continue, madam secretary. Thank you, Mr. Mayor, before we move to your consent agenda, You do have two individuals who have signed up to speak on two of your consent agenda
items. Your first speaker will be lisa. New miss new will be speaking on consent agenda Item 17.
thank you. Good morning. Thank you, mayor johnson and members of council. My name is lisa new, and I have the honor of serving as the ceo of dallas su.
I want to thank you for your support for this morning's agenda item to approve our Development agreement for the safari trails and other needed approved
improvements that were part of the 2024 bond program.
we're grateful for the voters, the park board and staff, Our donors, and to each of you for helping us get this first major milestone for the
safari trails project moving forward. So thank you.
thank you. Your next speaker, mary paris. Mary paris.
it's not present. Okay, so those were your speakers prior to the consent agenda.
we will now move to your consent agenda. I have a procedural point of order. Yeah. Go ahead. State your point of order. Our normal procedure is to alert the secretary If we'd like to pull something off.
consent. And so, for the items that I asked to be removed from consent today, I also specified the item that I had deferred knowing that
this vote would occur. And so I'm wondering if that item is now for individual Consideration or if it's still considered to be part of consent.
good question. I'll let the secretary addressed that.
it is documented on email that I requested this, And now the attorney can confirm, but I believe it's placed back on
the consent. Please. I'll defer to the city secretary, But
there could be a motion to divide the question as well. I move to divide the question for individual consideration of that agenda item, Please.
13. Thank you. Has it been seconded? Second. It was seconded by chairman ridley.
okay. It's not a debatable motion. So we'll have another vote on the motion to divide the Question. All in favor, say aye. Aye,
aye. Any opposed? Let's have a roll call. Can't tell.
mayor, can I ask a procedural question? I'm not quite fully appreciating what the process Is.
we're just doing. So can someone please break it down to me. Yes, ma'am. I'll have the city attorney explain to you what a motion to divide the Question in this case would accomplish.
but it's just so you know, it's to answer. Your parliamentary inquiry is what that is.
and then we'll proceed to have the vote that we're about to have on the motion to divide, Which is not debatable.
thank you for the question. It is your custom to pull items prior to the council meeting.
but because this item was deferred the city secretary did not pull it.
and so now the opportunity to separate it from the consent would be through a motion to Divide the question.
this can stand on its own. And so it's divisible from the consent.
thank you for the explanation. Okay, madam secretary, Go ahead and call the roll.
thank you. This is on the motion to divide the question. Thank you, mr. Mayor. When I call your name, Please state yes if you're in favor. No. If you're opposed. Council member west. Yes.
council member gracey. No. Council member. Johnson.
yes. Council member. Resendez. Yes. Council member.
yes. Council member. Bazaldua. No. Council member. Blair. Yes. Council member. Blackmon. No. Council member.
stewart. Yes. Council member. Roth. Yes. Council member.
mendelsohn. Yes. Council member. Ridley. Yes.
mayor pro tem. Willis. Yes. Mayor pro tem. I'm sorry.
deputy mayor. Pro tem willis. Mayor pro tem moreno. Yes. Mayor. Johnson. Yes. With 12 voting in favor, Three opposed.
the motion passes, mr. Mayor. Okay, you can continue, Madam secretary.
thank you, mr. Mayor. We will now move to your consent agenda.
your consent agenda consisted of items two through 74.
agenda item nine was corrected. Agenda item 13 has been removed from the consent agenda.
agenda item 14 has been pulled by council member mendelsohn and was corrected.
agenda item 18 is deleted. Agenda item 23 is deleted.
agenda item 43 was corrected. Agenda item 48 was corrected and has been pulled by council Member west.
council member ridley and council member mendelsohn. Agenda item 54 has been pulled by council member west.
agenda item 57 has been pulled by council member mendelsohn and agenda item 73 and 74.
is being pulled as it. Item 73 and 74 must be considered before agenda items 14, 57 and one.
therefore, your consent agenda consists of items two through 12, 15 through
17, 19 through 22, 24 through 47,
49 through 53, 55, 56, 58, through seven, through
72. This is your consent agenda, mr. Mayor. I heard a motion for approval.
was there a second? It's been seconded. Any discussion? Chairman west, You recognized for five minutes on the consent agenda. Thank you. Mayor. I just want to
highlight a couple of of great items that are on the consent agenda.
appreciate personnel from the zoo coming this morning. I'm very excited, personally, as a family who goes to the zoo regularly?
that the zoo item is on for number 17. The safari trail is a major new attraction that's Going to be funded through this,
and will activate several additional acres of campus that are currently underutilized.
I want to congratulate the zoo on their massive fundraise that is going to be partnering Up with the city's contribution here to get this done.
secondly, item number 20 is a $700,000 contract to kick off the architectural and Engineering services for design of the martin
weiss recreation center. From my colleagues who sat through the bond discussions with us, This was a number one priority for most people in my district.
it is an item that has been neglected. This rec center for decades, And our west oak cliff neighbors are very eager to see this move forward.
it's a beloved neighborhood treasure for kids, Seniors, and everyone in between.
and then lastly, I just want to point out the historic preservation tax exemption Extension of the sunset date.
this is item 26. It's an important tool to help with historic preservation in our city.
as a representative of one of the oldest parts of dallas and many of our most cherished Historic and conservation districts,
this is an important tool to incentivize investment and rehabilitation of historic Properties.
this item, coupled with parking reform, which we passed earlier this year for historic Buildings,
will help our city preserve our most important neighborhoods. Thank you, miss cadena. You're recognized for five minutes on consent.
yes. I want to highlight agenda item number 29. Dallas animal services has been formally recognized for its significant progress in key Operational areas that directly support healthier outcomes for pets and improve
service to the community through increased adoptions, Expanded spay and neuter initiatives,
strengthened trap-neuter-return programs, and enhanced microchipping efforts.
dos has demonstrated measurable success it crosses core life saving strategies.
in acknowledgment of this work, doss has been awarded a $75,000 grant from the petco love Foundation,
which can be used toward any life saving purpose that further advances the department's Mission.
while we recognize that there is still much work ahead for doss, It is equally important to highlight and celebrate the accomplishments of our dallas of
our animal services department. Their commitment to continuous improvement, Proactive problem solving,
and creative resource development has allowed them to build new partnerships and secure Additional support for the people and pets of dallas.
this award is a direct reflection of the dedication and perseverance of doss staff.
at every level, their efforts continue to move the needle on critical animal welfare Outcomes,
while reinforcing the mission to protect both pets and people. This recognition of the hard work not only affirms the progress made, But also strengthens their momentum in delivering safe,
compassionate, and effective services for our community. And I also want to highlight item number 34. This agreement delivers a major expansion at Love field with 84,200ft² of
new hangar space and a 17.5 million private investment that strengthens the airport's long Term capacity.
sky harbor development will create ten new jobs and increase aviation activity, Generating additional revenue through fuel sales,
aircraft maintenance, and high value aviation services.
aviation strategically used the last dependable parcel at dallas dallas, Selecting a strong partner through a competitive process to ensure
high quality modern infrastructure. This project supports the continued excellence and Sustainability of love field,
ensuring the airport meets market demand while contributing positively to the city's Aviation system.
thank you. Chairman gracey, you're recognized for five minutes.
thank you, mr. Mayor. I just want to recognize highlight a couple of items. Item number 12 is the hensley field. And I'm excited to see in district three, We finally got some action going there.
and I want to thank hud for giving us $1 million grant to assess impact from contaminants And determine mitigation actions to enable a proposed shoreline.
so we have some action there. That's going to be a huge asset within the district, And we're really excited about what's to come over there.
item number 35 is dallas executive airport. It's a 635,000 or 15 acres, A square feet of
undeveloped land that developers will be coming in to begin putting.
I've been having several meetings with the executive airport in terms of getting some Economic development out there.
so this is something that's going to change the landscape out there. And address about 15 Acres over there to continue to bring business and opportunity there at the executive
airport. So thank you to staff both on the hensley field as well as the dallas executive Airport aviation team.
for the work that you've been doing, we appreciate it very much. Thank you. Chairwoman Mendelsohn, you recognized for five minutes. Thank you.
I just want to note a very important item. We are accepting the significant artistic gift By george tobolowsky.
he is a celebrated dallas born sculptor. His artistic career is rooted in decades of Contribution to texas's cultural
landscape. He's got deep family ties to dallas civic, Philanthropic and business history.
he's a protege and colleague of noted texas artist james charles at smu, Which is where tobolowsky earned his master's degree in sculpture
and his signature approach to sculpture using industrial steel.
we just had peter brodsky speaking and the old red bird. All those steel beams have become part of george's work.
he's a recipient of numerous awards and honors, Including the texas sculpture association,
national sculpture society, as well as the winner of many juried exhibits across the us And internationally.
he's known for transforming these industrial metals into bold and elegant forms.
he highlights themes of strength, interconnectedness, And resilience, qualities that mirror the spirit of the fire stations and departments
and officers. And this sculpture that he's donating, Which is called always in gear, will become the most
prominent piece of art in district 12. More than 70,000 people drive by that intersection Every single day,
and will both be reminded of the beauty of art, Of transformation, but also a tribute to our
always ready, always in gear firefighters. This work of art, Which I hope when it's installed you will come to view it,
is incredible. He's actually changed the colors of the sculpture to match the fire Department,
and took inspiration from a mosaic that's inside the building.
there's a new nonprofit that's been set up to help maintain this, And will be providing additional support for other items in district 12.
I think the the key item here is that this is an extremely meaningful philanthropic gift.
the value of it is they're saying 55,000. In addition to that, Georgia's transporting it.
and I'm just going to tell you it's very large and heavy. And he's making sure it's set properly. The the meaning of this dallas born artist.
this will be the very first item that is part of the dallas collection for, You know, he's older than me and this is our
first item from him. Born here. Tobolowsky's name's all over.
civic buildings, religious buildings. We've got judges, All sorts of items.
we had a tragic death of his brother that's made headlines for over a decade now.
so this is such an incredible gift. It just needed a minute for us to recognize what what He's doing for us.
and I'm very, very happy. I will note that he asked me if we would like to have this a Year ago.
that's how long it takes in the city of dallas to accept a free gift from an Internationally recognized artist a year,
and that's just to accept it. We haven't even said it yet. And so when we talk about efficiency, when we talk about how we move at the speed of Business,
this is how our speed of business is more than a year. Just to get to acceptance of a free sculpture by an internationally recognized artist.
thank you, chairwoman stewart. You recognized for five minutes.
thank you, mr. Mayor. Just on item 16. As chair of parks, Trails and the environment, I do want to thank ceo lisa new for moving this project,
the safari trail project forward. It's 2024 bond funds.
we know our residents have spoken that they'd like to see some additional funds spent at The zoo,
and it's my understanding that this project will activate underutilized space and will, Of course,
bring in additional revenue. Those are huge wins. So thank you for your work. Thank you, mr. Mayor.
is mr. Bazaldua here? Okay. Mr. Resendez, we'll go to you for five minutes.
I just wanted to highlight a couple of items on consent. Item 22. I'm proud to support this item. The kleberg trail is a long awaited investment That strengthens connectivity in southeast dallas and gives our residents safer,
healthier ways to move through their community. This project has been years in the making, and I want to thank dallas county, Our parks and recreation department,
and all the partners who helped advance it with this construction contract. We're taking a major step toward completing a high quality trail connection from the Buckner dart station to crawford park,
bringing new recreation opportunities, improving mobility, And enhancing quality of life for families in our area.
I'm excited to see this move forward. Also, I want to highlight item 40.
this. This is also a long awaited project and much needed traffic signal at old seagoville Road in north masters drive,
an intersection that has been the site of serious crashes for years and one that holds Personal significance for me.
when I was a student at comstock middle school, Our school bus was hit by two speeding cars.
at that intersection. One driver lost his life and several students, Including my sister,
were injured. Experiences like that stay with you and remind you how preventable these These tragedies are when communities lack safe street infrastructure.
this project is more than just a traffic signal. It's a critical safety upgrade that the community has been asking for and that traffic Engineers have warranted based on data.
it's the second of two signals along the master's drive corridor, Complementing the earlier project and helping create a safer and more complete network for
families, schools and nearby neighborhoods. I'm also proud to support this item.
thank you, mr. Bazaldua. You recognized for five minutes.
thank you. Mayor. I wanted to highlight item 27. It's our exterior improvement grant program. Today.
we're voting on the district seven exterior improvement grant program for commercial Properties,
a major step towards supporting small businesses in our community. This program is designed to enhance commercial properties, Increase property values, stimulate private investment,
and uplift the visual and economic landscape of district seven.
this is the first program approved under the newly created city council. District specific small business program section.
section 3.2 of the city of dallas. Economic development incentive policy.
this policy empowers council members to create targeted programs that address the unique Needs of their district.
district seven is leading the way, setting a model for how strategic localized investment Can support small businesses.
we are dedicating over $790,000 in district seven discretionary funds, Specifically from 2017 proposition I economic
development bond funds to support this program. Funding is available for permanent capital improvements, Including building facade upgrades,
hardscape and site improvements, streetscape enhancements, Building envelope, and energy efficiency improvements.
applications will be available on the office of economic development website beginning December 15th,
2025. Lastly, I want to give a big thank you to heather lopez and her team over in the Office of economic development.
your leadership and hard work transform an idea into a fully realized program.
I look forward to seeing this program succeed and hope the full city council expands it Across the entire city.
thank you, mr. Mayor. Mr. Mayor, before you take the final vote on the consent agenda, Please,
I would like to make a correction to your consent agenda. I originally announced that I, item 73 and 74 were removed from the consent because of the Note to comply with the note,
but it's not necessary. Therefore, items 73 and 74 will remain on your consent agenda.
I'll. I'll restate your consent agenda. Okay.
your consent agenda now consists of items two through 12, 15 through 17, 19 through
22, 24 through 47, 49 through 53, 55,
56, and 58 through 74. That is your consent agenda.
all right, members, anyone else want to speak on for or against the consent agenda as it's Been corrected?
seeing none. All in favor, say aye. Any opposed? The ayes have it. Next item. Are we? Yes. We're up.
we're. The next item will be your first pulled item, Mr. Mayor. Okay, well, then I'm going to read you all a little statutory language so we can go Into executive session here.
so it is 10:16 a.m. On december 10th, 2025, and the city council meeting will now go into Closed session under section 551 .071 of the texas open meetings
act. On the following matter described on today's agenda, Item number 86.
with that, we'll stand at recess until. Let's call it 1115 1115.
thank you. There you go. All right. City council meetings completed its closed session Under section five,
51.071 of the texas open meetings act. And at 11:17 a.m.
on december 10th, 2025, we return to open session. Madam secretary, let's proceed with agenda item 86, If you don't mind.
thank you, mr. Mayor. Agenda item 86 is a resolution one repealing resolution number 241318,
adopted on september 11th, 2024. Two adopting a funding agreement for the dallas police And fire pension system and three authorizing settlement
of the lawsuit filed. Dallas police and fire pension system. The city of dallas. This is your item, mr. Mayor.
is there a motion? Motion to approve. I heard a motion and a second.
okay. Is there any discussion? Seeing none. I'm getting there.
I'm so sorry, chairwoman. Stewart just a yes or no. I can't. You're. You're out of the queue now. Are you. Are you wanting I left?
it's not okay there. Well, now my whole computer's down. But you're recognized for five minutes while my computer gets. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. That's okay. Just a short statement on this.
this item. When both parties agree to this funding agreement, It will end years of uncertainty and resolved long standing disputes that have
weighed heavily on the pension system. The city of dallas, Dpd, retirees, and even the recruitment and retention in these
departments. The agreement restores the opportunity for stability of the system by Creating a predictable and
stable funding structure. It also protects taxpayers by creating a legally sound and Sustainable funding model.
I appreciate the team effort and shared leadership that got us to this point.
this funding plan represents a balanced plan that protects retirees and acknowledges the City's fiscal realities.
thank you, mr. Mayor. Is there anyone else like to speak on for or against agenda item 86 Seeing none.
all in favor, say aye. Aye. Any opposed? No, I have it.
note the no. By council member ridley. Thank you, Mr.
mayor. Well, now we will now go back to your pulled items, Beginning with your first pulled item.
agenda item 13. Agenda item 13. Authorize the one city manager to execute a
one year contract with housing forward as a sole source. Approved as to form by the city attorney for the coordination of the street to home phase Two.
the city of dallas funds will accelerate diversion and rehousing efforts by providing Financial assistance in the form of rental assistance and paid utilities to persons
experiencing homelessness. This phase will turn over beds and clear the way for law Enforcement,
law enforcement and outreach to bring more people inside to move individuals out of Shelters and into stable housing,
through the local continuum of care, and to execution of any and all terms, Conditions and documents required by the contract not to exceed $10
million. Mr. Mayor this item. As it was undefeated.
it had three individuals who did want to sign up to speak on this item.
two individuals spoke on open mic, so there is one individual that's remaining.
okay. Okay. Jennifer scripps, you may come forward.
good morning. Mayor, city council, I'm jennifer scripps, I'm the president and ceo of downtown dallas inc.
and this morning, driving to this meeting, I was really taken back to three years ago During the holiday season when we were panicking in downtown dallas because under previous
city management, there were more than 50 people sleeping every single night on the public Library front and strewn across the city plaza,
city hall plaza. And at that time, we were begging for more support and a real strategy to Address a situation that we believed was rapidly becoming unmanageable.
now, today we have hosted a beautiful turkey trot. We are getting ready for the marathon. The parade last weekend went off without a hitch.
but more importantly, working as part of the continuum of care with housing forward, We have rehoused almost 300 people just from downtown dallas alone.
we believe the sleepers, the number of unsheltered people sleeping in downtown is down More than 70%.
this makes a tremendous difference in the experience for visitors.
importantly, the daytime workers, including city staff, But also companies like at&t and all of the banks and law firms,
and the almost 16,000 residents that call downtown dallas home.
the homeless clients have been steered not only to housing, But to treatment that they need and institutional care when inappropriate.
die has six full time outreach workers that are dedicated to this effort, Alongside our partners like the bridge and austin street shelter and our calling.
we don't see the point in doing outreach if the whole system is not working efficiently to Help us manage these cases.
by this funding, you are helping us keep this system humming. And let me tell you, time is of the essence. We need downtown to be ready to host fifa.
the international broadcast center is loading in in first quarter of 2026.
this deferral is putting this progress at risk. We also need you to please, in addition to this funding exercise, Your power to help us address street feeding,
which is one of our ongoing challenges. And we need an updated ordinance. So I will put a plug in that it's not just money, But other things that the city is uniquely focused to to help us address.
so please, on behalf of not only die, but really the hundreds of people that find Themselves in homelessness,
please continue the strong support and leadership that you have heretofore ensured with The $10 million that was approved in the budget for this ongoing
work. Thank you so much. Thank you. This is your speaker, Mr.
mayor. Is there a motion? Motion to approve. Second, It's been moved and seconded.
we're on item 13. Chairwoman mendelsohn, you recognized for five minutes.
thank you. Mayor. I wrote a memo to defer this item for a variety of reasons, And I'd like to share them with you.
first off, you may recall. You may note we've never had a briefing on this.
the city manager had a briefing scheduled for october 15th, But canceled it.
we had a briefing scheduled for november 19th. Canceled? No briefing last wednesday. This item could have been briefed, But it was not.
and so here we are scheduled for a vote with no briefing.
the staff asked me to put it on the housing and homeless solutions committee agenda Yesterday,
one day before it was scheduled for a vote, and I said yes.
and even then they didn't have a briefing prepared. They had a memo. Spending $10 million on homelessness services deserves a briefing, And it's worthy of thoughtful
discussion. We're being told this is an emergency, But then why no briefing?
what's the emergency? And when did they find out it was an emergency?
and what's the consequence of the delay? Unknown.
if we're told it's the money is needed at this meeting, Why didn't anyone know sooner to give the briefing and have a fuller discussion on how
to spend the dollars? How is this system working that they don't even know that they're Running out of the funding,
and they're ending up in an emergency? It seems like very irresponsible and concerning Budgeting at the city.
the word fifa is never discussed with us. So peter brodsky, Jennifer, good job.
at least you said the truth because business leaders all across town are saying this is Fifa cleanup money.
it's kind of a gross way to describe what's happening, But that's what they're saying.
it's just like when the chinese president visited san francisco.
it's the creation of a short term illusion that an issue is solved or doesn't exist.
no, it's about fifa. And that's what this $10 million is really about.
the use of the dollars is said to be for free housing and utilities for a year.
but what's the plan when the $10 million runs out and there are no more arpa funds?
we have no long term plan. Just one emergency after another.
when these dollars are spent, we will have nothing to show for it. Nothing. We already made a transformational $72 million homeless investment.
but did we get transformation? No, we did not.
the efforts that jennifer just described downtown are absolutely not about that $72 Million investment.
there are 100% about the city manager having done a good job of stepping up enforcement, And she should be noted for that.
the only change we're actually seeing is because we have heard the outcry of the business Community saying they will leave downtown if we don't have that enforcement.
so we've responded. What will it take to get that same level of response throughout the City?
continuing to give large sums of money with no long term solution will normalize this kind Of investment into our annual budget.
these dollars, the the 72 million. All of this has been arpa, And it's running out.
this is beyond what is appropriate, and we need our agencies to have accountability for Their work and not become departments of our local government.
we need emergency shelter beds. We haven't had new beds in years, But the population has grown.
the need is urgent, but this plan just shoves people into scattered site apartments.
and then when the housing dollars dry up, the dollars are spent.
we will have nothing to show for it. But our emergency shelter beds are not matching the Population,
demographics, needs and preferences for shelter.
they want privacy. They don't want to be in a congregate setting. They want to be able to stay as couples, married or not.
they want their pets with them. The committee has been exploring new solutions and ideas On how to address homelessness,
and that $10 million may be better spent on one of those ideas.
pallet homes. Tiny home communities. Haven for hope model. Single room occupancy. Faith based communities and others we haven't even briefed yet.
it's an insult for staff to talk about this proposal all around town, Except not in council chambers for us and the public to hear and to push with the
nonprofits to deploy these dollars without serious consideration of alternatives.
mayor, I have a number of other items I see. I'm out of time. I'd be happy to just continue. I don't expect to have debate.
I just want to make my comments. Other rounds to use. Happy to do that. That's not a problem at all.
chairman west, you're recognized for five minutes. We're on agenda item 13. Thank you. Mayor and I, a lot of times we'll just kind of, You know, be fine with someone just making comments.
but I think there was some inflammatory things in there that we just can't let be the only Voice that's said here.
first of all, I the one of the comments was that we've given money to housing for it in The past,
and have not really seen the positive results. My understanding, and I'm going to ask city management to opine here, Is that between 2000
and 2024, we've seen an increase in 280% of the amount of people we've been able to house In
who have at one time been homeless. Can you just confirm?
I mean, I don't need a long diatribe on this, But confirm that their housing forward is working generally,
and it may not be perfect, but it's the system we have in place, And we are seeing success as compared to sister cities across the country.
thank you so very much, council member west, For your comments. And first of all, let me just acknowledge that there are no perfect
systems and I would not be serving this body well by telling you that everything that we Have done over these last few years,
that it's been perfect. What I can tell you is that the collaboration and the Comprehensive strategic model that has been built in
partnership with housing forward, who is the lead agency in the continuum of care.
we have been very intentional about focusing on efforts to continue to support and Strengthen the ecosystem around our unsheltered
residents, and it is working, and it has worked. And so when you think about the numbers, whether you're talking about the national data That the city has been recognized for,
and overall, we have seen a substantial reduction in the number of unsheltered Individuals,
residents sleeping on our streets. That progress would not be made had we not put our Money where our mouth is.
whether we're talking about arpa funding, the additional money that's in the general fund To support a lot of the services that we are providing through diversion and other
efforts. It is a comprehensive approach. And so I am I am excited about the work that we Will continue to do with our partners,
and I'm excited to see so many of them here this morning, Because it truly shows that this is not work that the city does alone,
and it will take the ongoing investment. We have never said that this was going to be a One time thing.
we never talked about it when we rolled out the rapid rehousing program that it would be a One time investment.
we said that there would be a need for continuous support and continuous funding.
and so I appreciate the comments about, you know, Kind of setting the record straight.
the details around those numbers, whether we're talking about our veteran homelessness That we were successfully able to to end earlier in the year,
and any other efforts, the data proves that we're doing a good job, And I would hope that that work will continue in partnership with housing forward and all
of our other nonprofit partners. So thank you for the question. Thank you. City manager tolbert. And this question may be for you or for staff, But I seem to recall back when we funded phase one that there was
a discussion that additional funding would be requested. And so to the extent that folks were surprised that this phase two funding came to us, I just don't find that as
a, as a, as a realistic argument, because I remember that and I just want to get Confirmation from staff that that did in fact occur.
exactly. So one of the things that we we started out, We we focused on the strategy around moving people directly from encampments into housing.
and I think that that was the biggest piece of phase one is that we wanted to take Services out into encampments,
be able to triage and deal with people on spot and be able to move them into housing in The budget that the city council adopted for fy 2526,
we laid out a housing pathway strategy that was discussed extensively with this body, And it was in the budget that this $10 million
investment would be used to help us move people in what we call from shelter to home and The and the and the whole premise of that is that we didn't want shelter to be the stopgap
where people go, and then they have to stay and they stay and they stay. But how do we aggressively make sure that people are being moved and that housing in a Shelter that is a pathway to housing.
you go through the shelter and you're able to move out. So we talked about that being the next step, Which is what you have before you today.
so as part of the budget, we mapped it out. We discussed it. We talked about it. And we said that we would be bringing this to council before the end Of the year to move the $10 million on the street to continue to house our unsheltered
residents. Thank you. And the discussions of the budget happened over several weeks, And all the council members had an opportunity to ask questions during that process,
right? Yes, sir. That is correct. Okay. Thank you.
chairman gracey, you're recognized for five minutes. Agenda item 13. Thank you, mr. Mayor. First of all, I just want to thank all of these organizations that are represented in this audience
today. Thank you for the work that you all are doing. I know that it is a tough job, and I know you all receive a lot of criticism.
some warranted, some of it not. But I just want to thank you for the work that you all are Doing and continue to do.
this is a very frustrating subject for me for a number of reasons.
because on one hand, I've seen in downtown where you all have been able to go through and Clean up,
and I think it was 115 in 3 weeks or something. I'll never forget that stat of how many people you all were able to get off the street so Quickly.
my frustration comes that when we drive around our districts, I want to see the same thing happening over there,
because clearly you all have a system that can work. I want to see it spread out into other areas.
so again, thank you for that. Colleagues, we continue to have conversations and we Understand what the need is.
we know that there's a homeless issue. We know that there's a housing issue. We know that All of that.
but unfortunately, it seems like every single time we have a conversation about it, There's always this political pettiness that jumps in the
middle of actually trying to get to a solution. We all want the same thing. I'm not challenging that.
we all want the same thing. Some of us are executing, Some of us are discussing, but all of us need to be on the same page.
this is not just about fifa. These people have been homeless before fifa was a thought was An idea.
we need to find solutions to help these people and stop all of these games so that we can Move towards solutions.
so again, I thank you all for what you're doing, Madam chair, thank you for your concerns.
on how you've been doing and all of these other options, I think there is a solution that can be derived from all of this,
but it's not necessary to hold up funding in order to do that. I think we need to continue moving in the right direction because it's working.
I want to see it expanded because, again, you all know my story. Messina is my case study. She moved, found her at the other end of hampton, And I talked to her every morning.
and again, that is my case study. How are we handling miss zina? How are we able to address it? It's a little bit easier downtown, But when you get into the other districts,
it's spread out and you actually have to find them and get those solutions. So for me, I'm approving this, I support this, But I also want to see increased efforts to address what's happening in and around
everywhere else, because we're not going to pretend that there aren't new shopping carts Showing up in everybody else's district.
so while on one hand there are solutions and we don't see them him downtown. On the other hand, we're seeing new people in faces everywhere.
and I take a moment to try to get to know their names. I ask them, Where do you sleep at night? So again,
I'm telling y'all, this is not politics. These are people's lives.
and we need to stop with this and move towards solutions. We've had plenty of opportunities to brief this item and all that, But it hasn't happened.
but yet there's always some form of of controversy or something centered around this.
when we talk about solutions, there's always some scheme to find some solution behind Somebody's back.
this is working. But then a few of us decide that it's not working.
and that's not right, because we haven't had the opportunity to see how it would work in Other districts. So I continue to support this, and I continue to encourage you all to do
the work that you all have been doing, both individually and collectively, With or without this body,
because you all are hired. This is what you all do every day. So continue to do that work every day with or without us, And hopefully we can get ourselves together where we can continue to provide the proper
support to address this collectively, and not just because there's an event coming up. Thank you. Laurie blair, you're recognized for five minutes.
I'm going to echo the sentiments of council member gracey.
we did discuss this, and we did make sure that the funding was available when we did our Budgets back in.
was it october? So we knew that this was coming.
the the the opportunity to discuss this, whether it be committee or council.
we've had we we don't we haven't had that I normally do not.
agree to go outside of the process. One of the things I was taught by my predecessor was Process and procedure.
process and procedure. And I can hear his voice in my head. Process and procedure. But when the process is broken and we can't get through.
all of the items we need to address the procedure is wrong.
the process is broken. I had the opportunity to speak with one of our.
one of our members are and ask for data. I was afforded the data within 24 hours.
I shared the data with my members of the committee. But yes, we haven't had that because the process is broken, Whether it be by political posturing,
personality conflicts, whatever it is. What you're doing is hurting, Not each other, but
the members, the unhoused population in the city of dallas, Councilman, gracey and I, we share zena councilman,
gracey and I, we share the problems that we collectively and I'm spearheading on camp Wisdom in
67 and around that area because it's a heavily wooded area.
but when we can't get through the process to identify those areas, We are only doing a
disservice to the citizens of dallas. When I was elected, One of the things I said I wanted to look at the ways to manage the
unhoused in the city, in the district. But it was always a bigger problem.
it has to be addressed in the city of dallas when we are unable to do that, Whether it be in committee or council,
the only people we're hurting are the people we have been elected to serve.
the process is broken. I challenge each one of us sitting at this horseshoe to put aside Whatever
it is that creates this division, and do what we were elected to do.
are we being paid to support to get done? We had staff members who was who was ready to Present in
housing. They didn't get the opportunity to do that. We have items here that are on the agenda that should have been discussed yesterday.
it didn't happen. And there are members that should have heard that that has the most Available land to
be developed. And because we didn't get there, And because we have a habit of not getting to the housing portion,
who are we hurting ourselves? One of the things I'm not going to do, And I've said over and over and over again,
I will not do, is bow down to childish behavior.
I will not go forward next year with the same type of behavior, And I challenge each and every one of you to put the people
that we that elected us to serve first and foremost and get the job done through the Process
and procedure and policies that are in place to do the work.
thank you. Chairwoman mendelsohn, you recognized for three minutes.
thank you. I will just say in response to some of my colleagues comments that this process Is not working in my opinion,
and if it was working, we wouldn't see all these long term encampments.
the solution isn't just spending more money. That's not the answer, And certainly not in the same way we have continued to do it.
the process is broken because items are put on the agenda at the very last minute.
when it becomes an emergency, when it has to be now. And it's not just for this item, it's for lots of items.
I'm going to go back to my prepared items. This is arpa money.
it's once in a generation dollars. It's not from property tax or sales tax.
it's unrestricted in this case. And there may be other homeless uses, Which I've already said,
but there also might be other significant needs in the city.
city hall repairs. Other city facilities. Streets and sidewalks.
traffic signals. Pension. Streetcar, police academy and more.
I hope people will go back and view the video of our council meeting on february 14th, 2024.
when I said to t.c., please use this arpa funding to repair the city hall, Not put it on bond
allocation for the change that was proposed at the 12th hour.
we don't need long term debt for repairing this building.
long term homeless encampments exist and will persist, With all efforts directed to clean up downtown for both fifa and the businesses
threatening to leave downtown is important, and I understand wanting to make a good Impression to visitors about downtown.
but all our residents deserve to live in areas without encampments and the cleanliness and Safety that people are striving for downtown with fifa mania,
and the people who are living in the encampments deserve better.
dallas taxpayers will cement their exclusive leadership in caring for all the homeless in Our region,
as another large pot of funding is allocated to this effort. This is a shared issue and shared solutions are needed.
bond dollars hud dollars are still available. The ridiculously named master lease program, Which is really a rapid rehousing program, still has $3 million,
largely unused. We could even ask the governor to come help downtown if we needed to.
this is a last minute band-aid to save face with fifa and downtown businesses.
we need a serious and thoughtful next step. And this $10 million should have been placed To help launch us to that kind of
success, not just throwing more money at the same solution that has not yielded the kinds Of results that we expected.
that's your time for this round. Miss blackmon, You recognized for five minutes.
thank you. Okay, so I have a couple of questions about the briefing schedule, Because that seems to be what is an issue with pulling
it or not? The the item in miss city manager, I'm looking at the dates that were basically given
october 15th, 1119 and 12 three. Those are all full council briefings.
was it ever on the full counseling briefing docket? Because I know the 19th, we didn't even have a meeting planned because I think most of us Were. No, ma'am, it was not on the agendas that you're that you're referring to.
I'm not aware. I have to ask staff to confirm if I'm right or wrong, But I do not believe that it was on an agenda and then canceled by staff.
so the full council briefing. That's exactly okay. That's exactly right. And we started our committee briefings in october, November.
and then of course, december. Was it ever on any of those on your forecasting from staff?
I'd have to ask. We of course. Let me just back up for just a minute. So as council knows, in our approved budget that you adopted, We actually consolidated departments.
so during the month of october, the consolidations and the implementation of that is Actually what we were focused on.
so we now have a housing department that also includes the office, The previously office of homeless solutions and all that.
so during the month of october, I do know that a lot of the consolidation was underway. I'd have to ask the current director if it was then on the agenda for the month of November.
I don't believe that it was, but I do know that as part of the way we presented, And I'll go back to the budget conversation we laid out in the
budget, the housing pathways that was discussed and we talked about this investment would Be to move forward with the implementation of the
shelter piece. That's what you have before you today is how we implement what you've Adopted in the budget.
but I'd have to ask director erickson to opine on anything that was presented on the, I would say,
the hhs committee agenda for the month of november. Thank you. City manager, council members. Mayor. This item did not appear on october and November housing committees.
however, it was on agenda for yesterday's housing committee. We understand that that's short notice between one day and council briefing.
we did. Author acm liz sedillo authored a friday memo that was posted on this last friday To brief as well as offering to meet with you all for any
questions that you may have. So understanding that was an abbreviated time frame of Briefing and outreach,
but it was being prepared to be in that order this year. Did did staff intend to have this briefing at any time and was taken off the agenda.
I mean, because it became from the budget and this is a budget item, It's not a strategy discussion.
is that correct? That that is correct. Okay. Thank you for clarifying. That is a different thing. Correct. This is a budget item that we had a discussion in August adopted in september,
but there was never intention of bringing it to a committee or full council in the form Because it's an item,
not a strategy discussion. It's this item is the implementation of what was laid out in The budget that we would be delivering for the council.
and so I will say that because as as you all know, As we work through agenda, timing and items pushing to make sure that we
had this before you to approve would help us go into the new year with that funding being Released.
and so it was in my in my in my opinion, it was really a rush for us as well, Trying to make sure that we had all of our pieces in place,
making sure that we work to ensure that the timing of the agenda, Because of the dollar amount,
is not something administratively we could do. So that's kind of why you're in this Compressed time frame.
it was to make sure that we did not push it into next year, Which now gives us time to begin to move forward and implement and get the dollars on the
street. So I don't want the staff to be punished because they've been doing the work, Making sure that we were ready to go and bringing it before the body yesterday.
and it's my understanding that we were prepared yesterday to answer questions at the Committee level.
I don't believe that the conversation took place yesterday at the committee meeting. And Thor,
how many housing meetings have you had since october?
we have had two, one in october, one in november and then yesterday.
so three total as of today. There wasn't any special called ones. There were, but they were canceled. We were scheduling one special call to to do a Training.
and then there was another pending special call. But that one has been canceled as well. Now,
about the money that what we're doing. So how much has been spent in all on the program And what years are those?
got it. So phase one, if you will recall, I believe it was from february to may of last Year.
in 2025, we had a $5 million investment, and that was to serve about 250 individuals.
and I do believe that that's been the completion of phase one. Okay. There was a fundraising during phase one that actually through efforts outside the City,
I believe another $20 million was raised. So the city's investment was 5 million.
and then there was a private sector investment that I believe would about 20 million Altogether.
that was raised 20 million on the private side for this program. So phase one. So right now this is phase two.
so it's a pretty good roi. Yes. So in phase one I think a total that was for the total Program,
I think it was 20 million. Five of that million came from the city of dallas for phase One.
and that phase one was the work that we have been doing since february through 2020.
may of 2025. And it's my understanding about 250 individuals were served during that time Period.
okay, so this is phase two. And for the $10 million investment that is before council Today,
it is estimated that we would serve about another 425 plus individuals with this Additional investment,
which is the phase two, focused on moving people out of shelter into housing and freeing Up the shelter beds.
that also comes with services. Around helping them with stabilization, Planning, doing all of the housing location,
helping them get employment assistance, all the resources and all the wraparound services That we continue to talk about transportation,
financial lease, household management, all of those things are embedded into the Investment.
okay. And so would you say that the I guess we've helped you know, Right about, I guess, six,
6 to 700 folks. What are we are we putting are we making a dent?
I think we're making a huge dent. And I'll give you this one stat that I failed to share When councilmember west asked the question earlier.
from july of 2024 through october of 2025, we have been able to serve over 7000 Individuals during that time frame.
okay. Thank you for that. And thank you. And I too am aware of the drama and where people Are real.
people are getting caught in the middle of all this. And I want to thank you all for being Here. It's never easy to come down because we're so unpredictable.
and the bottom line is we have to when I drive into downtown, Especially, you know, this morning,
you see a different array of individuals that are experiencing homelessness.
it is not the same ones that we've seen. And that is what's frightening, Is because we know that we need to transition those early ones sooner,
because once they've been on the street, they get it gets harder to transition them out.
and they do come with a mental health addiction job training issues.
and so not in any individual is specific in the way we can't cookie cutter an approach Which makes it a little bit more expensive than if you say,
go to the shelter and then go here and then go there. And so doing nothing is not an option. And I think people around this horseshoe realize That,
that it may not be perfect, but we shouldn't let perfect be the enemy of the good.
and we've heard that so many times around here. We will work through the new orders and get a program.
but to say the money that we promised you and you thought was coming is cut off now, But continue the work because this is important is not good.
look on the city. And so I want to thank my colleagues who supported the suspension, Because I do think there was ample time to brief this.
I do think that that it doesn't matter who's to blame.
but when you look at from september to now, we had opportunities.
and so let's work to get together, to move forward, Because in the meantime people are really hurting.
and for the games to continue here is not good.
so I'm going to be supporting this. And I look forward to working with my partners because That's what you are and to see you otherwise.
I apologize if any of you feel that way, but we have to we have to focus and we have to Find real solutions and stop playing in the
drama. Thank you, miss gordon. You're recognized for five minutes.
thank you, mr. Mayor. My office overlooks city hall plaza for eight years, So I've seen the encampments and the services offered to our unhoused
residents. It's not perfect, but I can say it's the best that it's been in eight years.
I would definitely love to see this expanded to district six as as we've seen an increase In west dallas in the design district.
and I know in district six, we look forward to having the salvation army.
but these are important services that we need to offer to the unhoused.
in regards to funds being used for something else, I recall in 2024, I believe council member narvaez in atkins found some arpa money.
it was 15 million that were used for city hall repairs at the time.
so there has been some funds that have gone to that city manager, I would like to ask, so how many are expected to be
served with the 10 million? That's thank you so much for the question.
councilmember cadena, so with this $10 million investment. The proposed number that would be served is a little over 425 individuals.
and again, I want to share that this includes not just the the housing piece, But it's all of the additional services that we've heard from council that we need to
ensure that are embedded. So when we think about ways that we have to continue to make Sure that those individuals,
once their house, that they're stabilized, we think that that's been I think one of the Benefits of the track record and how we're doing the housing piece,
is that I want to say, the last time I checked, The number was well over 90% of these individuals that we have served,
even with some of the prior funding, that those individuals are still stably housed.
but this does include the services that are needed, Whether it's ongoing support, whether it's mental services,
drug abuse, drug abuse stabilization. All of those pieces are embedded within, Including the ongoing case management support that this council ensured
that in 2022 we also invested in. So I think it allows for us to have a comprehensive Approach,
housing being a big piece of it, but then all of the other services that go along with Keeping those individuals housed.
so those would be the numbers we would definitely come back and share with the council the Results,
and how that $10 million actually moved the needle. And making sure that we're getting people into housing shelter is not a stop in place.
it's actually a pass through, and it's a place that you come to in order to be housed in The city of dallas.
thank you so much, and thank you for your work and the work of your staff.
as you continue to help bring services to our unhoused residents. That's all, mr. Mayor. Chairman ridley, you're recognized for five minutes.
thank you, mr. Mayor. Questions for the housing director.
so, thor, why is this item an emergency now? Has all of the money going to housing forward Run out?
why is this critical that we decide this today as opposed to in january after a proper Briefing?
council member. Thank you. This allows us to get a new contract in place to continue to Have money available.
there is a funding gap expected from federal funds to housing forward, As are there some agencies.
this money allows us to to continue to fund that. It also allows us to make this first investment in their second phase fundraising.
so having the city's money be leveraged into an additional ask through housing forward, This really helps them solidify that plan so they can continue to grow phase two and
continue to serve more folks through that funding gap and through their continued refined Compliance efforts with the upcoming nofo that they'll be applying to for continued
federal funding. So has all federal funding dried up?
I can't speak to all federal funding and every contract that they might have, But there's an anticipated gap between when federal funding will restart in new contracts
in the upcoming year, with the application to hud for their nofo. So this allows us to have this new contract in place to continue making sure that there is Funds available for some of the housing programs,
as well as the support to some of the other agencies that they'll rfp through this.
so what's the anticipated duration of that gap in funding?
I can't speak for that right now from the federal government side. The most current nofo was released, and then it was removed a couple days ago.
and so we anticipate further guidance from hud in this directive and what they'll be Looking for,
for compliance with agencies and the applications that housing forward is putting together To continue funding.
so exactly what will this money be used for? So this money is used for case management, As the city manager had said.
so folks that are actually working with the unhoused population, Making sure they're getting into the proper services and then rental assistance up to 12
months for most of the funds. There's about a little over $1 million set aside to support Some additional agencies,
which is austin street, catholic charities, the stewpot family gateway, Harmony cdc, salvation army,
the bridge, and under one roof. For some administration to support to carry out the Services that the city manager had acknowledged would be in addition to the rental
assistance component. So all of the 10 million doesn't go directly to housing forward.
some of it goes to the agencies. You've listed the nonprofits? Yes, sir. How much so? So if I could just jump in for just a second.
thank you so much, councilmember. Really so and thank you for the breakdown. So in the memorandum that the staff provided on december the 5th, There's a chart and the chart is listed on page two.
in that chart, it shows the breakdown of the the 10 million, The rental assistance line item which includes rental security deposits.
utility assistance is about 6.595. That's what the out of the 10 million.
and then there's another two point roughly 4 million. That includes all of I talked about the case management, The wraparound services for those individuals,
and then the remaining million, about 1,000,071 is the other organizations that that Mister thor just mentioned,
everything from those other providers who are doing work. There's administrative costs for them and how they're involved and working to make sure That placements are happening,
that they're supporting the the effort overall so that this is not a $10 million check to Housing forward that's sitting in their bank account.
this money is being used to pay out rental assistance, Provide all the services, and very much support those other nonprofits that are working as
part of the continuum of care to provide services. So I've heard the statistic of the 97% of people who remain stably housed at a 12 month Time period.
at that point, their vouchers expire. What statistics do you have about what happens to Those people after 12 months?
council member really for that detailed question, Because the city of dallas is not the continuum of care.
so we're not doing the day to day. I would ask for a representative from housing forward To answer that question for you.
okay. If they're available. Ask them if they can't find the person who
lives.
there we go. Hi. Sara khan, ceo of housing forward council member radke.
the question was what happens to people after they've transitioned out of homelessness?
no. After 12 months when their vouchers expire. So we specifically wait to start tracking returns to homelessness until after someone has Completed their housing assistance so that we can
track not only after move in while they've received housing subsidy, But specifically start tracking after that to understand if we've
been able to support someone on a pathway towards self-sufficiency. And so the data that's presented on our community wide performance dashboard is the data That you presented,
which is specifically after someone has stopped receiving a housing subsidy.
how many individuals actually remain housed? And that's the percentage that you cited.
we the the data demonstrates that 90 it hovers between 92 and 93% of the individuals since 2021
have been have not returned to homelessness after their subsidy has ended.
at what point in time, though, is that count made? The the measure that is on the dashboard counts 12 months after that subsidy has ended.
but certainly we track that well beyond that. And if you want specifics on that, we can provide that.
so that percentage in the low 90% is calculated not right at the end of the voucher Assistance,
but a year after that assistance ends, which means many of those households have been, You know,
obviously housed for two years. And do you how do you calculate that?
do you actually look those people up and find out what their status is, And what happens if you're unable to contact them?
how do you count that? So the most robust and reliable way to look at returns to Homelessness is through the system.
and so essentially we look at essentially a full system view.
so after someone has exited to permanent housing and we note that their subsidy has ended,
then we track month over month of those people who has returned to our system.
and that's the most reliable way to look at returns to homelessness. So if you don't see them reappearing in your tracking system, Then you assume that they are sustainably housed on their own.
people are living in different living situations, So sometimes an exit pathway is moving in with family and friends.
if that's a more sustainable living situation for someone. Some people maintain their housing units and the self-sufficiency pathway is employment And increasing their income so that they can maintain that rent.
but yes, people are exiting on a number of different sustainability pathways.
and so from day one, the case managers are required to create a self-sufficiency and Stability plan with each household so
that those pathways are identified from the first day of receiving assistance, So that that person is on a pathway to sustainability after
the assistance has ended, which is typically about 12 months. So there has been discussion about alternative means of housing the homeless in single Occupancy units
in tiny homes, pallet homes, etc.. And I'm just curious, Is
housing forward looking into those alternatives? And will any of this $10 million be used to explore or implement those kinds of Alternatives to the typical shelter housing.
yeah. So this initiative really focuses on, as city manager tolbert described, The big focus of phase two is equipping our shelters.
I know the bridge is represented today in austin street and family gateway, But really, to equip these shelters to be able to bring people inside,
wrap them in care and transition them to stable living. And transitioning someone to stable living sometimes means institutional care, Sometimes means treatment or a housing option.
and as you've described, we need as many housing opportunities as possible in this Community.
and for some, the most viable housing option might be an sro.
and that is something that we would want to move someone into, Or a tiny home or an apartment or living with family and friends.
and so this resource is specifically to support those transitions and to make them as Streamlined,
as effective as possible with a tailored amount of supportive services and rental Assistance.
so this money would not go to creating more sros. But we certainly are looking to partner with as many landlords across dallas and collin County as possible so that as those units become available,
people have an opportunity to transition in them, Because all of those are great options for people that are transitioning out of
homelessness. Council member ridley. If I could just just add a little bit more to that.
and thank you, sarah, for the for your response. I think the conversation around tiny homes pallet homes, Those conversations have been happening around the horseshoe with the council.
and we're I will say from the city manager's perspective, I can't speak for anyone else.
we're not opposed to any of those types of housing types. I think the challenge is where and how do we continue to work with council members, Whether it's individual council members who have identified
the ways that they would like to see that housing show up in parts of the city. But we're not against any of it. I think what we've got to get to are some very clear, Clearly defined.
I would say standards about what you want that to be and where you want that to be, Because we can do the work.
we just have to make sure that when we bring that work to the council, That it's going to actually happen. But in the meantime,
we're not stopping and waiting for that. We're still trying to find ways to move people Off the street into housing.
and I think that's been the the importance of this partnership with our continuum, With our lead agency,
is that we know that some of that's going to take a little bit more time. I think that There's a will to do it,
but it hasn't all been developed yet. So in the meantime, Do we just stop working?
and I think that's what we're presenting is a way that we can keep going, Continue to work with our partners,
and making sure that we're not sitting idle by waiting for something.
but at the same time, I know that I've heard from several council members. There are some plans, there are some discussions in place that I believe are happening Right now,
including how do we bring our private sector partners to the table to support that type of Work?
so we're all for it. We need to continue to stay focused on it. But this is not to say that this work that is being done by housing forward is not also Helping us continue to strengthen our ecosystem and how we get people off the
street a lot sooner than waiting and waiting and waiting. But I do appreciate your comments about tiny homes and pallet homes.
we're ready to go. We just got to figure out what that's going to look like. Well, I was going to ask city manager what the strategy was to implement those ideas.
we've been discussing them around the horseshoe for at least a year, And we don't seem to be getting any traction on that.
and so I just think that's something that ought to be considered at a moment in time when We're considering investing $10 million in homelessness
prevention, or to address the phenomenon which I fully support.
I'm just wondering when we're going to see any results for these alternative types of Housing,
for those individuals who want that kind of housing.
I think it's a great question, and one that I would hope to be able to continue to work With the leadership of our housing and homeless solutions council
committee in identifying the, the strategy. I think we've been talking and we have had Presentations and people have come from the outside to talk
about it, but there still has to be a will and a way at the end of the day, And it will require additional investment.
and so we want to make sure that I know I want to make sure that I'm responding to the Will of this body.
but pilot tiny homes have to be placed somewhere, And we have to make sure that there is
a place for them. Once we do the work. So as we continue to to to look at what that looks Like,
I think it's going to be important to really understand where and how we deliver that.
it will require additional partnerships. It will not be something that the city can do Alone.
we're not in the pilot home tiny home business, So we would need to still have partnerships that would come to the table to help us
operate, maintain and actually do the day to day work around that type of housing Arrangement.
and, and have no problems doing it, but it will require a focused, Intentional effort.
and we have to be able to say that it's going to happen. And what part of our city do we do it? Is it in certain?
I mean, it's just a bigger conversation and I know we will not solve that around the Horseshoe today.
well, I agree that there will require some planning to implement those kinds of Alternative housing options.
sarah, are there opportunities, assuming that the city can identify a location for these Kinds of alternative
housing solutions, to use any of this $10 million to help to organize that effort?
so this $10 million would specifically be to navigate people into an available unit and to Provide a time limited amount
of rental assistance and supportive services. So the 10 million is not being used for capital costs to build or create more units.
the way that we've addressed that is housing forward has four full time staff who create Have created a housing location team.
and so we have over 250 landlord partners across dallas county and collin county so that As available units become available,
we partner with those landlords to make those units available to individuals who are Transitioning out of homelessness and then use the funding like this,
$10 million to make sure that we're providing the wraparound behavioral health care teams,
case management and rental assistance. So what is the waiting list like for people who are Ready for housing but haven't yet received it?
so the waiting list for housing? Well, obviously at a point in time, We have about 3500 people who are experiencing homelessness,
who we're trying to transition into housing or into treatment or institutional care.
and I think the shifts that we've made over the last year in phase one is making sure that We're tailoring those pathways to everybody's needs.
and so I think the point in time data is a good indication of the number of people, Sort of,
on any given day, who we need a solution for, Whether that's transitioning into different types of housing units like you described or
or helping people first get treatment and, and as they move towards a housing solution.
but this, this funding will only. Fund housing vouchers for 400 people.
yes. So this funding is being paired with another $18 million that we're raising through Partnerships,
obviously, with the county and a private fundraise to cover the costs of phase two.
so this money is always leveraged with the city. Dollars are always leveraged with other resources to put the full package together.
oh, so the 400 people that this would rehouse would depend upon the availability of that Full 28 million,
not just this 10 million. So the 400 is that that council member tolbert described as just The city contribution,
but the total number that we plan to transition out of homelessness with this money is About 1100 total exits from our
shelter system. If you get the full 28 million. Yes. So the 10 million council member really I mentioned about 425 plus.
that would be the number just if we only had the 10 million what we have seen each time That the city has come to the table with funding to support the system,
then the private sector has responded positively. And I think that's what we want to continue the partnerships since 2021.
I can tell you that the leveraging has been substantial, Whether it's bringing the county to the table and other private partners.
so the additional 20 million or so that sarah is talking about is on top of the $10 Million investment,
which will allow for us, I believe, to then serve over 1000 individuals.
so above and beyond the 425. If we only had the 10 million.
so the county is being asked to contribute an additional 10 million.
but they have not approved that yet. Is that correct? Correct. Okay. Thank you. Chairman johnson, you're recognized for five minutes.
thank you, mayor johnson. I want to thank this, My colleagues, for this discussion.
I won't actually, especially thanks to council member blackmon, Because the questions that she asked,
I was actually talking to council member gracey about and so your questions answered a lot Of what I was concerned
about. However I've been fighting and requesting for solutions for the unhoused in District four,
and there is a big concern. And I agree with what council member blackmon said.
doing nothing is not an option. That we must do something.
from from what I'm hearing it seemed like it was on the committee yesterday, So I guess I need.
I just want to know why was the discussion not had yesterday?
I don't know who can answer that, but I would like to know why the discussion was not had Yesterday. Thank you for the question, and I will do my very best to answer that.
it's my understanding that the item was listed for for the staff to be able to address the Committee answer any questions about the
item. And I don't believe that the meeting provided the opportunity for them to do so.
but I can answer the question about why not? I can just tell you that the conversation About the item did not happen at the committee meeting on yesterday.
mayor johnson, may I ask the chair what happened, Why that particular item was not addressed yesterday.
you can, if she'll respond to it. And if it's a chair.
I wasn't here, quorum was lost in the meeting was ended. But I'm happy to tell you the full story at lunch.
okay. Thank you. I've heard a lot of things today on this, And I'm not going to be long because you don't need another sermon from me.
but one thing that we must do. Is we must operate from what I'm hearing.
because I didn't see anything. Listening to council member blair and the passionate Conversation that pastor
gracey had. One thing I know is that our communities are very different, But one thing they ask all of us to do is
operate in good governance, and we have people that really need support and our politics Are different.
that's what makes us unique. The difference that we bring to the table, The difference of our community it brings,
it makes us unique. The diversity is healthy. But when we step out of the lane of good governance and we can't get anything done, It's the community that suffers.
so I will be supporting this because we need to do something for one reason.
that again, council member blackmon said doing nothing is not an option.
and if you want to know what doing nothing looks like, Come over to my community.
come see certain parts where we're advocating, Because in a lot of areas, history says nothing was done.
and when nothing gets done, people suffer. So that's not a sermon.
that's just something I'm very passionate about, That we must do something. So I will be supporting this. And thank you, Mr.
mayor. Mayor pro tem recognized for five minutes.
thank you. Mayor. I was on the fence on this item. I will be supporting the item. I don't think this is about politics, But this is about seeing results.
and I do want to thank our city manager for the efforts that have taken place downtown.
we have come a long way between here and the library.
right outside. But I also believe that we have all come to understand that we can't have a One size fits all.
so I'm going to again, challenge our city management to really implement those additional Strategies that we've talked about for,
for years now. And so we really need to make sure that we're filling the gaps through Those solutions.
do you have a couple questions on the. Operations side?
I heard that the average stay was about a year.
do we have more concrete numbers on the average stay for a individual?
are you speaking? Mayor pro tem, beyond the 12 month assistance that they that they get, They receive.
I'll let mrs. Khan answer that question. Thank you.
so the standard program model is 12 months of assistance, Part of the innovation that council member or that
city manager tolbert mentioned at the beginning is for phase two, We're implementing two interventions.
one is diversion at the front door of our shelter to say, For those folks who are newly homeless,
let's try 1 to 3 months of assistance to immediately get those households out of Homelessness so they don't become entrenched.
so we're going to do a two part model where diversion for as many newly homeless Households as possible,
who don't really need to come into the shelter system with 1 to 3 months and then 12 Months of rental assistance for others.
so that's the standard amount of rental assistance. Thank you. So so, city manager, what happens for those individuals that need additional Time.
are we going to see additional funds 12 months from now to fill those gaps?
thank you so much for the question, mayor pro tem. And I think that's the why. That's the Reason why we talk about how the city's dollars have to be leveraged to bring other
resources to the table, because we know that there might be individuals that might fall Within a crack.
you know, maybe there is additional support that's needed. Maybe they're on the right path, but they need an extra bump.
so we want to make sure that when that time period closes out on the funding that those People don't end up back out on the street,
or that we put them on the street, literally. So I think that's why the partnership has to continue to bring additional resources in.
we know that we're challenged right now with looking at what might be happening on the Federal front.
that's why I keep talking about the private sector piece. I think it's going to be so Essential that allows for us to have additional resources available for somebody who might
need another six months or another eight months. And what I've seen is that we have been able to address those situations quite creatively.
and I think that's why you're seeing the stability at the level that you are.
I believe that the word is out there within our homeless ecosystem for individuals.
they know what the city is doing, and I think they respect what the city is doing.
and I just have to take this opportunity to give you one story that I think is important.
and I shared this with you earlier, and I want to share it publicly. There's a wonderful individual who, every single morning sits outside of the coffee shop At the farmers market.
and after seeing me for about three months, he finally asked someone, Who is that lady?
and somebody happened to tell him. The next morning when I got out of my car, He addressed me by my name.
and then I learned that he lives at the bridge, And he's been at the bridge for a period of time,
and he's 88 years old. In the last two weeks, After working with housing forward, that individual who's been at the bridge for a very
long time, this friday at 2 p.m., he's moving into his housing.
so he's home for christmas. That's what this $10 million. That's what we're looking for. We have individuals who go to work every single day, And they go back to shelter at night to stay because they can't afford to get their own
place. And so that's how we presented it in the budget. We talked about that. There's got to be various pathways.
we talk about diversion. We talk about making sure that we keep people housed. We have eviction advocacy money in the budget.
so we're not talking about a one size fits all, As you know, you and I have talked about,
but it's all the ways that we have to ensure that our ecosystem is strong.
and no matter how long someone's been in housing, We want to make sure that we have a solution for them.
this is just one of the tools that we believe helps us continue to strengthen that system.
and mr. Jimmy said to tell all of y'all hello and to tell y'all thank you.
thank you. Along those lines, what I would like to see is a strengthening of our of our Results and metrics so that we can see those
outcomes. Speaking of diversion. So we're talking about moving people from out of our Shelters and
into housing, but there's also programs that we've done that have been successful that Pull people directly from the streets where people are sleeping
tonight. And so what's the balancing act going to be on pulling people from shelter versus People pulling people from encampments?
so the purpose of phase two is to really say it's unacceptable to let people die on our Streets,
and the streets can no longer be our waiting room. We want to invest in our current shelter system.
we have incredible shelters, and those shelters need to be equipped and need the resources To be able to transition people
into institutional care where that's needed into treatment and into housing.
and so this funding is specifically to support those transitions.
so it's the broader 28 million is going to navigators that help people navigate into other Systems.
so into behavioral health care beds where that's necessary. It also then goes to wraparound case management and behavioral health care and rental Assistance to to support those transitions.
and so the idea is when we get that flow we want to engage people differently on the Street to say shelter is the place where we
resolve your homelessness so that we get people off the street, And we don't expect people to wait outside on our sidewalks to be served.
we need to invest in our shelters and the same in the same ways that we were successful on The ground in encampment of integrating all of the care and bringing it to people on the
ground. We're going to do that inside of our shelters in phase two.
and so I know this is phase two. How did we come up with the number 10 million?
so it's budget 2.0. It was really I'll back up just a little bit.
one of the things that we asked for, even last year, Because we heard a lot from the council about how do we know what the number is.
and every single year as we start looking at the budget, Which we know is coming up again here very soon.
we just came out of the budget process, and we've already started working on the budget For for 26,
27, but it's really about I talked about the ongoing investment.
we know that it is going to require an ongoing investment from the city.
we're not getting, you know, a check that's going to fall out of the sky to help us, Right?
so we started working last year with housing forward to come up with, Kind of give us an annual amount that you really believe that we need to make
sure that's in place. That allows for us to continue to make progress.
and so in working directly with housing forward, Looking at the data, looking at, you know,
how much does it cost kind of per individuals, I think if you do the math with the 10 million,
looking at about 425 plus individuals, it's a little over 15,000 per person that goes into Then getting them on that on that pathway.
and so we worked to kind of come up with a number. And then my job was to make sure that we would find it in the budget.
I know that there's been conversations around, You know, this arpa money. Yes, it is arpa money, but we wanted to make sure that whatever resources that we have, We put them to good use going into budget planning for this upcoming year.
definitely. We will continue to find ways to see if there's other potential partnerships, If there's other funding.
but this will be something that we will have to look at just in how we operate and be Doing it either through general funding.
but it is going to be an ongoing part of how we look at even all of our other core city Services.
I never said even in 2021 when the work was starting around rapid rehousing, That we would have a one time investment,
we'll be able to go home and and close our doors. This is not a problem that will go away because we just want it to go away.
it takes ongoing efforts and ongoing investment. And so we got the 10 million number working very closely with with housing forward.
I hope that answered your question. Thank you. Just in closing again, City manager, you know that you and I have had a number of conversations and homelessness
has remained in my top three priorities. So I look forward to continuing the work that's Been done and looking at additional strategies as well.
thank you. Thank you, mayor. Chairman gracey, We're going to you for three minutes then, miss blair,
for three minutes and back to you, chairwoman mendelsohn for one. If unless anyone else wants to jump in. Okay.
thank you, mr. Mayor. Just so I'm clear, that 6.5 for the rental assistance is is that.
explain exactly what that is. Just so I'm clear, That is for people that are currently housed that stand the risk of being put out because
they don't have rent or let me make sure. So so we actually have two. So in the housing pathways and I don't have it in front of me.
so director erickson. If I if I say something incorrectly, Please correct me.
so we laid out that there's various pathways to get people housed.
we you've heard we talked about diversion. We talked about if somebody is housed right now And they might be on the verge of ending up on the street,
then we want to have work money or funding to support them stay in house.
so we've looked at this across the board. This funding here is not the funding that's in The budget for diversion.
that's a separate line item. And so we just want to make sure that as we think about the Opportunities that we have to create more
capacity in our shelters, we have people who live in our shelters who go to work and they Have jobs.
how do we now get those individuals the support that they need to get them moved into Housing?
now, that frees up a space for somebody to come off the street into that shelter bed.
so that's the strategy. But this is not taking any of the funding away from the diversion Efforts that we put into the budget.
that is a separate line item. This is strictly about how do we serve people that we know Are ready,
and it's the pathway that we create where people begin to know, If I now go to shelter, I stand a better chance of being housed than staying on the
street. Thank you colleagues. Again, I'm not going to get on my soapbox too much, But this has been a a tremendous journey
for me and my residents in district three. Particularly as you heard miss andrew speak This morning about 2929 southampton.
and it's about, you know, pushing agendas versus a shared strategy.
and I've made a commitment to address the homelessness in my district.
and it will be addressed. And I guess my challenge to each and every one of you, We're asking the city manager,
hey, what are we doing about this? We're asking our partners, Hey, what are we doing about this?
what is your plan? Because when we were going through that 2929 southampton journey, I had several colleagues and water under the bridge promise water under the bridge.
but I had several colleagues who all had an opinion about how that property should be Managed to address the homeless issue in our in our city.
and again, we're having these conversations like, Y'all don't have homeless people sitting in your district.
so again, it's a it is a collective strategy about what are we doing? What is the plan? I talked to my folks. Many of them don't want to accept the services That are being offered,
because they don't want to spend two days in that shelter because they got robbed, Or tell me about it.
so I'm talking to them, trying to understand what is it that's preventing you from taking The services that are offered so that we can find solutions?
so now that we know that these are the type of discussions that I want to be able to have. Madam chair, I appreciate all of these options that you are bringing to the board.
sincerely. And I want us all to be able to review those and figure out which one of those Options makes sense for our district.
it's not a one size fits all. It's just not. Yes, There's homelessness everywhere, but it looks different depending on where you are.
all of my homeless folks are in the woods. I've been back there. They're in creeks, they're in tunnels. They're in the drainage systems, Finding shelter wherever.
I got a group back behind quiktrip, staying in old pipes.
I know where they are. I'm participating in the point in time count. Not because I think that's just the most accurate way to to to count.
but I get to know where they are, and I get to talk to them and understand the psychology. Some of it is drugs, some of it is choice, some of it is they didn't know.
so again, I just want to continue to challenge us to to come up with a plan and a strategy For our own districts,
from there, because right now we're all trying to squeeze this stuff together and putting A lot of pressure on the city manager and our partners to really come up with a strategy
that works for the people that you are serving, Whether they vote for you, whether they have a house or not. So please, let's just work
together for a shared strategy, and I'm happy to work with anybody in any district to do It.
yes, sir. Thank you. Miss blair recognized for three minutes one of the things we've been Said,
we don't have a an accounting and reporting of what is going on and how it's gone on.
I've asked for reporting, I got it. I think that what?
and I asked for a reporting from housing forward, And they provided that for me.
well, if we need reporting and if that's what was required, I'm going to challenge the city manager to have
our teams that work with us to provide reportings to the body on whether it be monthly or Quarterly.
but let's start monthly, and maybe after a month, After a few months, we can say we need it on only on a quarterly basis.
if we take that challenge off the table, we take that contention off the table.
I'm here to be solutions driven, and that is part if part of the problem is we can't see.
I'm a visual. I need to see what's going on. Like my my counterpart chair gracey.
we get out there and we talk to them, we ask some questions. I know where mine are. I, to the dismay of my family, I go in the bushes where they are.
I know I'm going to get in trouble for that one, But I do. I go where they are. I find them. I know the challenges.
we have a process that's that's not working. Because we're now having a committee meeting Right here at the council.
that's not what we're here to do. Change has to happen.
and I think it needs to start with each and every one of us. I'll be the first change maker. I'll do what I need to do to get the job done.
challenge each and every one of you to follow suit. Thank you. All right. We're back to you. Chairwoman mendelsohn, For one minute.
thank you. The question isn't about doing something or doing nothing. It's about doing something that works. There is a question about should we be unified?
I believe we are actually all unified in wanting to do something to improve our situation With homelessness.
the question is that we are not unified on how we would deploy that, And I don't think that's a bad thing.
I think it's all the more reason why we needed to have a thorough discussion.
it was brought up about being a game. This isn't a game. It's extremely serious. And again, it should have had a robust conversation on how those Funds would be used,
which was not part of the budget discussion. Also, You will not find this item in our budget book.
the 800 plus pages. It was an ordinance. The residents see the increasing homelessness.
you've already heard councilmembers saying it themselves. So relying on the point in time count is ridiculous.
every shelter provider has told me they have seen a need they've never seen before, Is what we're doing is not meeting that need.
time. Sorry. One sentence. Say it. I am shocked to have heard a sentence.
to have heard housing forwards say that their positive outcome compound is if they did not Stay in hmas.
madam city manager, go ahead. I will send a copy out of the budget book of the pages that Directly address this issue and how it's identified in the budget on an
actual two page summary. Thank you so much. Deputy mayor pro tem be recognized for five Minutes.
thank you. Mayor. So there's been discussion around needing more shelter beds.
and now we we settle on this year needing to turn them over more quickly.
that's not a place where someone should hang out for a long time. But it has a role. Just like permanent supportive housing has a role.
just like deflection centers have a role. There are a lot of options that we've been Talking about,
and we talked about getting to this finish line with a path forward on homelessness. When we went through our budgeting and we went through town hall meetings and we went Through all the lead up to approving the budget.
so, you know, here we are at the finish line making a change again. And I'm really tired of us operating this way.
it happened during the budget session and we've just got to stop. But we know we need more Options.
and so let's let's stop talking and start moving to action. We've got the next few months where we can do that at the housing and homelessness Committee,
and then hopefully at the council level through a briefing, And then let the city manager work this into the budgeting for this next year so that we
can expand these options. Not all on the city's back. We need our private partners. We need our nonprofit partners.
so we know that we need more in this soup. But it's not going to happen right at this Minute.
we've got positive momentum happening. I don't want to see that end.
so I think we need to support this move on, but keep working on this and moving toward More action.
thank you, chairman johnson. You're recognized for three minutes.
thank you. Mayor johnson. I just want to give a shout outs to city manager and your team.
when we're dealing with the homeless situation in district four and listening to pastor Gracey.
and I don't know everybody because I'm new, so I'm still learning a lot of names, But miss terry mason and alonzo came out and it was a tough situation that we're
still dealing with, but they're, they're understanding that the homeless situations that We're having in district four.
so I want to just give kudos to them and tell them I appreciate them, Because this conversation helps me appreciate more of the work that's being done where
they're actually coming out. And I'm, you know, I'm very strong willed and and trying to make sure that we clean up district four and
bring those resources there. So shout out to the code office and those individuals that's Responding and working with me.
we've been up in the going to woods with them. I'm, I'm grinding out with them because it's a team effort.
so thank you so much. Thank you, mr. Mayor. Is there anyone else like to speak on for or Against agenda item 13 record votes been requested.
madam secretary, please call the roll. Thank you, Mr.
mayor. When I call your name, please state yes if you're in favor. No. If you oppose council member. Yes. Council member.
gracey. Yes. Councilmember. Johnson. Yes. Councilmember. Resendez. Yes. Councilmember. Cadena. Yes. Councilmember.
bazaldua. Yes. Councilmember. Blair. Yes. Councilmember.
blackmon. Yes. Councilmember. Stewart. Yes. Councilmember. Roth. Yes. Councilmember. Mendelsohn. No. Councilmember.
ridley. Deputy mayor pro tem. Willis. Yes. Mayor pro tem moreno.
mayor. Johnson. Yes. With 14 voting in favor, One. Oppose the motion. The item passes. Mr. Mayor, Thank you very much.
next item please. Thank you, mr. Mayor. Your next item is agenda item 14.
agenda item 14. Authorized the adoption of a drivers of opportunity framework aligned Around five identified drivers of economic
mobility, public safety, and community empowerment as described in exhibit a.
this item was corrected and was pulled by council member mendelsohn.
move approval here I move. Did I hear a motion for approval?
okay. Is there a second? Okay. All right. There's any discussion?
seeing none. Mr. Resendez, I just
want to just make some brief comments. I want to just make it clear that I oppose the Federal language attached to this requirement.
I oppose any federal mandate that directs local governments to distance, Distance themselves from racial equity work or that pressure cities to align with federal
immigration enforcement priorities. These directives run counter to the values of our Community and to the work many of us on this council have championed for years.
at the same time, I want to take a moment to recognize the tremendous work and effort our City staff has invested to get us to this point.
staff was placed in an extremely difficult position, Tasked with navigating shifting federal rules while still honoring the spirit of our
racial equity plan and the needs of our residents. They approached this challenge with professionalism, Transparency, and a genuine commitment to our community.
the drivers of poverty framework is a direct result of extensive community engagement Conversations with residents,
stakeholders and partners who live the realities these policies are meant to address.
staff listened. They incorporated evidence based research they built on earlier equity Work from 2016 and 2017,
and they produced a framework that reflects the voices and lived experiences of our Neighborhoods,
even within the constraints imposed by federal requirements. But the reality is that not passing this item would cause immediate and devastating harm To the very residents who are trying to uplift our city depends on hundreds of millions of
dollars in federal funding for housing, public safety, Infrastructure and basic community supports.
losing those funds would disproportionately impact the families and neighborhoods I Represent families who already face systemic barriers,
economic hardship, and limited access to opportunity. So I want the record to be clear. My vote today is not an endorsement of the federal Directives attached to this process.
my vote is an act of protection for my community. I deeply disagree with the federal conditions, But I cannot in good conscience jeopardize the essential resources our residents depend
on. I'll continue to advocate for true equity, For immigrant families, and for the right of local governments to design solutions that
reflect the needs and values of the people we serve. And I want to again thank our staff for navigating this complex landscape with integrity, Care and a strong commitment to dallas.
thank you. Thank you, chair johnson. Thank you.
council member mendelsohn jaime resendez said a lot that I was about to say.
so I'm going to say I concur with what he's saying without wasting a lot of time just to Repeat everything that he said.
I ran on racial equity in my community. It's very important to our community.
and this was a tough decision for me because for all the reasons that jaime just said no Disrespect that he
just said so to all, imma be voting for this and supporting this because I believe in the Work.
and if we're going to do the work, then that was that is what matters. But in no means is this something that I will support the federal mandates and all the Things that we have to endure as a council and as a city?
and we've had those conversations, me and adam bazaldua and some of the other council Members.
there's just something that it's like a a hard pill to swallow, If I can say it like that.
but I will be supporting that for again, for every reason that councilman resendez said. And I want to go on record concurring with him, Not to repeat everything, but concurring so my community know where I continue to stand
when it comes to racial equity. Thank you. Thank you. Council member bazaldua thank you. I will add third to that second and concur with my Colleague,
mr. Resendez. And I just want to also emphasize that there's still a commitment.
I'm not afraid to say diversity, equity and inclusion. I believe it's still a priority. And I think the work will continue.
and the people that we serve, especially in the southern sector, Will continue to have adequate resources in an equitable manner,
and one that is conscious of the historic nature of our city and the wrongs that had been Done in the past.
I want to say a special thank you to our city manager who has made very difficult Decisions.
your team liz, specifically, thank you for getting in the trenches and and doing the real Hard work to get us to a place where the work does continue.
thank you for always prioritizing those who don't have voices.
those who are not able to fill these chambers up on a weekly basis and advocate for Themselves.
that's the type of work that I've watched you do since I've been here, And I can't I can't thank you enough for that.
I also want to say a big thank you to our attorneys because a lot of work was put in to Make sure that we were in compliance.
and that's the emphasis that needs to be had on whatever this vote is, Is that this is about compliance.
this is not about changing the work that we're doing or the commitment that we have to the Work.
so I want to say a special thank you to you all as well for y'all's y'all's work and Advocacy for this council member gracey again,
concur with council member resendez he is the great orator of this horseshoe is what I'm Gonna call him.
but but thank you. And thank you to staff to liz, City manager.
again. This is a tough adjustment. So I'm not going to repeat all of that. But I just want To give you all just a practical example of how this new framework can show up in the
community. We had a lot of discussions. But this weekend I did a grand opening for an Organization called build building wealthy families,
in which they had over 200 people standing outside.
this is day one, cutting the ribbon, over 200 people standing outside waiting to receive Services.
so when you have this new framework, it makes it easy to understand where the city fits In.
they already have a system going. We can lead, We can collaborate and we can support.
all I needed to do was show up and support because they have a system that's going. So this, I think, is a framework that gives organizations a clear direction in how they Can move forward despite some of this nonsense.
and then how we can help continue to support them in the work that they do.
so, again, thank you all for doing this. I just wanted to share that that was a practical Example of how this is already taking effect even before the vote,
that organizations understand the need. And people most certainly understand the need for This.
so thank you for this. And again, I guess I'll say congratulations.
thank you. Chair gracey council member cadena.
yes. I want to thank staff for their hard work on this and I also want to thank the Residents who reached out and provided input
especially from district six. When I first heard about the federal mandate, I was concerned.
I think, like everyone else me and my family have benefited from dei.
my father was a navy veteran. He was born here in dallas, And when he came home, he was able to find a job because of this program.
he was one of the first minority hires at his place of employment.
so I have to acknowledge how it's benefited me. But over the months of discussion, city staff has worked hard on the drivers of Opportunity.
the drivers of opportunity will benefit my constituents. It provides an avenue for much needed federal dollars to help the residents of district Six.
my vote is for resources for my community members. My vote is not in support of the federal directives.
thank you. Thank you. Seeing no further speakers.
city manager. Thank you. I could not take. Thank you so much.
I wanted to make sure that I took this opportunity to really, First of all, thank the city council when we came to you earlier in the year and we
started talking about the federal directives. We clearly understood that our charge had to be, How do we move forward in a way that still uplifts this community in ways
that we started and the work could not we couldn't take steps backwards.
and so I cannot do this without a great team. They have been in the trenches. Thank you so much for acknowledging the work.
thank you to liz sedillo. She's probably really tired of me by now on this item.
but it has really been a team effort all the way down to every single department director.
we have been working to ensure that we get this right, And we want to come back and show the council what results we're getting under this new
framework and be able to make adjustments as needed going forward.
so I just wanted to take the opportunity to thank this body. Thank you for pushing us. Thank you for challenging us to make sure that we continue Efforts to make progress real in our city and hold us accountable for doing
that. And we could not do it without great partners outside the city. I want to thank all of the executives, whether it's from our hospitals, Our faith based community,
transportation organizations, our educational partners, All of the anchor institutions came to the table,
and they have been a part of developing this body of work. And so the credit goes to you all for pushing us, And it definitely goes to the team for making it happen and getting this to today's
agenda. So thank you so very much. And I'm honored that we will be able to continue the Work as been mentioned by council member resendez and so many of you,
and we look forward to showing you our progress. Thank you. Okay.
miss blair, do you have a question on this item?
well, no, I just wanted to say something real quick. Go ahead. While I agree with everything my colleague said, And I agree that I don't.
I'm not voting. I'm voting for this because we have to, In essence, to get through this process.
I don't agree everything you guys have said. I totally agree with it.
I do, I do believe that. The opportunities that existed to us by having
die and no longer having it is a challenge, but it is what we have to do.
so I'm voting for it, even though it may not be something that I necessarily agree with.
council member. Bazaldua. Round two. Thank you. I just wanted to correct my statement. I thank all of the legal team except for bert.
okay. Seeing no further discussion let's take a vote.
all in favor say aye. Any opposed? Motion one. Opposed. Noted. Alright, we're going to do one more item.
madam secretary. Thank you, mr. Mayor. Your next item is agenda item 48.
agenda item 48 is an ordinance granting a revocable license to to ike or ike smart city, Llc for the
purpose of installing, operating and maintaining digital city kiosk on public rights of Way.
not open to vehicular traffic in connection with an interactive digital kiosk advertising Concession contract.
this item you do have one individual has signed up to speak on this item alex scott.
alex scott is not present. This is your item, Mr.
mayor. This item was pulled by council members west, Ridley and mendelsohn.
council member bazaldua. Do you have a motion? I move to approve this item with the Following changes. The license is for a ten year term with two five year renewal options,
and direct the city manager to provide a briefing to city council regarding existing Federal,
state, and local walkability policies. Second.
second, there's a motion and a second. Any discussion? Yes. Go ahead, madam city manager, I just not only with the directive that is here.
I thought I would hope that it's going to be inclusive and exhaustive. If you will on potential innovative solutions that we can come up with that is a one for One,
if you will a way that we can look at the right of way that may be impacted or taken away For
pedestrians that we figure out a way to add to our public right of way to compensate for Any impact that it would have.
I know that there is concern that we've heard from the public about the placements of These kiosks.
which I believe we have been able to work through. One of the the issues and the terms of this contract gives somewhat of a unilateral power To a director level position on the
placements of these. And I'm hoping that we can get your commitment as we move forward For,
for a provided oversight. Because if we have to fight at every chance that one of these Gets put up the location,
because it was done without at least consulting with the council member of the district That it was in.
give us the opportunity to speak to our residents. Et-cetera. That's that's the only way. And I didn't know a good way for that to be added In the actual language of the terms of the agreement,
but we need to make sure that we still have direct oversight and a direct opportunity to Express these concerns,
hear feedback, and work through where the placements of these are, Specifically in our districts.
so if you're pushing your button, I want to see if you chime in.
I was just getting ready. I'm ready for you. So thank you so very much.
and so as part of I think we heard a lot of that and I'm not opposed to the motion Language that you just read.
I think in june, when we set before this body to give me approval to move forward with Negotiating the concession contract,
we heard very loud and clear that there needed to not only be notification procedures, But we wanted to make sure that property owners,
residents and stakeholders would also be engaged into the placement process.
and so in section 4.7, page seven, it lays out that process.
if there's an additional notification that council wants me to ensure that we build in.
I just want to make sure that again, we've we've included that because we heard that in June when council asked us to move in this direction.
so we've addressed everything from community meetings to make sure that there's feedback Given in advance,
that feedback will actually be provided to the city, And then there will be a site approval request that would then come to us.
so we actually have a pretty extensive process that we've put in place around that piece Of it.
and then the additional briefing that you've asked for is something that I do support, And we will definitely make sure that we come back to you soon as we begin the
implementation of the installation of of the units. So thank you so much. No thank you. I think the interpretation is is more of a suggestion In a lot of that piece.
and what I want to make sure is that the language that allows for director, Director gives us the ability to have that oversight with him.
and so that's the only request that I have. I want to say about this project, It's something that I was fully supportive of and still am fully supportive of.
I believe that we should be looking at not only having innovative technology as a part of Our resources to the
public. I also believe that with fifa coming any turning away, Any opportunity to bring in revenue to our city with the budget
restraints that we've had with the discussions that we exhaust to me would just be Fiscally irresponsible to our city.
there is lessons that we've learned from the current kiosks that we have on our streets.
and I believe these are a totally different product that we have to offer.
I want to tell one story. And that was when I was in san antonio for the national league Of cities.
it was the first year I was in office. I came out of, The convention center in san antonio.
and I saw this what looked like a big smartphone in front of me.
I walked up and just started kind of pressing on it and playing on it, Because I was going to go get some lunch,
and I wanted some suggestions of local eateries in the area.
I scrolled through, I found one. I thought it was a suggestion I never would have thought Of.
and it asked if I needed a ride there and then it allowed me to scan a qr code without Sharing any of my data.
I want to make sure that's clear, because that's a concern of mine, And that I worked through in learning more about this product. But I scan the qr code and
it automatically opened up my rideshare app, And I was able to seamlessly go to a local recommendation of a local business that was
sponsored here. And then when you kind of play around with it, I've done things like take selfies with people.
when we've traveled together, I've done things like just seeing the local news in, In in
atlanta specifically. I played on one and I saw the advertisement of some current events And some things that were going on in the city.
and it's so it was a good avenue for some saw as well.
and so I ultimately believe this to be good. This does not cost the city any money.
this leverages our current assets to generate more revenue, Which is something that this council has expressed interest in doing.
time and time again, every budget season, we think about how we could be bringing in more To be able to provide more without making cuts.
so I'm excited for this project. Thank you for your hard work on it. It's been a long time coming, and it looks like we're going to get this across the finish Line to actually benefit from the influx of people and economic opportunity that we have
coming into the fifa games. Thank you. Thank you, Chair middleton.
thank you. In looking at exhibit f titled data collected by kiosks.
there's a clause that says without user consent, Like smart cities, kiosks do not collect blah blah blah.
so how does one consent?
hi. Good afternoon, daisy fest, director of office of communications and customer Experience.
what that is referring to is, for example, if someone wants to opt in to utilize the wi-fi From the from the kiosk itself,
it would trigger an opt in functionality. Is someone able to use the ike without it Collecting data?
yes, absolutely. They would just opt out. For example, If you're in a starbucks and you want to utilize the wi-fi at starbucks,
you have to go through a manual process in order to opt in to utilize the wi-fi. It'll be a similar process with the kiosks. So specifically, Are they offered a
window to opt in and they say yes or no? I mean, How exactly does that consent take place?
I believe it's all within your phone. You know, When you try and connect to nearby wi-fi.
so it would be the user themselves opting in to connect to the wi-fi.
so council member bazaldua gave an example of his rideshare being pulled up.
clearly, it knew who he was. My question is, Did he would he have had to consent that yes,
you should open up one of my apps and my phone. And at what point is he consenting? Chair mendelsohn, Can you guide me to where you're looking at in the documents.
this is on exhibit f. That was part of our agenda.
thank you. I don't know whether or not that exhibit is exactly in the for the franchise Piece,
which is actually what council is voting on. So is that the concession concession contract Piece that's being referred to?
I'll have facilities confirmed, but I believe that the item did include a a copy of the Data collected by the kiosks as an attachment.
just because we knew that that was a big point of conversation during the june 11th Conversation.
and so that item was attached. The city attorney interrupt you?
the ordinance it specifies this. Let's hear from our city attorney.
willow, can you come up to the podium? I don't I think those were just additional items.
but the item before us today is to give revocable permission for the installation, Operation and maintenance of the kiosk.
and that's what council is considering today.
is the item to approve an ordinance? Yes, it's a license ordinance, But those documents that she's referring to,
miss sanchez, are those in addition to. Hello.
willow sanchez, city attorney's office. The item that is up for consideration today is to Authorize is the ordinance,
which is the license granting the right to install and exist in the right of way.
it is not the contract that has the exhibits that you're referring to.
so when we have this briefing, I asked all sorts of questions about data privacy.
I've not received those answers. I'm continuing to ask those questions. And point of order. State your point of order.
this is not germane to the item on the agenda. I'm going to again look to our legal counsel to to guide us here.
okay. Again, the item is specifically about granting the permission to install, Operate and maintain the kiosk.
it's not the underlying contract itself. Council's already approved that item.
and that contract's already been executed. Thank you. Chair, we can stay germane to the topic, please.
okay. My next item. Is how, after they are installed, Will they be connected to
electricity? I don't have that level
of detail, but I do know that the director of transportation and public works ensured that The contract.
sorry. Can I speak about the contract? No. I'm sorry.
I believe electricity is fundamental to the installation of these.
I'd like to get an answer, please. I'm also going to ask about fiber.
just. That'll be the. I don't have the answer to the question other than to say that if You look in the ordinance under seven b all the
grantee is responsible for obtaining all needed permits and utility approvals in Connection with the installation of the cuts that might be needed,
excavation that may be needed, and other related utility requirements.
and so it's in the it's in this ordinance that they're it's their responsibility to get All the appropriate permits for that.
so again, chair, this was discussed the last time we had this briefing, That there were serious concerns about allowing ike to tap into the city's
poles, traffic signals and other electrified items, And we were told this would come back to us.
I don't feel like we've gotten an answer here.
so then I'd like to move to amend the ordinance to say they may not tap into city polls or Traffic signals.
is there a second? Okay. Any discussion on this item?
yes. Chair middleton, extremely substantial investments in our traffic signals.
they're a key element to public safety and to motor vehicle safety.
pedestrian safety. And to allow a vendor to use our infrastructure is outrageous.
and I don't think safeguards are in place. We don't even have an answer available.
I mean, that's pretty shocking. How are they getting how are they getting wi-fi?
are they using fiber that we're running for our signals?
again, this is a question brought up. Last time. We were assured we'd get an answer. Yes, I'll.
I'll have guests can correlate. The director of transportation and public works speak on The electricity provided for the kiosks.
the director of the department of transportation. Public works. So if they approach us With that proposal,
from my perspective, they will be denied. There will not be allowed to tap into our Traffic signal power supply,
nor our streetlight power supply. Well, thank you for an answer, I appreciate that.
so how would they then be able to access fiber network?
they will have to apply for their own stuff. So they cannot apply nor connect to our own Systems.
okay, if there's a data breach, who pays? Who's responsible?
is that in the contract or the ordinance or whatever we're approving?
I do not believe it's part of the ordinance, But staff.
I believe that is not part of the ordinance. And again, We are going back and forth between what is being approved today and the concession
contract, the items that council presented in june that we needed to consider, And my authority to negotiate the concession contract,
which deals with everything from routine cleaning, Maintenance, privacy, privacy, locations,
all of that is in the concession agreement that we've already executed. That is not in the ordinance that is before council today.
I want to point of order that thank you. Because the the way this is noticed is that the Ordinance does govern
the installation, operation and maintenance, And the operation should include data privacy.
so in my the way I read this I disagree with any attempt to shut down a discussion about Data privacy and protecting data.
if I could answer that, it was never suggested to shut it down.
what we were referring to is what's in the ordinance for the actual license for the Installation in the concession agreement,
section 5.8, page ten. And exhibit f talks about data collection and privacy.
it is actually in the concession agreement. So that's the that is the distinction that I'm Trying to share that you have that spelled out in the concession piece,
which is not necessarily in the license agreement. It's a separate document. And so it's referenced in the document for you.
that's why I'm referring to the section in section 5.8, Page ten, exhibit f.
city manager, I would just like to clarify and confirm what you just said.
to me or to the group, are you saying that when we had this briefing and there were very Serious concerns raised and
questions that no staff person was able to answer, That then you believe and you executed a contract?
yes, I believe this council directed the city manager to go back, But I'll let her and not come back to us the direction.
and I'll have the staff actually spell out what you authorized. I think it was june 11th and I might have my date wrong, But you asked us to move forward.
you gave approval to actually negotiate and execute a contract.
and so what I'm referring to is that the things that we heard in june, And I'll just call out what those items were,
we heard about kiosk location and selection criteria from council member west, And it was conversations around who's going to have the final approval.
we addressed that in the concession contract. Council member west also identified in that same meeting notification processes for Property owners,
residents and stakeholders. We addressed that. Section 4.7, page seven council members and council member really had concerns around Pedestrian access and ada compliance.
we addressed that in section 4.1, page five. Council member gracey had questions around Kiosk heights,
numbers, the height of the kiosk, and the number in the placement.
it's addressed in section 2.1, page three. Council member really had questions around Termination clause and could there could we terminate for cause or for breach
of contract? That's addressed section 14.1, page 21.
council member gracey had questions around what would be our concerns for dealing with Routine cleaning,
what would be the maintenance requirements, and how would that be spelled out in the Contract?
we've addressed it in the contract section 8.1, Page 16, and council member and councilwoman mendelsohn.
there were questions around privacy, data security and protection.
we addressed it as well. Section 5.8, page ten and exhibit f.
so what I'm sharing is, is that the things that council authorized me to go and enter into A contract,
these items that were presented in june that were communicated were addressed in the Actual concession contract.
so, city attorney, can you just clarify for me, Are you saying.
is it the process then, that we have no further say on this, And that perhaps we should have directed negotiation and then have the
contract come back for approval? But because we didn't say that we are stuck with Resolutions we may not agree with in this contract.
councils never stuck with anything. But there's two ways that, Generally speaking, council approves a contract.
they either approve a resolution approving the contract which is already already Completed,
or the council authorizes the city manager to enter into a contract.
and usually there are deal terms associated with that.
in this case, you authorize the city manager to negotiate and enter into a contract.
and that was it's completed. It is executed. So there may be an opportunity to amend the Mend the contract later,
but that would require both parties to approve.
well, I hope there's a hush falling over every person who's listening to this Conversation,
because we should never allow that to happen again. I did not understand that it wouldn't come back to us, To tell you the truth. And I'm seriously concerned by this exhibit f.
so. For somebody that does consent with
ike. They are allowed to sell the state. Is that correct?
no, they are not. I'd like to clarify a couple of things. I took a moment to get up here and we were jockeying around, So forgive me for that, but we got thrown off initially because you kept referencing
exhibit h, and I think you're talking about exhibit b, And so that that threw us off for a second.
the the document entitled data collected by f right here.
sorry. It's got some of my writing on it again. Okay. I'm going to step in here that that exhibit that's being referenced we cannot speak On.
okay. My next
question then is. I'm trying to make sure that I'm not infringing on those items.
and I do have a number of these. Is there a payment processing available on this kiosk?
point of order. State your point of order. I think the motion on the floor is an amendment Specific to language.
and I don't believe this line of questioning is germane. Let's stick on the motion that You've made.
chair mendelsohn. Okay. Then I will leave it at that chair.
ridley. I'm opposed to this item for the reasons that I originally cited in our Discussions
earlier this year as to why this is a bad policy to license our right of way to a private Company
who will erect these digital kiosks in a manner that obstructs our sidewalks, And that either will result
in no installation of kiosks or lack of compliance with ada requirements.
in my district, at least, where we have narrow sidewalks and narrow right of way.
in addition, this license contravenes some of the.
understood terms that this council requested back when we had our original discussions.
in two respects. First, it provides for a term of ten years, But it also allows the
vendor. If we can stick to the underlying amendment, I am addressing the provision
in the ordinance. That is our agenda item that refers to a comprehensive interactive Digital kiosk advertising
concession agreement. That's part of the agenda item.
but we are on the right to mendelsohn amendment.
well all right. I'll pass for further comments after the
amendment is decided. Thank you. Chair west. Thank you.
so this we're speaking on the the question the the amendment, Which is to not tap into the electricity.
right. That's correct. I have no questions about that one. Council member roth.
I also was wanting a point of order. I'm not clear as to what amendment we're talking About right now.
could you restate the amendment, please? Chair middleton, If you can restate your amendment.
I'm not sure what the exact language was that I used, But the idea of it is not to allow them to tap into the city's
power sources, including traffic signals and street lights.
I'd like to speak to to this issue. Go ahead. Not only do I support that amendment, I'm also concerned about other terms of the Contract,
which we can't discuss. But I in looking at this ordinance, I think there's a lot of unanswered questions.
I don't think that we have sufficient clarification on some of the monetary issues, Even though they may be embedded into a contract or a lease.
and I would I'm going to vote for denying this ordinance.
thank you. Seeing no further discussion on chair mendelsohn.
chair stewart. I'm sorry. I'm laughing because of my struggle here.
not at the at what we're discussing. My confusion is what do we mean by city power Resources or service resources.
is that correct? Did I get that right? I think we would have to ask the person that made The yes if if we could just give clarification.
mendelsohn. Thank you. Sure. If you sick something on the sidewalk that needs power, It's got to tap into something.
and my concern, based on our prior briefing, Is that they might want to use our street lights.
they might want to use our traffic signals or other infrastructure that we have paid for, That we maintain for public safety,
that we maintain for our roadways. And we would then be letting an outside vendor tap into It.
we'd be paying for their electrical use, which that things lit up all the time.
sure. And you don't know that something malware won't go in and damage our system.
it should just be a completely separate item. And if they would like to tap in, I I think that's a whole different agreement, Which I would not like to have anybody else negotiate.
thank you. So my question is if there is an encore piece of infrastructure, I'm not going to try and name what that is and that
infrastructure, whether it's a cable line, whatever it is, Is being used by the street light.
are we saying you don't want us to use that same source or we're just not tapping into the Street light?
thank you. I think they need to be making an agreement with encore directly, Or with the store that's adjacent to them.
if there's a business, they can tap in that way, But not to tap into our infrastructure, meaning street lights,
which some we own, some are encore owned traffic signals.
there's probably other examples. These are the ones I've come up with. Flashing, flashing roadway signs would be one that that makes perfect sense.
but if we have some infrastructure that belongs to encore and we're using it for our Flashing lights.
we could also use that same infrastructure for the kiosk. A separate agreement between the kiosk company and encore to do that.
they're free to contract with anybody they want. I'm saying not to use ours. Okay. All right. Thank you so much. Thank you.
chairman. Thank you. All right. Seeing no further discussion, This this vote is on chair mendelsohn's
amendment. All in favor say aye. All opposed?
okay. Motion. It's too close. We're going to have to go record vote. Thank you, mr. Mayor. When I call your name, Please say yes if you're in favor.
no. If you oppose council member west. No. Council member gracey.
no. Council member johnson. No. Council member resendez is absent when vote taken.
council member. Cadena. No. Council member. Bazaldua no.
council member blair. Council member council member. Blackmon no. Council member. Stewart. Yes. I'm sorry.
yes. Thank you. Council member. Roth. Yes. Council member.
mendelsohn. Yes. Council member. Ridley. Yes.
deputy mayor pro tem. Willis. Yes. Mayor pro tem moreno.
no. And mayor johnson is absent. Vote taken. With five voting in
favor, eight opposed to aspen. Vote taken. The amendment fails, Mr. Mayor. Okay. And we're back to the main motion.
and we've heard from district seven, 12 and 14.
mr. Mayor, pro tem chair johnson, I would like to call the question question has been Called.
no discussion. Is there a second? There's a motion and a second.
there's no discussion. Not debatable. And this will require a two thirds vote, Madam secretary.
thank you, mr. Mayor. When I call your name, Please state yes if you're in favor. No. If you oppose council member west.
no. Council member. Gracey. Yes. Councilmember. Johnson. Yes. Councilmember resendez is absent when vote taken.
councilmember. Kadena. Yes. Councilmember. Bazaldua. Yes. Councilmember. Blair. Yes. Councilmember.
blackmon. Yes. Councilmember. Stewart. No. Councilmember.
roth. No. Councilmember mendelsohn. No. Councilmember.
ridley. Deputy mayor pro tem. Willis. Yes. Mayor pro tem moreno.
yes. Mayor johnson is absent. Vote taken. With
eight voting in favor, five opposed, two assam vote taken.
the call fails. Mr. Mayor. Okay. Chair johnson, Did you still want.
okay. Okay. Anyone else? I'd like to be recognized. I'm going to see if there's anyone else on the first round for a motion.
alright, so seeing no one else on the first round. Chair mendelsohn. Thank you. I'd like to move that.
should they be allowed to tap into any electrical sources of the city, That they are responsible for the cost,
as well as any damage to the infrastructure? Second.
okay. There is a motion and a second. I'll chair mendelsohn.
I think it's pretty straightforward. I don't really have comments. Chair johnson.
I don't know what's going on over here. I was not in the queue. Council member. Bazaldua. Yes.
daisy or ahmad? Can you it's my understanding that they're not tapping into ours.
I'm just wondering. I feel like the whole last motion and debate was really a moot point.
so is is the expectation for them to use our electricity or utility infrastructure?
council member. I think the director of transportation made that clear that they are not Tapping into any of the city sources,
and that if they wanted to tap into any other sources, They would have to apply. Is that correct, gus? So I think the director of transportation made that clear, Sir.
yeah, I just I thought it was clear, too. That's why I'm not really understanding why we Would take up a motion.
that is a moot point. And and doesn't really it's not applicable to the contract that We're taking up on this agenda.
so I will not be supporting it. I think that it's just a delay tactic.
I'm not understanding if somebody wants to vote against this item, Just vote against it.
thank you. Chair mendelsohn. Thank you. I think
you actually said the exact word, the expectations, Which is completely different than requiring it in the ordinance.
we deserve to have that legal authority for it to be in there. And it's interesting that folks don't seem to want to hold that accountability.
we may end up having changes in staff. Anybody in this room?
certainly the council will turn over. And what we need to do is ensure that our residents Are not left bearing the cost of electricity for
kiosks, and the damage that they could cause to our system should not be left to the Taxpayer.
it should be on the business that is greatly profiting from this venture.
so if we can't hold people accountable to that level, There is something so fundamentally broken about this process.
we can already see how fast this thing is moving. Questionable, the lobbying that's happening for this item and how this is going down.
but the bare minimum we can do is ask them to pay for their own electricity and any damage They cause,
and make sure it's in writing, not just an expectation.
thank you. All right. Seeing no one else on the queue, We are voting on chair mendelson's amendment.
all in favor, say aye. Any opposed? Madam city secretary.
thank you, mr. Mayor. When I call your name, Please state. Yes, if you're in favor. No. If you oppose council member west.
yes. Council member. Gracey. No. Council member johnson.
no. Council member resendez is absent when vote taken.
council member. No. Council member. Bazaldua. No. Council member. Blair. No. Council member.
blackmon. Yes. Council member. Stewart. Yes. Council member.
roth. Yes. Council member. Mendelsohn. Yes. Council member.
ridley. Yes. Deputy mayor pro tem. Willis. Yes.
mayor pro tem moreno. Yes. Mayor johnson is absent.
vote taken. With eight voting in favor, five opposed, Two absent.
vote taken. The amendment passes, mr. Mayor. All right, We're back on the main motion.
and we have heard from. All right, chair west.
go ahead. Five minutes. Thank you. Mayor. A few questions for staff.
and thank you for getting back to me with my my questions from yesterday.
so I'm looking in the contract that we're being or the ordinance rather that we're being Asked to approve today.
and I see under section four that the victory sign district in west village sign districts Are excluded from kiosk placement.
who made this request? Where did this come from? I don't believe we can talk about place at one second.
hold on. This is literally in the ordinance. Word for word.
okay. Go ahead. Thank you. So I'd like to just jump in for just a second.
I didn't go through every single piece of june. We went through the request that we were asked to make sure that got put into the Contract.
this came up quite extensively, that we have certain parts of our city that already have You know,
districts that already have some type of a digital program. And we were asked to make sure that those programs were not impacted by this, This program.
those two were actually identified by this body that we wanted to include those in Exclusions.
so that's how those two came about. It was based on the conversation around this Horseshoe.
okay. So there wasn't a specific person or group that asked for this. It just was generally gleaned from staff from conversations that came from the horseshoe.
I don't think it's generally, but I'll have to definitely defer to staff. I think it was Those came up as examples where there's already specific signs in
those districts that already have contracts and agreements in place specifically about Digital,
not static digital. And we were asked to make sure that those would not be impacted.
I'll have to go back and have staff to give me if it was a specific council member, But it was part of the conversation that happened with the city council.
and do we know why other signed districts were excluded or not included in this?
the development of the actual request for proposal and the specifications was a Collaborative effort between the planning and development department and the public
transportation and public works. So I believe we have representatives from both here to Kind of speak on the reasons for certain districts to be included and not but
I did want to bring up that the section for reference in the ordinance does correspond With previously established districts that are delineated in
section 51a of the dallas development code as well.
hi. Jason poole, assistant director for planning and development department.
per the sign code in 51 a 7.2 14, it gives provisions for city kiosks.
they are to be done according to a kiosk program. And it prohibits them being located in the victory and west village sign districts.
and do you have specific information on why other districts were excluded?
like, these are just two very particular districts. Maybe I'm just missing the I'm not grasping the answer, But that's what I'm looking for.
sure. Those special provision sign districts have kiosk provisions already in them.
and I think it's to to honor those that are already in place.
okay. Thank you. I think I know the answer to this one, But under seven f in the ordinance we are approving today.
there are quite a few references to the word vehicular.
can you just give me an indication or maybe this is for city attorney. What is the definition of vehicular? I primarily want to know if it includes bicycles or Not.
I'm going to ask miss sanchez to come up. I believe they had that discussion last night, I think.
I thought you guys were working on that. My main concern here is that we're not going to Be impeding cyclists
because that's a lot of references to cars. We don't want to, God forbid, you know, get in front of a car or mess up our vehicles.
but we are putting this in the pedestrian right of way. What about bicycles? Hello, willow sanchez, city attorney's office.
so the definition from the transportation code section 541.201 defines a vehicle as a Device that can be used to
transport or draw, draw persons or property on a highway.
and then it gives exclusions. The term does not include a device exclusively used on Stationary rails or tracks,
or that is manufactured housing, as that term is defined in another section of the Occupations code.
so it's a broad definition. Do you believe it to include bicycles?
I'm not going to opine on what the code includes or does not include, But it does sound like if it is a vehicle that is used to draw
persons or property onto a highway. I've read through the original contract.
I know we can't talk about it. My colleague said bicycle is included. Okay. I'm not the transportation attorney. I feel good about it. I was just hoping staff Would say that. Yes. Thank you. Can I point out, though, that the full definition it says
upon highway? Highway is also a defined term that means any publicly maintained way, Including its widths that open for
public vehicular traffic, covering everything from major roads to small public roads, Essentially defining the entire public road system.
I don't think we need to all right. Section seven.
who is the person who or individual who determines what unreasonably interferes with During the siting,
the locating of kiosks, because it refers to they're not going to be located somewhere if It unreasonably interferes with and there's a laundry list of stuff,
who makes that determination on staff or council?
where does that happen? Thank you for the question. The director of the transportation and public works department will be responsible for Reviewing the siting plans,
ensuring that they meet the siting criteria and design guidelines. And ultimately, The approval will come from that director.
okay. When we had this discussion back in june.
my understanding was that there would be an opportunity for stakeholders to provide Feedback on the location.
the siting of these kiosks it sounds like there is upon reading this, There is, as you mentioned,
city manager, an opportunity for stakeholder feedback, Council member feedback.
but the ultimate decision is made is the way I understand it by the director of Transportation.
is that correct? I'll have staff to read the exact language, But we did hear that there needed to be a process,
and it needed to be a defined process that we put into the contract. So we have everything from that stakeholder input would be a formal process of all Property owners,
other relevant stakeholders, including city council members from the district within 200ft Of where the actual kiosk is being
installed. It talks about including a comment period.
there is a date time frame in there. I think it's a 45 day window that is built into that Whole stakeholder notice process.
but one of the things that we what we heard in june from council, And we wanted to make sure that it was very clear there would still need to be a decision
made and who would be best to make that decision. And so, based on the fact that all of our infrastructure components across the city roll Up to the decision and the expertise of our
transportation and public works director that director works at the will of the city Manager.
so at the end of the day, there is a process that's been built in. That director will be making his decision based on his expertise, But then that ultimate decision will be something that will be shared.
and we can definitely come back and make sure that council is aware of once that process Is completed.
but it does have the time frame built in. We heard very clearly that it didn't need to Just be the property owners.
there could be situations where stakeholders who may not be the property owner would also Need an opportunity to give input,
so that is spelled out in the actual concession contract. Thank you. All right. No more questions for now.
thanks. Council member bazaldua three minutes. Thank you. It is there any guarantee on where those placements are in its proximity to the Current kiosks
where, where that still exist, that they would be removed with the placement of.
thank you for that question. So the current item includes a resolution to authorize the City manager to pay the termination fee associated with
removing the static kiosks that are currently on the right of way. And so pending on the outcome of today's discussions, That notice will provide will be provided to the vendor and the plan is to remove all of
those kiosks. I knew the answer. I just wanted you to put it on record because what what I Want to make very clear because I think that,
you know councilmember west is making good points. I think that he's always been a champion for multimodal infrastructure in our city.
just the simple resolution to remove ourselves or rid ourselves of an existing contract With those kiosks that exist on our sidewalk
right of way. Now, the removal of them with the size difference and the replacement with Our new potential vendor will result in a net
positive of right of way space that has now become available. I also encourage all colleagues, really, if there is a concern on what this does, Because I think that we have a pretty clear consensus around this body
to support multimodal infrastructure. We don't want to promote anything that's going to be An impediment on pedestrians to have a more walkable city
or for bikes. I appreciate the question of the bikes. Bikes truly belong on our roads, and that's why we will continue to invest in our bike Infrastructure.
however, when you look at the cities where the kiosks from this particular vendor already Exist,
I would argue that the majority of them are already more walkable of a city.
and so if these kiosks were an impediment, I think that we would have clear data to Support that,
but it's just not accurate. One of the things that really stuck out to me was the unique Placement that was very strategic in every city that I have seen them,
and how it really hugs up against that curb. It's usually on places where there are is Plenty much of a setback when it hugs up against that curb,
it's not any more of an impediment as a parking meter or a tree with the the roots Surrounded by a
barrier or border of some sort. And so I just wanted to to address the points that were Being made,
that the way that this is already structured, The way that the business model already exists,
and the simple fact that this would be replacing an old product that is much larger, We're already looking at this action resulting in more right of way being available to
our pedestrians. Thank you. And councilman bazaldua, I just want to point out you talked about the static kiosk.
so there's a termination fee involved, but that's a reimbursement that ike will pay on the City's behalf.
so the city is not paying that that termination fee. And and if I could just add one more thing and thank you so much.
and thank you, mr. Guri, for explaining that whole termination fee.
and remember that as part of this agreement, You've already limited the number of units that can actually be installed.
so when we talk about the he the the new program, If it's approved to move forward with this license agreement,
the the the distillation of the existing ones would happen before any new ones would be Replaced into those areas.
and we're still limited to only having 50 done per year. So that's actually spelled out. And that was a provision that council asked us to consider In june.
and it's built into the contract. So thank you very much. Chair ridley three minutes. Mr. Mayor, I actually did not speak on the underlying motion Before.
I only spoke on the amendment. Have you down as speaking? But I'll check with madam. Well, I only spoke once, And that was on the amendment.
but I think three minutes we both have you down as speaking.
alright, well, I just want to preface my remarks about this license agreement by saying That I am
surprised that it has not been submitted to the full council for approval of the Underlying license agreement,
the concession contract. I understood that in june, We authorized the city manager to negotiate a contract,
but that we would have the right of approval once we saw what terms she had negotiated.
but she has gone ahead and executed the agreement without consulting the council.
I think that is putting the cart before the horse. And I will register my opposition to that. But I have a question for you, Daisy, with regard to the
questions that council member west asked you about, Section seven f of the license with regard to who determines
whether the kiosk interferes with or impedes impedes the flow of pedestrian or vehicular Traffic.
and your response was the director of transportation and public works, Which is fine.
where is that written? All of that is outlined in the actual contract.
no it's not. It identifies only the director of communications and customer experience as The person appointed by the city
and authorized to act with respect to any and all matters pertaining to this agreement in Definition.
section 1.4. So where is it written that the transportation director has control over the Usage of
the right of way that he is charged with responsibility for?
I'll have if it's okay for me to ask willow, The the attorney, I know that we reviewed the contract to identify all the different
locations where director was referenced. Yes.
we're talking about the contract.
below sanchez city attorney's office. Your question, If you wouldn't mind repeating it.
sure. I believe it was always understood that the director of transportation would have Authority for decisions on how
the right of way under this license agreement would be utilized in terms of the location Of the kiosks within that right of way.
and I have noted that section 1.4 of the concession contract identifies instead the Director of the office of
communications in 311. I don't see anywhere in this contract that the transportation Director has any
authority in making that kind of a decision? Is that not correct?
I would disagree. I do agree that the definition that you cite in section 1.4, Where it defines director,
does refer to the director of the office of communications and customer experience.
slash 311. However, in article four, which is titled uses and privileges, It is there where we talk through the citing and the
requirements and towards the bottom of the first paragraph.
it does define the department as the city's department of transportation and public works,
and it says that the department defined as tp, The department director, is required to follow the city's design guide,
rfp and all applicable laws in that sentence was in response to the previous sentences in Here,
where there were discussions about what are the siting requirements and can they be Changed or modified.
and so the intent point of order council member bazaldua state your point of order.
I don't believe this is pertaining to the license agreement. This is more in regards to the contract that's already been approved. If I may respond, The city manager has already referenced on several occasions the
concession contract. I'd like to hear from the presiding officer on my point of order.
overruled. Okay. You may continue. So the intent in writing to the department director of The
transportation and public works director is because it is that director that has the Purview for anything relating to the physical infrastructure.
and that's what article four is about. So that was the intent of that?
well, the authority of the transportation director is limited to.
the. Issuance of permits seeking any, including seeking permits from the city's department Of transportation and public works for
each kiosk site. So that's a ministerial function to receive a building permit in that Right of way.
it doesn't give him any administrative authority over locational criteria.
it was the intent of the parties to give the director of transportation and public works Purview and authority over everything relating to the physical infrastructure,
compliance with the relevant siting codes, regulations, Etc.. Exactly my point. And yet the contract doesn't provide that.
that's chair. Chair. Again, we cannot discuss the contract.
why? Because it's not before us. It's not posted. Well, it is by reference in the ordinance that we are being asked to approve, Which refers to rights granted under a comprehensive
interactive digital kiosk advertising concession agreement.
our city attorney has already made a guided us on this, And I'm going to ask you to stick to the license agreement that's before us
today. Well, I have already referenced section seven f of the license agreement, Which provides for the authority of the city to
determine when a kiosk interferes with the flow of pedestrian or vehicular traffic.
and it's incidental to that provision to know who at the city has such authority.
just keep it. You. You're right there on on the cusp.
so go ahead. Continue. Alright. Well so, willow, Can you tell me how this license agreement gives any authority to
the transportation director to have input on the location of kiosks within the right of Way that he is charged with responsibility for?
I'd like to call my colleague consuela tankersley.
phoned a friend. Yes. The drafter.
connie tankersley with the city attorney's office. So under the ordinance I'll just acknowledge that you're correct.
it doesn't explicitly call out the director of public works and transportation, But it does allow the director of the of communications or their designee.
and so it's presumed since she would she obviously does not have the authority under the Code.
under the city code to administer anything with regard to the right of ways of the city of Dallas,
that she would be required to get her designee who is authorized under the city code, And that individual would be the director of the department of public works and
transportation. However, you know, just to be clear, If you would like I mean, we can easily add that to the ordinance.
just for that clarification to to define who the designee is.
yes. I would request that that be done. Okay.
does that require a formal motion for an amendment? Yeah. Well, I so move at this time. I'm going to let our city secretary weigh in.
sorry. City attorney. I think if it's just clarifying the who, The who the director is.
I don't think it's it's substantive that needs a motion. We will go ahead and make it clearer. We'll just correct it.
very good. Okay. Very good. Thank you. The other issue that I have with this is the term Of the agreement set forth in the license of ten years.
there is a trap in this deal with ike that would allow them to avoid that ten year term
by just installing 99 kiosks. That is your time.
and I believe that's your time, sir. That needs to be addressed to staff.
answer that and then we'll go to the next individual.
I'm sorry the question wasn't completed, so we don't have the complete question to provide An answer.
mayor pro tem, I'd like to call the question. Okay. Is there a second? Second. Second. All right.
madam city secretary. Thank you, mr. Mayor. Point of information.
what? What? Could you restate the question? The the the motion is to call the question.
thank you, mr. Mayor. When I call your name, Please say yes if you're in favor. No. If you opposed council member west. No. Council member.
gracey. Yes. Councilmember. Johnson. Yes. Councilmember resendez is absent.
one vote taken. Councilmember. Cadena. Yes. Councilmember.
bazaldua. Yes. Councilmember. Blair. Yes. Councilmember.
blackmon. Yes. Council member. Stewart. No. Councilmember.
roth. No. Councilmember. Mendelsohn. No. Councilmember. Ridley. No. Deputy mayor pro tem. Willis. Yes.
mayor pro tem moreno. Yes. And mayor johnson is absent.
no. I've been here for ten minutes. Thank you.
no, it's noted, mr. Mayor. Thank you. Sorry. No to the.
I got you, mr. Mayor. And a no to being absent. Noted, mr. Mayor.
with eight voting in favor, six opposed, one absent vote taken.
the call fails, mr. Mayor. Okay, so we are now going to go to council member roth for five Minutes.
okay. Council member gracey. No. Okay. Alright.
chair mendelsohn for three minutes. Thank you.
so, in the description of this item, it says the words maintaining digital city kiosks.
so my questions about maintaining digital city kiosks. And if you could tell us what the standards are.
I'm sorry. Standards are for that maintenance.
thank you for the question. So at a high level, I will conduct regular maintenance and cleaning repairs.
will be completed at a frequency of five days per week and one weekend day and shall Include,
but is not limited to inspections, trash removal, Graffiti removal, system testing, cleaning and disinfecting coating
applications, paint touch ups, minor repairs, And escalation of issues if additional repairs are needed.
ihc has also committed to provide 24 hour, seven day a week remote monitoring for outages,
intrusion detection, troubleshooting, system override, System upgrades, etc.
so I'm hearing you say remote monitoring and that they're willing to work five days a Week.
but I didn't hear a service level agreement. Where there's a bullet hole, There's problematic graffiti that they say
they will resolve that within a day. They'll resolve it within two days a week, A month.
so there is oh go ahead. I think the city manager was sorry city manager.
the 24 hour period that she's talking about is to make sure that if there are issues that Are identified outside of that visual five day a week
inspection, that they're able to address those issues. So that's why the 24 hour, seven days a week remote monitoring is also important, Since these are digital units that are able to actually monitor what the units are
actually doing remotely and then be able to respond accordingly.
the details around the timeframe to actually respond, I think, is also address, but I'd have to ask staff to point that out.
I would like to hear that, because I think remote monitoring might mean something Different to you than me.
remote monitoring does not mean you're coming to address the issue. It means you're aware of it. We do remote monitoring on our 311.
doesn't mean we actually go out and address the problem.
so thank you. The contract does outline like an escalation process.
we're going to have a dedicated email and contact related to within those 20.
either something is determined during the 24 hour monitoring or during the actual physical Review of each kiosk
during the week. There is an escalation process if needed.
now as it relates to the actual sla, the contract. I'm sorry. So I would actually just like to know what is the time frame we have an issue.
when do they have to come fix it? The way the contract is currently written is the vendor Has committed to contract with a local vendor
and then the sla based off of that contract. The sla agreement is going to be determined And submitted and reviewed with the city at that time.
so you don't know they're just going to hire a local vendor. But again, it could be a day, a week, a month, A year.
you don't know. So councilwoman in section 8.1, Page 16, ike will conduct
regular maintenance and cleaning repairs and will be completed at a frequency of five days A week per week in one weekend.
so this the language says that they will do this.
it says they're going to work. And if 100 kiosks are damaged, They're not going to be able to do them.
all right. I mean, or they might decide they're just not going to.
we're responsible for a lot of things that we don't do on a timely basis.
so it needs to say in a contract what the response level is.
and there need to be penalties. So when those are not met. So councilwoman it also gives the city manager the ability to terminate for calls.
so the power is invested into the city manager.
well, I would prefer that the council could terminate this because clearly there's a real Rush to make this all happen.
it's quite remarkable. Tell me how ada issues are going to be addressed.
will each location fully follow the americans with disabilities act?
so if I could just jump in, I want to go back to the comments regarding council Terminations contracts are approved
and the oversight the day to day responsibility of contract compliance is at the Responsibility of the city manager.
if something is not being done by this vendor or any other vendor, If contract needs to be canceled,
that will definitely happen and will be brought to the council.
with knowledge of why the contract is being canceled, What we laid out and what staff has described is there is a 24 hour monitoring for
any type of issues that are happening with the units outside of the visual inspections That are happening six of seven days in a week.
that will allow for us to, number one, make sure that the units are working.
if the units are not working, they're not making any money. We're not getting paid either. So there's no advantage to the vendor to have units that are not operating.
if the units are not operating and they're not working, Then there's respectfully, vandalism won't stop it from.
exactly. However, them putting those units back into operation quickly is actually to Their advantage because that's how they're able to make money.
so in our agreement, the way we've laid it out, If there are systems issues, troubleshooting those things will happen depending on who the
third party is that comes to the table. The same way we have service level agreements Across all of our city departments that will also be included in how they then respond in
the amount of time that it takes for them to address those units. Can I add some clarification to what I said earlier about the third party, The sla, that local vendor is going to be secured for significant
kiosk damage. However, further along, in the same paragraph that chief of staff was Reading on reading about.
so there is there are listed examples of what are considered more fixable elements, And ike has committed to complete such repairs within
48 hours of receipt from the city repair notice.
and they've identified the need for such repairs. So there is a 48 hour commitment for fixable elements such as internal component repair, Computers,
lights, etc.. What about graffiti? I would consider that
again, councilwoman the language states ike will conduct regular maintenance and cleaning Repairs,
and it will be frequently five days a week. In one weekend, I would I would anticipate cleaning also constitutes graffiti.
again, just because they're doing it every day doesn't mean they're going to actually do The item.
the kiosk that has the graffiti on it, number one.
number two, as you are reading that passage. It's ones that they have to agree.
and the items you actually mentioned were operational. Sure, if their kiosk is down, they're going to think that's important.
I'm much more concerned about graffiti and frankly, Gunshots.
I think these are going to become target practice.
I regularly have to report swastikas all up and down our highway systems in our parks.
I want to know that they're going to be removed immediately. You let it go.
so my question was about ada compliance. And if they are required to fully comply with Americans with disabilities act for all clearances.
yes, absolutely. Thank you. Next we have chair gracey for five minutes.
thank you, mr. Mayor. Have we talked to other cities that have this?
and what has that conversation? Have we gotten feedback from other cities that have this?
so let's just make sure we just speak about the licenses and we're talking about other Cities.
oh fair enough. The the other cities I just will mention those that have recently approved Such programs are the cities of
seattle, san diego, phoenix, tampa, city of arlington, City of charlotte, city of houston,
and the city of austin. They all have similar provisions. We actually had the opportunity to look at those agreements to see what the current Industry best practices are around this type of a program.
we were able to work with our city attorney's office to leverage a lot of the contract Provisions,
as well as get better awareness of any types of issues that that they might be either Dealing with.
we did not find in any of those conversations. Council member gracey. Anything short of these are this these these programs have worked.
they're truly paying off. They've become modes of information sharing for not only Community members,
but residents and visitors alike. And that they were all very pleased that these types of Digital programs are in place and that they're working
effectively. So we didn't get in any of the course of our conversations as we were asking About contract provisions and language negative comments about the actual
programs. But those are the seeds. There could be others, But these are the cities specifically that we were able to reach out to.
and I've had the pleasure of actually visiting a couple of these cities to actually be Able to look at the units and see how they function,
what they look like. City of charlotte, is an example of one that I've actually had an Opportunity to visit.
and in those cities, they haven't had any. Some of these concerns that my colleague is Addressing those issues haven't been whether it's a data breach,
whether it's a not being cleaned up, all of these things because many of them, My understanding,
have been utilizing tell me, I don't want to get off base too far, But I'm just trying to get to a vote here that these things have been operating in other
cities for quite some time now, and they have served the city well. In fact, have benefited. And let's not forget, We're talking about this as if it's not a revenue contract,
right? This is a revenue contract. Correct. Which means that.
do I need to stop? All right. I'm done. Chair west for three minutes.
thank you. Mayor. So just a clarification from city attorney on this is I had submitted
a motion earlier to try to recoup right of way for every as a one foot loss
for the kiosk, one foot gain back for pedestrians. I was told that that is not going to be germane to to to this discussion.
I just want to get that clarified on the record. So you want to add into the licensing Agreement,
which is the legal document that gives them permission to use the right of way, Requiring the city manager to add in additional
right of way wouldn't. I mean, I think it is a little bit outside of the scope of, Of a legal permission to use the right of way.
and so what you're now you would incorporate that we that the city has to find additional Right of way.
correct. And eminent domain that right of way or provide it from our own land which would Be roadways typically.
I think that's really beyond the scope of this license to ike.
okay. That's what I wanted to hear. I was expecting to hear my big concern big concerns Overall with this,
this license has been the loss of right of way.
our pedestrian right of way is very precious. We don't have enough of it. And here we're taking away more pedestrian right of way.
I think, you know, we are getting something back for it. We're certainly getting paid. We're also getting an informational item for residents and tourists,
which has some value. But for me, the pedestrian right of way is really uncomparable.
and so not having a provision because we're prevented from doing so today to recoup that Right of way is a deal breaker for me.
and then after hearing that there will not be any stakeholder input other than we'll hear You,
but the director is going to do what he wants. That is another issue that I have with This.
so I think it's going to pass. It is what it is, But I'm not going to be supporting this.
thank you. Chair middleton for one minute. Thank you.
so how will these service requests be put in? Is this a311 call? Is this a call? Your favorite council member?
I mean, when there's a problem, how does this get reported?
there's going to be an email on each individual kiosk in order to report any issues.
but again, they are committed to 24 over seven remote monitoring as well for any kind of System issues or anything that comes up.
so then how will we know that they're actually responding on a regular basis, Like didn't we with the scooters?
didn't we have like a third party that's tracking how the scooters are functioning and if They're being put back where they should,
and accidents. We can include a performance reporting for the program if that is the the Guidance from the body that
just shows how many units within a particular. It could be monthly or quarterly that were taken offline, How many had systems issues, if that's the type of reporting that council wants us to
provide, we have no problems of doing that. And then also showing how long it took for Those units to be brought back into into compliance with the contract.
that's something we could definitely do as part of the transportation committee and just Have that as an ongoing report out to the body.
definitely don't mind having that level of detail provided, If that's what the council wishes for staff to to do.
well, I think it's essential for being able to evaluate how this contract and this Vendor's performing and how this is impacting our residents because we won't even have
that information. We won't actually even know and every anecdote will become the Narrative.
so I would like to see that data. I'm I'm very concerned about the, The visual clutter and how this is functioning
downtown. I think that's one part. And then the ridiculous nature of having this in some Of the areas the kiosks we have in district 12 are just laughable.
so, you know, we literally have some in the median on a 40 mile an hour street, Not even an intersection.
that's your time. Thank you. Chair ridley. One minute. Thank you, mister mayor. So, to continue my line of questioning, Willow, section two of the ordinance provides that the term of the agreement is for,
as amended, ten years plus two potential extension periods of five years.
correct? Yes. And when does that term commence?
running? The commencement date? Yeah. Thank you for the
question. So we have different dates defined in the contract.
so the effective date. No, I'm talking about the commencement date.
when that ten year term starts to run, that will begin at the point that the vendor has Installed 100 kiosks.
so what happens if the vendor only installs 99? Won't that mean that they can circumvent the ten year term and continue into perpetuity, Their right to use the city's right of way?
well, okay. Go ahead. We both have a response.
the first response is, is that the vendor will be deemed in breach of this contract if They haven't installed one.
well, there's no deadline for them to install more than 99 kiosks.
so where's the breach? So they have to use their best efforts to diligently and speedily Deploy the first
100, subject to 14 one c of the contract, but no deadline for them to do that.
yes. Should be within two years. Where's that?
hold it, hold it. 14
1ci somewhere. Can you get a little closer to the microphone, Please?
thank you. Sorry. You just give me a moment. It should be within the first two years.
aren't they required to do 50 the first year and 50 the second? No. They can do no more than 50 in each of the first two years.
it doesn't require them to do 50. I will continue to look for the provision that supports My comments.
meanwhile, connie has. So with regard to the ordinance itself.
so the ordinance will begin as soon as the term begins.
under the contract. Okay. So they'll run concurrent. And so if the ordinance is an independent operative document other than the than the Because it controls what can happen in the right of
way. So they will once council passes this the ordinance time clock starts.
okay. That's how our ordinances work. But under the agreement, They will have their term of what they can do.
and so they will have to if they if they end up ending up in a conflict with regard to the Term,
they'll have to return to the department of real estate and facilities management and get This ordinance amended with regard to the term.
well, connie, the ordinance specifies a term of ten years.
that does not start on the effective date of our approval of this contract or this Ordinance does it?
so it starts on the terms of the ordinance. And so the ordinance is the way they work.
they have to be published. There's, there's an administrative process, But as soon as they complete the administrative process,
that is the requirements under the department of facilities and real estate management, The ordinance term does start it.
it does it becomes effective. Well, doesn't that contradict the concession contract, Which says that the term of ten years doesn't start until the
commencement date? Correct. But the term the term is. So the contract is a service, a concession contract independent of what we have to issue Them in order to actually perform under the contract.
unfortunately, however, I can't grant the city, Can't grant an ordinance that is longer than the period of term in the contract itself.
so that's why I'm saying so if they end up running afoul of each other.
operatively because everyone wants the benefit of a full term of a contract, Right?
I mean, it's like a lease. You know, it might take me two years to build something, But I want I want the full 20 years that perhaps the city would give me.
and so the operative effect of that is that the term really shouldn't kick in in the Contract until they've,
they've been given the opportunity to implement their infrastructure like install it.
but unfortunately ordinances, the ordinances for the right of way don't work that way.
they actually work when council approves them. And then the administrative process has been complete.
so there will be potentially a conflict at the end sometime in the term of this contract Where they're going to have to come back and we'll have to do an administrative,
you know, correction or amendment of this ordinance itself. But I but we can't grant any more than the term that's here.
so I can't make the ordinance delay have a delay start time in other words.
so I hope that answers. Thank you. Seeing no further discussion, There is a record vote requested.
we will do that. We are voting on the main motion with chair mendelssohn's amendment.
madam city secretary. Thank you, mr. Mayor. When I call your name, Please say yes if you're in favor.
no. If you oppose council member west. No. Council member. Gracey. Yes. Councilmember. Johnson. Yes. Councilmember.
resendez. No. Council member. Yes. Councilmember.
bazaldua. Yes. Councilmember. Blair. Yes. Councilmember.
blackmon. Yes. Councilmember. Stewart. Yes. Councilmember.
roth. No. Councilmember. Mendelsohn. No. Councilmember.
ridley. Deputy mayor pro tem willis. Yes. Mayor pro tem moreno.
yes. Mayor johnson. No. And the council member resendez.
will you clarify your vote? Yes. Thank you. Oh, No.
no, it's 5 to 10. I was surprised you voted no.
with ten voting in favor, five opposed. The item passes as amended.
mr. Mayor. Thank you, madam city secretary, before we recess chair gracey for a special Announcement.
I wonder why he's looking at me. Oh, we have him.
so every time. It's no secret we celebrate each other's birthdays.
I have the fortunate opportunity to present to my buddy over here, Chad west.
today is his birthday, so let's give him a happy birthday.
I think he's 25. I give it to you. I'll let you have it.
so good. Guess I am 25. Alright, so with that everyone, If we could just sing happy birthday.
happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you.
happy birthday dear. She says happy birthday to you.
all right guys. With that the time is 220 and we are going to recess till 240 oh oh.
I'm sorry chair who's, who's doing the announcement right.
yeah. No, we absolutely we have to celebrate two people mr. Gracey or a colleague. So y'all have to sing it twice now.
council member resendez a cake for him. I'm hungry.
well happy birthday. Okay. Happy birthday. We are recess until 240.
all right. We've reestablished a quorum, so we are back in regular session, Madam secretary.
if everyone could take their seats in the gallery and restore order to the chamber, Please.
we certainly appreciate it. Members, we're ready to go. Go ahead, madam secretary. Thank you, mr. Mayor.
we'll now move to agenda item 54. Agenda item 54.
authorize a three year service contract with one one year, One year renewal option for the purchase,
installation, training and support of artificial intelligence powered camera technology For the development of sanitation services and the department of code
compliance. City detect, inc. Sole source. Estimated amount of $2,556,000.
you do have one individual who has signed up to speak on this item, Alex scott.
alex scott. Scott is not present. That's your speaker for this item.
it's not present, mr. Mayor. This item was pulled by council member west.
I'm sorry. Alex. Scott. Okay, okay. Alex. Scott.
okay, I can see you. However, I cannot hear you.
hear me now? Yes. And. Our council rules of procedure states that you signed up to speak On three items.
one item has already been heard. Item 48. So you cannot speak on that. But item we're on item 54, and you signed up to speak on 54 and 56.
so you'll be given three minutes to speak on both of those items. Items 54 and 56. You may continue. Perfect. Sorry that I wasn't there.
well, I was there earlier, I was napping, I apologize. But with that I just would Appreciate an opportunity for the new cio who came who's
coming in in january to take a look at this contract prior to it getting approved.
this is a extremely emerging technology. And when you have something like this being Rolled out across the entire across our entire districts and in
the entire city, something like this needs a really hard view by our brand new cio, Who most likely will be owning that entire contract regarding the
data around it. And if we want to set them up for success, I just recommend that we pause this contract from being signed off until he gets an
opportunity to look at it as well as we did, Just sign an agreement with gartner as well as forrester,
who are two technology research and advisory organizations that can help us with Understanding the data around computer vision and ai.
so that's all I really had to say, is just to push this until our cio gets an opportunity To look at it.
thank you. There are no further speakers for this item. Mr. Mayor. Again, this item was pulled by councilmember west.
all right. Do we have a motion on 5054 motion to approve.
is there a second? Okay, I heard a motion and a second. Is there any discussion? No. Chairman west recognized for five minutes.
everyone, we're on item 54. Thank you. Mayor. Originally, I had quite a few concerns about this item and had pulled it late last week, Just to be sure that all the questions got
answered. I have to commend staff for very patiently answering my questions in two Different committees on this.
and I just wanted to give you a minute or two, If you want to take it, to sort of explain a couple of things that were concerning to me
and some of my residents on data storage, where the the pictures are collected.
and what information is blurred out and that there are security measures in place to Protect our residents data,
their, their faces, their license plates, things like that. And then lastly, who has access to that data?
thank you for that question. And council member wes. Yeah. So we got an opportunity to brief your committee yesterday.
and I appreciate the opportunity to provide a detailed explanation of how this hardware And software would work and how we intend to use it.
the web application portal that we will be using with the vendor city detect, It will be only licensed users that have access to that portal,
both in the code compliance department and the sanitation department. Initially, because the contract is a partnership between our two departments and the Vendor.
the vendor has met all security requirements as far as our, Its and city attorney's office is concerned,
related to the contract terms and our data security policies, Insurance requirements, all of those things have been met by the vendor.
the pictures will only take still images from the public right of way.
no different than google street view of property conditions, Properties and directions related to degradation environments.
once the photos are analyzed by computer vision technology.
the. Faces and license plates that are detected in photos.
and I'd like to just, you know, speak to a data point that I was able to get last night of 665,000 photos that were taken in stockton,
california. Who is the director of code there? Omarosa vargas I spoke to her about this technology.
we had a good conversation in person about the effectiveness that they've seen in California using this technology.
out of 665,000 photos that were taking taken by the by the software.
only 10,000 of those photos contained a face.
of those 10,000, some of those faces were on billboards.
and so it roughs out to about 1.5% of the detections that actually contained a photo of a Person.
that's not the focal point of this technology. The focal point of this technology is conditions that I think we all can, Can get, get around illegal dumping,
high weeds, litter open and and vacant structures in our communities.
I think we can abandon shopping carts. I think these are all things that this body would Like for us to identify quickly and be able to go out and resolve quickly.
and so we have no concerns about what's being captured. We are going to select with the vendor. If we were to enter into this contract that we Want blurred faces,
blurred license plates, and. No. And no. Feature to unblur or to provide unblurred or Unblurred license plates.
even upon request. The photos wouldn't exist. They're not going to be stored in our portal.
only blurred faces and blurred license plates would be stored in our system.
thank you. And that's because the intent of this program is to better help with Efficiencies and code enforcement.
and not for this to be weaponized as a neighbor versus neighbor, Or ice versus immigrants or something like that.
right? That that is correct. Code compliance and sanitation services do not have a Business need at all for persons,
faces or license plates of vehicles. That's just not a business need that we have.
and so we have no need for that type of information to be stored in the system.
all right. And then can you just briefly comment on the efficiencies we'll gain by using This technology,
please. Yes. And so we have a requirement per city code to to board up open and vacant Structures within 48 hours.
and so we're hoping with this technology we also thank you.
thankful for this council approved a couple years ago for proactive illegal dumping teams For our code compliance nuisance abatement team.
and so with this technology, we hope to be able to identify these issues quickly and to Put our own internal abatement teams out to resolve them quickly creating
much more efficient turnaround times for securing open and vacant structures which are Dangerous to have in our communities and in our neighborhoods,
and also removing illegal dumping from our private parcels and our public right of way Citywide,
where we're able to identify it and find it, As well as graffiti another unsightly nuisance in our city that we hope to identify and be
able to address extremely quickly with this technology.
chairwoman mendelsohn recognized for five minutes. Agenda item 54. Thank you. So the data is going to be stored on the vendor's cloud.
is that right? That's correct. Council member. Okay. And so if there's a data breach, who is paying for that?
the vendor is responsible for that. And they have cyber risk insurance to protect them if That were to happen.
excellent answer. And is there any ability for the city to monetize this data for the City?
no, ma'am. Per our contract terms, this data cannot be sold or monetized currently.
by us or by them? By us or them. Okay. Good answer. Thank you. Mr. Bazaldua recognized for five minutes.
thank you. Mayor. I just I think that there's been good questions asked. It also is relatable to the last item that we took up.
and I think as we watch for the technology evolving and our ability to, To leverage those technological advances,
I'd like for the full council to get briefed on a holistic
list of data that's being shared and or not being shared.
but I also think that there should be potential actionable items for us to consider so That as we enter into contracts moving forward,
that we have some guardrails in place. I am also concerned with who could access this Data.
I am I really think that I'd like for the attorneys as well, To be a part of what what is within our realm.
the last thing I want to do is have tools that are helping a city function but be utilized To help
other law enforcement agencies, for instance. And we've also made it very clear that our desire to be a collaborative partner with those Agencies versus just compliant.
and if our license plate readers or face recognition or any other type of technology That's being used in our city could
potentially be used from these other agencies, I'd like for us to have some policies in place that would prevent that as we move forward
and continue to get into new contracts. Thank you. Thank you. Mayor. Anyone else want to speak on for or against the item?
54 seeing none. All in favor, say aye. Any opposed? Ayes have it. Next item. Agenda item 57th june.
item 57. Authorize one adoption of the dallas regional and inclusive vendor enterprises Policy,
and two suspension of the business inclusion and development policy.
this item was pulled by council member mendelsohn. This is your item, mister mayor. Is there a motion? Second, It's been moved and seconded.
any discussion? Chairwoman mendelsohn move to separate the question. Move to divide the Question.
need a second? Is there a second for that second?
all right. It's been seconded. So hold on one second while I figure out debatable or not, Etcetera,
etcetera.
not debatable. All in favor, say I. Aye. Any opposed?
I think the ayes have it. So we'll go ahead and divide the questions into one and two.
we'll take up number one first. So would like to be recognized for five minutes.
point of information mayor. Yes. I'm just curious on the implication of the division of The question,
and if it would be appropriate for a new policy to be adopted if one has not been Suspended in this case.
how was that? Yeah. Well, the attorneys explain how that how that could be done, But you guys just did it.
so. For the record, you guys just voted no, right?
all right. We're going to stand. We're going to stand at ease for just a couple of minutes While we help get an answer to that question. I just want to separate the one and two.
yeah. I think if you took them in reverse order, There would not be a problem.
like, you have to take the first one away and then adopt the next one. I think this thing Is saying, how can you adopt when you haven't removed the other? Yeah.
and I think he's worried that there would be one. But I mean hello this is going to pass. Now this is just.
if you don't get it. Okay. Do you think that
there's something that we can look around the room and know this is happening?
so why are we doing this? This is about. Did you see what happened at the
meeting yesterday? The one you were at. Oh, yeah.
you realize that you asked the city attorney preliminary answer as I am.
okay. Madam city attorney, go ahead and explain how this motion to divide the question Would apply and what the implications of it are
for item 57. So after talking to willow sanchez and luis herrera.
city of pereira. This item has a clerical error.
that number two has already been repealed by item number 73.
under section six. That that business inclusion and development policy was repealed.
so it's already been done. So whether it's divided or not this has already been repealed.
so if there's no objection, would you like to withdraw your motion and just take up the Only remaining item, which is one which is right.
that's fine. Okay. So if there's no objection, It's withdrawn. And it was already moved and seconded to take up 57 as it was printed on the agenda.
but two is muted apparently so. All right. So we're back on item 57 and chairwoman Mendelsohn,
you have the floor for five minutes if you'd like it. Would anyone like to speak on for or Against 57 chairman gracey recognized for five minutes.
yeah. And again, we're not going to draw this out. We already know why we're here. And Again,
I want to thank staff for the work that they've done. And I just want to caveat this, And I've said it already,
but there's continued work to do on the construction side. I understand we'll be back. I Understand there's utilization study and I appreciate all of that. But I look forward for
us coming back to kind of fine tune some of these things to ensure that there are Opportunities,
more opportunities for our small businesses on the construction side.
so thank you so much. Anyone else want to speak on for or against item 57?
seeing none, a record vote has been requested and a record vote has been granted. Madam secretary, go ahead and call the roll. Thank you, Mr.
mayor. When I call your name, please state yes if you're in favor. No. If you oppose Council member west.
yes. Council member gracey. Yes. Council member. Johnson. Yes. Council member. Resendez. Yes. Council member.
cadena. Yes. Council member. Bazaldua. No. Council member.
blair. Yes. Council member. Blackmon. Yes. Council member.
stewart. Yes. Council member. Roth. Yes. Council member.
mendelsohn. No. Council member. Ridley. Yes. Deputy mayor pro tem.
willis. Yes. Mayor pro tem moreno. Mayor. Johnson.
yes. With 13 voting in favor to oppose, the item passes, Mr. Mayor. All right, next item. We are now up to your items for individual consideration.
agenda. Beginning with agenda item 75.
agenda item 75 is consideration of appointments to boards and commissions.
this afternoon. You have individual appointments and a full council appointment.
your nominees for individual appointment to the animal advisory commission.
john joe john j. Gonzalez is being nominated by deputy mayor pro tem willis.
mr. Gonzalez meets the general public special qualification to the community police Oversight board.
jesus marquez is being nominated by council member blackmon to the youth commission.
adrian andre alvarez is being nominated by council member resendez.
mr. Alvarez meets the full time student special qualification your nominee for full Council appointment to the landmark commission.
alternate members alison s reeves is being nominated by council member ridley.
miss reeves meets the historic preservation special qualification. These are your nominees, mr. Mayor. Thank you.
is there a second? I heard a second. Is there any discussion? Seeing none. All in favor, say aye. Any opposed?
the ayes have it. Congratulations to all the nominees. Your next item is agenda item 76. Agenda item 76 authorized a resolution reporting the Results of balloting for a
nominee or nominees to the dallas central appraisal district board of directors.
this is your item, mr. Mayor. Mayor pro tem, You have a motion.
yes. Just a second. Okay. I
move that the city of dallas cast its 350 votes for the 2026, 2029 dallas central appraisal district board of directors to the following candidates
pauline medrano, 150 votes larry offutt. Excuse me, Pauline medrano, 175 votes larry offutt,
175 votes. Is there a second? It's been moved and seconded. Any discussion? Mayor pro tem? No. Is there any discussion on anyone?
seeing none. All in favor, say aye. Any opposed? The ayes have it. Next item. Agenda item 77. Authorize a resolution reporting the results Of balloting
for a nominee or nominees to the collin central appraisal district board of directors.
this is your item, mr. Mayor. Looking for a motion? I have a motion. I heard a motion. Is there a second?
I move that the city of dallas cast is 27 votes for the 2026, 2029 collin central appraisal district board of directors for the following candidate
jerry tartaglia, tara tartaglia and I'd have some comments.
wait, wait. Hold on one second. What is that? The motion that you just read said before that you have comments?
is there a second? Second. All right. Yeah. Five minutes. Thank you. This is the first time that the city of dallas is pledging votes to jerry.
he is a former prosper mayor. He currently serves on the had board, And he is known for being very responsive and
community minded. Not only has he been a mayor, He was a council member and on board of adjustment and planning and zoning.
thank you. Anyone else want to speak on for or against the motion? Seeing none. All in favor, say aye. Any opposed?
the ayes have it. Next item. Agenda item 78. Authorize a resolution reporting the results Of balloting for a nominee or nominees to the denton central appraisal
district board of directors. This is your item, Mr. Mayor. Looking for a motion. Thank you. I move that the city of dallas cast ten votes for The 2026 2029 denton central appraisal district board of
directors to the following candidate. And and it's ten votes.
and I do have comments. That's the motion. Is there a second second.
it's been moved in second. You have five minutes. Thank you. We have nominated and twice Previously.
she is the former director of the texas instruments foundation.
she was also a mayor of her small town and is a very lovely woman.
so anyone else want to speak on for or against the motion? Seeing none. All in favor, say aye. Aye. Any opposed?
ayes have it. Next item. Agenda item 79. Consideration of appointment to the dallas fort Worth international airport.
board of directors for position nine to fill the remaining 2024 2026 unexpired term with Service to begin december 10th,
2025 and end january 31st, 2026. This is your item, Mr.
mayor. I move to appoint monika bravo to the.
hold on one second. Yeah, yeah. We're going to ignore all the sounds you heard until we Heard that sound.
I move to appoint monika lara bravo to the dallas fort worth international airport board Of directors to fill old position nine,
a vacant position for the remaining unexpired term to begin today and to expire january 31st,
2026. Second, there we go. All right. So we have a motion in a second. Any discussion, any discussion. Anyone? Seeing none.
all in favor, say aye. Any opposed? The ayes have it. All right. Agenda item 80. Consideration of appointments to the dallas fort worth International airport.
board of directors for positions four, six and nine.
this is your item, mr. Mayor. Looking for a motion, I move to appoint the following individuals.
monika lira. Bravo, vincent hall and angela hunt to the dallas fort worth international Airport board of directors to fill positions four,
six and nine with the terms beginning february 1st, 2026 and expiring january 31st, 2028.
it's been moved. And second, is there any discussion? Seeing none. All in favor, say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Eyes.
have it. Next item agenda item 81 authorized one.
the application for and acceptance of a grant from the us department of justice, Doj office of community oriented policing services.
cops for the fy 25 cops hiring program grant in the amount of $6,250,000 for the
hiring of 50 police officers over a five year grant period from october 1st, 2020 through september 30th,
2032. The establishment of appropriations in an amount not to exceed $6,250,000 in the doj Fy
25 cops hiring program grant fund three the receipt and deposit of funds in an amount not To exceed $6,250,000 in the
doj fy 25 cops hiring program grant fund for a local cash match in the amount of $12,261,650.
five at 50 police officer positions and six execution of the grant agreement with the doj And all terms,
conditions and documents required by the agreement. Total not to exceed $18,511,650. This is your item, Mr.
mayor. Looking for a motion to approve. All right. It's been moved and seconded. Any discussion, Chairman ridley?
yes. Five minutes on questions for staff. This is unclear.
it says that we're authorizing the application for. Have we already applied and been accepted, or is this just an application authorization?
this is martin riojas, assistant director for the dallas police department. We have we have applied for the grant. We are awarded the grant, But we have to basically come to council to get authorization to accept the grant.
okay. So we've been awarded the grant conditioned on council approval. That's correct. Okay. Thank you. Chairman mendelsohn, You're recognized for five minutes.
thank you. I just want to clarify city secretary, You just had a word misspoken, which is?
this is for community oriented policing. They're giving us. Police officers are paying a portion of our policing for a very important thing.
and I think you just said policy, and I just want to make sure that it was on the record Correctly.
thank you. Is there anyone else would like to speak on for or against agenda item 81 Seeing none.
all in favor, say aye. Any opposed? The ayes have it. Thanks. This side of the horseshoe for participating in that vote.
it's approved. Go ahead. Agenda item 82, authorized supplemental agreement number one to The cooperative purchasing agreement with
axon enterprise, inc. Through sourcewell contract to one and corporate incorporate Sourcewell contract
number 1012238xn to add upgraded technologies and expanded services,
and to add one three year renewal option to the contract term to give the city the Opportunity to purchase the newer technology available
under the new sourcewell cooperative purchase agreement.
number 1012238xn for additional three years to co-op to cooperative purchasing agreement With axon enterprise,
inc. And three add 500 additional public safety plan licenses, Increasing the number of digital video recorders,
dvr and vehicles. Refreshing dvrs in existing vehicles.
adding drone as a first responder. Capabilities.
drone avoidance software. Increased artificial intelligence capabilities.
adding safety, security, security. Officers of the dallas municipal court department and Other new public safety technology enhancements
not to exceed $120,621,927.03 from
$146,855,764.27 to
$267,477,691.30. This is your item, mr. Mayor.
is there a motion? Move to approve. All right. It's moved and seconded. Any discussion? Seeing none.
all in favor, say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Ayes have it. Thank you. Agenda item 83. Authorize one. The execution of amendment number one to the Advance
funding agreement afe with the texas department of transportation.
txdot for the woodall rodgers park deck plaza extension structure on system from west of Akard street to saint paul
street to reflect updates and project budget and funding participation, To an increase in the estimated project budget by
$57,000,980 from $65,383,008 to
$122,383,988. Due to the increase in the cost estimates based on the up to date Comprehensive
project analysis, of which the federal portion is increased by
$27,848,437 from $100,000
to $64,648,437, and the local portion is increased by
37,895,055, $551 from $19,840,000
to $57,735,551. Three, an increase of $6,500,000
in the city's previously authorized construction cost allocation.
from $9,600,000 to $16,100,000 from the park and recreation facilities b fund, For an
increase in appropriations in the woodall rodgers development fund, In an amount not to exceed $28,850,090.
five the receipt and deposit of funds in an amount not to exceed $28,850,090 in the Woodall rodgers development fund,
and six the disbursement of additional funds in an amount not to exceed $37,000,092 to Txdot for construction of the project,
not to exceed $37,000,092. This is your item, Mr.
mayor. Looking for a motion. Move! Approval. All right, I heard motion a second.
any discussion? Seeing none. All in favor, say aye. Any opposed? Ayes have it. Next item. Agenda item 84.
authorize the one acceptance of a grant from the us department of homeland security, Federal emergency management agency,
fema, through the texas division of emergency management, Tdm for the legislative pre-disaster mitigation program fy
2024. For the purchase and installation of an emergency power generator at keith's Recreation center,
located at 3081 southampton road, in the amount of $659,639.93, Of which the state's
portion is $494,729.94 75% to be provided by the
tdm, fy 24 legislative pre-disaster mitigation program grant fund.
the local match portion is $164,909.99, 25% to be provided by the general fund and the State's
reimbursement to the city of dallas, in an amount not to exceed $494,729.94 for the period September 19th,
2024 through september 18th, 2027. Two. Establishment of appropriations in an amount not To exceed
$494,729.94, and the fy 24 legislative pre-disaster mitigation program grant
fund three receipt and deposit of funds in the amount not to exceed $494,729.94 into the Fy
24 legislative pre-disaster mitigation program grant fund for local cash match in an Amount not to exceed
$164,909.99 from the general fund, and five execution of the grant agreement with tdm
and all terms, conditions and documents required by the agreement. This is your item, mr. Mayor. For motion 84. Move to approve.
thank you. I heard a motion and a second. Any discussion? Seeing none. All in favor, say aye. Aye. Any opposed?
ayes have it. Next item, please. Agenda item 85.
authorize a five year service contract in the amount of $781,250, With three one year renewal options in the amount of
$468,750, as detailed in the fiscal information section for real estate brokerage and Consulting services for the department
of facilities and real estate management, cbre, Inc.
most advantageous proposer of nine total not to exceed $1,250,000.
this is your item, mr. Mayor. Looking for a motion? Item 85. I heard a motion to approve. And a second.
is there any discussion? Seeing none. All in favor, Say aye. Any opposed? Ayes have it. Next item please. Thank you, Mr.
mayor. We'll now move to your zoning agenda. Will you allow me a couple of seconds to Confirm a zoning item?
okay.
thank you, mr. Mayor. Before we move to your zoning agenda, Mr.
mayor, councilmember johnson would like to be recognized on item z three.
chairman johnson, you recognized for a motion. Thank you. Mayor johnson, I move to defer this item to february 25th,
2026. Second, it's been moved in. Second. Any discussion? No, sir. Any discussion? Anyone seeing none. All in favor, Say aye. Any opposed? Ayes have it. Motions deferred.
thank you, mr. Mayor. Council member blair would like to be recognized on item z 13.
thank you. Mr. Blair. You recognized for a motion. I'm sorry. You're good. Thank you, mr. Mayor. I move to defer this item until january 14th, 2026.
is there a second? It's been moved in. Second discussion, Mr. Blair. Discussion. Anyone? Seeing none. All in favor, Say aye. Any opposed? Ayes have it. Next item. Thank you.
we'll now move to your zoning agenda. Your zoning agenda consisted of items z one through Z 13.
item z one was deleted, item three was previously deferred and item z13 was previously Deferred.
therefore, your zoning consent agenda consists of items z2, Z4, through
z10 and z12. I'll read those items into the record.
item z2 is a public hearing to receive to a public hearing, And an ordinance granting a new specific use permit for a tower antenna for cellular
communications limited to monopole cellular tower on property on the south east line of South boulevard,
northeast of colonial avenue. Item z4 is a public hearing on an ordinance granting a new Specific use permit to allow a group of
residential facility on property on the southeast line of park avenue, Northeast of colonial avenue.
item z5 is a public hearing on an ordinance granting an amendment to specific use permit Number 2261 for a metal salvage facility,
use on property on the east line of luna road and on the north line of ryan road.
item c-6 is a public hearing on an ordinance granting an mu three mixed use district and a Resolution accepting deed restrictions volunteered by the applicant on
property on the east line of vicksburg street between burgess boulevard and mississippi Avenue.
item c-7 is a public hearing and an ordinance granting a new subdistrict with planned Development district number 595,
the south dallas fair park special purpose district, On property on the northwest line of spring avenue and southwest line of sutton street.
item z8 is a public hearing and an ordinance granting the renewal of specific use permit Number 1796 for an attached projecting non premise
district activity video board sign on property on the southeast line of main street Between south street and south ervay street.
item zero nine is a public hearing and an ordinance granting an amendment to a development Plan for subarea b within plan development district number
811 on the south side of interstate highway 30 between west colorado boulevard and north Cockrell hill road.
item z10 is a public hearing and an ordinance granting an amendment to specific use permit Number 2355 for a late hours establishment
limited to an alcohol beverage alcoholic beverage establishment for a bar, Lounge, or tavern.
use on property on the west line of greenville avenue southeast of ross avenue and item z 12 is a
public hearing and an ordinance granting an amendment to plan development district number 765 to create a new subarea b on property on the southeast corner of
mapleshade lane and oxford drive. You do have an individual who has signed up to speak on Two of your
zoning items, item z2 and z4 chris simmons. Okay.
he's not speaking. Thank you. Are there any other individuals in the audience that would Like to address the city council on any of the zoning items that were just
previously read into the record? I see two individuals coming forward.
one speaker at a time. And please state your name and address for the record you'll be Given three minutes.
there's a button at the base. And also, could you identify the zoning item you'll be Speaking on?
I think it's z-2. That's the tower. Is that it?
my name is t.a. Sneed. I reside at 1820 south boulevard, Which is just next door to the proposed tower.
the current zoning was placed. Hold on a minute.
at the october 23rd, 2025 hearing before the dallas planning zoning commission.
mr. Simmons testified that the proposed 90 foot cell tower was needed due to a drop cell To drop cell calls.
however, neither he nor anyone else provided details on the frequency of these dropped Calls,
or the specific locations of where they occurred, Or whether others had similar experiences.
importantly, mr. Simmons acknowledged owning other properties where, Except for the tower could be erected.
he also stated that he resided in cedar hill, Texas, an area known for less reliable cell phone coverage compared to south boulevard,
which is only 1.2 miles from the dallas central business district, Which enjoys excellent cell phone reception.
when I when I inquired the panel, the planning zone panel, No member reported having a 90 foot tower adjacent to their homes or being familiar with
such a tower placed in the residential neighborhood in dallas. Moreover, none expressed a desire to have one near their residence.
one member noted that the antennas are now commonly placed on rooftops of high rise Buildings,
instead of standalone towers. I purchased my home at 1820 south boulevard in 1984.
over the years, its value has increased, contrary to verizon's zoning change application.
the proposed tower would be a stark departure from the character of the 1800 block of South boulevard and would undoubtedly,
undoubtedly diminish my home's value. The current zoning was placed in the mid 1970s to Allow safeway foods to build a grocery store.
safeway had originally planned to build a larger store with parking that would have spread Over to the south boulevard.
the original plan was scrapped, and safeway built a smaller store, Which was subsequently purchased by minyard foods.
several years later, built a much larger store on martin luther king junior boulevard and Cullum,
a 14 unit residential apartment complex was built on the subject property at 1814 south Boulevard.
there has never been any commerce on south boulevard since the addition was built roughly In roughly 1916.
also asked were the health and safety and environmental concerns related to cell towers Were considered in approving the zoning request.
board chairman tony, I hope I'm saying that correctly acknowledged that such concerns are Always raised in cell tower cases,
but stated that they had not been considered in this case. With all due respect, when children and seniors live within feet of a proposed tower, Especially where other towers already exist,
these concerns should not be should be addressed before recommending approval of Additional towers.
I've learned that many texas cities, including austin, Denton, fort worth, frisco, garland,
southlake, tarrant county and mcallen have established zoning laws regarding cell towers.
another commissioner asked, that's your time. All right. Well, I ask that the tower not be placed there.
thank you. Next speaker. Please state your name and address for the record.
and also what item you'll be speaking on. Kimberly vaughn dallas, Desoto, texas.
let's see. It's my time. Ready? I want to make sure I don't go over time. There you go. Okay. I'm here regarding case z2 requests for a 95 foot monopole cellular Tower located within the fmu three
form subdistrict of pd 595, in south dallas fair park.
before I begin, I want to be very clear I support improved wireless service for our Community.
stronger cellular coverage is essential for safety, Economic development, and quality of life.
my concern is not that the need of a tower, it is the location and the lack of due Diligence in evaluating its impact on nearby residents.
I reviewed the publicly posted case documents. The file contains a site plan and general sup conditions, But it does not include environmental impact study.
it does not include noise or light pollution analysis. It does not include structural fall zone or hazard assessment.
it does not include stormwater or drain water plan. It does not include buffering or screening analysis for residential that are adjacent.
it does not include any alternative site evaluations. Without this information, the council cannot fully evaluate risk compatibility or public Welfare impacts under the city's sup criteria,
you are required to determine whether a proposed use is not detrimental to the public Health,
safety or general welfare, and whether it is compatible in adjacent property.
today, there is no factual basis in this case to make those findings.
this is not a standard commercial zone. It is form based plan development designed to Support walkable,
compatible residential and commercial uses. A 90 foot tower positioned 60ft from a Residence is a significant departure from the intended
scale in form of its district approving this sup without environmental compatibility Studies do weaken the planning protection.
pd 595 was created to achieve better service, And responsible siting should go hand in hand.
this community deserves infrastructure advancement without compromising safety, Transparency or planning integrity.
the issue here is procedural. The record is incomplete.
key assessments simply were not provided. Therefore, Based on the incomplete public record,
the absence of required environmental safety and compatibility analysis, And the inconsistency our respective respectfully move that the council either
one of two things deny the the specific user use permit or continue the case until the Applicant submits a complete public available
packet, including environmental impact assessment. Fall zone. Stormwater. Residential. Adjacent buffering.
evaluation of the alternate sites. Thank you.
thank you. Are there any other individuals in the audience that would like to address the City council on any of the zoning consent agenda,
items that were just read into the record? No further speakers.
mr. Mayor, this is your no further speakers on your zoning consent. Is there a motion? Motion to approve. There's a motion.
second. Any discussion? Yes. Council member bazaldua.
thank you. I just want to address z2 that is in district seven.
I know that it was expressed from a speaker here today that there was no environmental.
and I'd like for the attorneys to opine on our ability to consider environmental impact on The approval of land use for cellular towers.
thank you for the question. The cell towers are regulated.
we are allowed to regulate the land use only. All of the other aspects of it are regulated by the epa.
thank you very much. And if andrea could come to the mic and just speak to its Compatibility to our area
plans.
thank you so much for the question, andrea. Planning and development.
yeah. Staff's recommendation was approval. City planning commission's recommendation was Approval for 20 years.
we deemed it compatible because the neighborhood mixed use place type for, For for dallas says that uses primary uses as
multiplex apartments and it goes into saying utility type of uses can be primary.
so from a from a planning again or compliance or looking into for dallas we say it does Comply with the
vision as said as, a comprehensive plan. And if there was significant opposition from the Community,
that would have triggered our requirement to have a higher threshold to pass, Etc..
can you explain the opposition and support that we have? Yes. So we sent 15 notices to property owners within 500ft of the area of request.
we received one reply in favor and one in opposition. If we would have received more than 20% of the area notified area within 200ft of the area Request that opposition would
have triggered the necessity of a three quarters vote from council to pass, But that's not the case.
thank you. And I just want to put for the record that our district seven city plan Commissioner tabitha wheeler reagan
is also a co-chair for our area plan that was exhaustive for four years and is now Spearheading the authorized hearing for pd five.
95 is that accurate as well? Yes. Yes. Okay. Thank you.
for those reasons, I will be supportive of z2 and the issues that were raised are of Course important.
however, not ones that would sway us on a decision one way or the other besides our legal Capabilities of addressing
environmental with cellular towers, it's also one that is compatible with area plans and Work that we have had for years.
at this point, if you hear colleagues, we had the same notice and opportunity to hear from The public.
we heard from one in opposition and one in support. I don't believe that there's a clear consensus to push against bringing better cellular Service,
which is something we hear often in the southern part of our city.
so I believe this to be a value and and a welcomed asset to our community.
thank you, mr. Mayor. Anyone else want to speak on for or against zoning consent agenda?
seeing none. All in favor, say aye. Any opposed? The ayes have it. Consent agenda is adopted. Zoning consent.
next item. Thank you. Item 11. Item c-11 is a public hearing and an ordinance.
thank you, mr. Mayor. I'm sorry. We we're going to move to item z 15. Sorry. We'll move ahead a bit. I'm sorry. Item z 15.
is a public hearing and an ordinance granting rr regional retail district and a resolution Accepting deed restrictions volunteered by the applicant on property on the southeast
corner of hillcrest road and lbj freeway. Mr.
mayor for item c15, we sent nine notices to property owners within 400ft of the area of Request.
we received one reply in favor and two replies in opposition. Due to more than 20% opposition received for this case, The item requires three quarters vote to pass.
thank you. You. You have 24 individuals who have signed up to speak on this item.
after those speakers are heard, it will be open to any other individuals in the audience That would like to address the city council on this item.
item c 15. I'm going to call the first 12 speakers.
when I call your name, please come forward and have a seat on the first two rows of this Center section.
leslie decillis and leslie decillis. If you're here, You can come to the podium julie allen,
chris aldridge, burl george, don christensen, Mary smith, daniel.
roby, lucien abbondanzo, diane glaser, joan nye,
kathy kaufmann, frank michalopoulos those are your first 12.
you may begin. Each speaker will be given three minutes to speak.
okay. I am leslie decillis. I live in dallas, Texas, very close to the property.
my points are really more emotional in nature, Not fact based, but I'd like to say that everybody that is here is here because of us.
we elect you and we expect you to treat that with great care.
you answer to parishioners that will be at 12 religious institutions in this neighborhood,
children at three schools, 2000 in homeowners that live near where there will be a huge 18 Wheeler truck bay,
which will cross back and forth over hillcrest avenue. Why do people feel like city hall is not hearing what we have to say?
because it seems like you cannot be bothered. If you could, you would have looked at the stark contradiction between what ford dallas Says and what this plan provides.
if you could, you would have required potentially a planned use development instead of a Very large zoning change.
if you could, you would think how you would feel if a zoning change is proposed in your District and everybody else voted against you.
if you could, you would request that these issues had been addressed, Such as traffic safety,
flooding, permission of neighborhood buildings, And negotiation of deed restrictions prior to the time that cpc advised that it go
forward. So if you care, we recommend that you vote no to send it back to address these Issues and concerns with cpc.
if you can't be bothered, I would say don't worry about it. The citizens of dallas will figure this out for themselves and they will vote accordingly.
don't worry, businesses and citizens will decide not to live and stay in a district whose Planning has gone awry.
don't worry, you'll face the same issues again and eventually you'll all have to face them And your constituents.
and don't worry, this top ten city will fall into oblivion and people will say, Dallas used to be such a great place to live.
thank you. Thank you, julie allen. My name is julie allen and I live at
5337 kelsey road in dallas. I grew up on the border along the south texas in south texas, And I have been an heb shopper
for life. I am happy to say I am a lifer. I grew up with heb, Whataburger and luby's, three texas great
originals, the texas trifecta in dallas. Currently, I've been able to eat at luby's.
I can go to whataburger everywhere, but I have to drive to plano to shop at heb.
heb is an amazing company. They truly value their employees and the communities they are Part of.
I live in one of the neighborhoods that was hit by the tornado in 2019.
we were one of the lucky ones. Our house was livable and we were only without power for Eight days.
the central market at preston royal, just two miles from me, Did not fare as well as it was hit directly the night of the tornado.
despite the destruction of their store, central market employees took the time to help Customers who had been in the store when it was hit.
they helped them get home. They checked on neighbors in the homes immediately around the Store.
heb corporate sent its ginormous food truck and set it up in the central market parking Lot for about a week,
offering free meals, lunch, breakfast, dinner, Snacks and cleaning supplies.
I was in my front yard several days after the storm, Only to look up and see a golf cart coming down my road,
offering neighbors and all the workmen cold drinks and hamburgers, Along with cleaning supplies,
all from h-e-b and central market. I think it's also important to note that at that same Intersection where the central market is at preston royal,
there is a tom thumb, and they did nothing to help their neighbors.
central market and h-e-b donated $1 million to disd to help to help rebuild thomas Jefferson high school and walnut hill elementary.
I volunteered at my first feast of sharing in dallas this year. It is an event that central market and heb held in november, And they've been doing it in fair park for about 15 years.
they fed 8000 people in four hours, a delicious sit down thanksgiving meal.
in addition to the meal, they offered their guests showers, Haircuts, flu shots, new coats,
free books for children, arts and crafts, photos with santa, Live music and a marching band.
it was amazing and I can't wait to volunteer there next year. I understand that the neighbors surrounding the proposed location have had some concerns, But I also understand that heb is in its desire to be a good neighbor,
and part of the community has worked very hard to find solutions to the neighbors Concerns,
and the dallas city planning commission approved the changes unanimously.
heb is a great company and you all know that, And the city of dallas should be honored to partner with them.
that's your time. Thank you chris aldridge. Chris aldridge
is not present. Perle, george. Good afternoon, Mayor
and members of dallas city council. My name is perle george. I'm a 18 year resident at hill park drive, approximately one half mile from the site.
I'm also a member of the hillcrest preservation coalition. I am here today to urge you to reject the rezoning application for the ten acre parcel at The southeast corner of hillcrest road and lbj,
from neighborhood office to regional retail. The city plan commission may have recommended 100% approval,
but they blatantly ignored the fundamental facts presented by residents prioritizing Corporate desire over responsible urban
planning. Today, the council has the opportunity to stand with the taxpayers over Developers.
we are told by the dallas morning news editorial board that we are nimbys.
but this is this offensive, bullying statement is far from the truth.
we know our neighborhood. We love our neighborhood. The proposed site is not just off the interstate.
this is the 13th most, most congested highway segment in the state of texas.
a key distinction ignored by staff. Furthermore, The site sits below the highway in a floodplain and next to a residential homes and
condos. There have been 90 crashes involving more than 300 people at that intersection in The past five
years. The parcel is simply not large enough for this proposed 127,000 square foot mega Store and its three
story parking garage. It is half the size normally required.
the site is landlocked on two sides with extremely limited ingress egress.
we are gravely. Hear me gravely concerned about the traffic.
the applicant, h-e-b, has not provided a legitimate formal traffic study.
instead, they provide coy numbers 45,000 customers per week, Which translates to an estimated 13,000 additional vehicle trips
per day. 13,000 already said how many accidents we've had a traffic engineering analysis Of the site,
which most of you all have seen project more than 500 cars per hour will pour onto Hillcrest plaza drive between 4 and 7
p.m.. While the tenants are leaving, h-e-b customers are trying to come and go.
you have a real problem there, city shack. I'm going to skip that part.
I'm just going to conclude by saying we advocate and you'll thank me for that.
we advocate for responsible land use that preserve our neighborhood integrity and Residents property values,
and ensure a sustainable and future. Most importantly, Make these people do their due diligence before they come and ask for zoning.
thank you very much. Thank you, don christensen.
thank you. Good afternoon. Don christensen I live at 6545
longfellow drive in district 11. My family's been in that area for 60 years.
I know development in that area quite well from watching it and living it.
I have some handouts that you should have received. Hopefully the secretary distributed them to you all.
I want to quickly go through those, because I think that gives you an illustration of why Myself and about a dozen of my neighbors that couldn't be here today because they have to
go to work. So they're not going to be in this audience with all the heavy lawyers and Staff employees that I've noted today from my prior meetings with them.
so please take note. There's more people that are against this than what you will see Here. Standing in item number one, you'll see on that I've circled an intersection.
the reason I circle that is it's not a normal frontage road. You don't just go and there's three lanes going to the highway, All that.
there's three distinct routes. And those three distinct routes you start to see in this Item.
two that I sent, this is my this is my work. My neighbor, Who is a drone guy, flew his drones up there and took these pictures for us because he's
so adamant about how you have to understand our area to really approve or deny any of This.
if you look at item two, the frontage road, you have a forest, Go on to lbj or you can go to kuwait road,
which is a whole nother ramp. Or you can go to park central, Which by the way, on sunday mornings when the watermark church is there,
it is backed up from the stop sign at the bottom all the way to hillcrest road with people Trying to go to church.
about the time that heb people also say it will be a really great time to go shopping.
it will be backed up more than it already is. The. In the third run, you see my illustration of how they've proposed a truck route.
the truck route you basically are going to take come off the frontage road because there's No direct exit to this store,
by the way, you either have to exit off preston on lbj, Or you exit over in the high five and try to come down coit or try to come down.
I think I don't remember the name of the street, But it's kind of like park central. There's one lane from coit road that comes down to
hillcrest, just like there's one lane that goes up that road.
if you want to work with the texas people, texas highway people to rebuild all that Intersection,
that's going to cost a lot of money. I ask that you please, You know, I'm an heb customer.
I'm not against them. Like one of the speakers referenced. I want heb in the area, but what I really want is thoughtful development.
I want someone to understand this is not a good site. It's not a good fit for that size store. Maybe something smaller, But they won't work with us.
they don't return any of the information requests that you send them.
they don't answer questions. They have pr people that come and talk to everybody else, But they don't talk to us.
that's why I'm concerned. And I ask that you push it back to the planning people.
thank you. Thank you. Mary smith.
good afternoon, council and mr. Mayor. My name is mary ellen smith and I live on Hillcrest,
just north of the proposed zoning area. You all received the presentation of the traffic Study done by one of the building owners.
in this study, it shows how heb. Would considerably add 500 cars per hour to this area.
this would add ten minutes back up to this area which would continue to filter down Hillcrest,
adding even more delays. What this will do to hillcrest is horrendous.
hillcrest is a residential street with a 35 mile an hour speed limit, And cannot handle this amount of traffic.
the proposed site appears insufficiently sized for a large store, Particularly given its limited access points.
in contrast, other heb locations have multiple lanes providing ingress and egress from all Sides.
while this location has only one main entry and exit.
additionally, flooding is an ongoing challenge that has yet to be adequately adequately Addressed.
earlier this year, a person tragically lost his life as a result of runoff originating From areas of north of dallas,
exacerbating by increasing impervious surfaces.
every acre of concrete north of this north of us worsens the problem, And rezoning to regional retail would allow wall to wall pavement pushing even more water
downstream. And when the gates at 635 close, Hopefully as they have ten times this year, traffic will funnel straight down hillcrest
into our neighborhoods. Too many of these issues have not been addressed.
heb has not been transparent with regard to traffic, The actual plans for the store.
and so therefore I ask you to deny this zoning request. Thank you. Thank you. Daniel roby. Good afternoon, Council
members. Mayor, thank you for your time. First off, I apologize for my attire. I did not know about the christmas sweater motif.
so I want to start with saying heb. Invest in their community.
some organizations, they provide affordable housing. Other organizations really like to invest in homeless services and some support a local Food banks.
heb does all those things and they do it beyond their four walls. You know, they a feast of sharing if you don't know about it.
it's an amazing program they have. But I don't think we want to kick out the organizations That are trying to make dallas better.
we need more organizations like that to to partner with our government and make sure that We are providing the services.
dallas needs over 500 jobs. Let me tell you, I know that those jobs are desperately needed,
and I am tired of trying to find dallas citizens employment in our neighbor cities because We don't have enough employment for them here locally.
we are there's just great opportunity here, and they're making great accommodations, And I appreciate it as a baylor alumni.
I love heb as an advocate, I think dallas needs more organizations like heb and as a Citizen,
I cannot wait to start shopping there. You know, Last night, me and my four kids went and we sing christmas carols less than half a mile
from the proposed site that we're discussing. And it really would have been nice to stop by heb beforehand and have some of the best Barbecue in texas.
if you don't believe me, I offer you a taste test. Heb. Invest in us. It's time for us to invest in them.
and they they don't just give, they show up. Their owners physically come down, They serve meals to those who are experiencing homelessness.
and I've been a part of watching them do that with care and compassion. Not for fanfare or attention, but just because they believe in it.
so let's believe in them. Thank you, thank you. Lucianne abbondanza.
I am lucianne abbondanza and I live at 12680 hillcrest road, And I am at the williamsburg condominiums.
I can't say anything more or different than what everybody else has said here today, But I can talk to you about
my feelings about the change in the rezoning, The
rezoning of hillcrest and lbj. It is fine the way it is.
they say if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Okay. I know many of you have probably already made your decision regarding this rezoning.
I just ask you to think about it again. Look at me.
I'm old enough to be for the majority of you, My. Your mother. Okay. And I chose. I chose williamsburg because I feel safe.
I can walk the property and feel comfortable there, And I don't feel like I'm in danger.
changing this rezoning, bringing in a big box company changes the footprint of that area.
unfortunately, I'm not going to want to walk it anymore because of the cars coming through There going.
it's an easy area where you can mistake those side streets for a through street to get to The store.
I am not opposed to heb, with a lot of people here think it has nothing to do with heb.
it has to do with the big box companies that would come in if the zoning were changed.
so my wish or my ask of you is to please not change the zoning in that area.
it changes the entire and not so much the personality but the footprint of that area.
it is fine. Thank you. Thank you. Diane glaser.
hello. My name is diane glaser, and I live at williamsburg 12680 hillcrest.
I've lived there for ten years, and I'm here today to express my deep concern regarding The proposed rezoning at hillcrest and lbj.
and to encourage you to vote no. While I absolutely appreciate the value that new Businesses bring to dallas,
this site is unsuitable for big box regional retail.
after teaching school for 50 years, 38 of them recently at the hockaday school, I can honestly say I know dallas.
I know the neighborhoods. So when it was time to buy a home, I chose williamsburg because it offered a gated,
safe community. If you vote to rezone, williamsburg will get both a large box store and a Three story
garage as neighbors, and it will no longer be the safe, Quiet community I purchased years ago.
the and some of this you might have heard, but the intersection of hillcrest and lbj is Already one of the busiest in north dallas.
accidents occur here on a weekly basis. And the area is part of dallas high injury Network,
which identifies streets with disproportionately high numbers of severe crashes, Adding 127,000 square foot regional
grocery store on only ten acres would dramatically increase traffic problems.
pardon me? Including heavy truck deliveries far beyond what the surrounding streets can Safely handle.
there are at least six hoa's in the immediate area with hundreds of homeowners.
if you vote yes to rezone, you can imagine the traffic will cripple the streets.
and to avoid. This is what's very frightening to me. To avoid traffic. Drivers will seek alternative routes.
they'll go up and down on neighborhood streets. Our coalition has done hours and hours of research and, In a good faith error effort, made many suggestions to heb,
but to no avail. We offered dozens of reasons that that area is unsuitable.
traffic. Noise. Safety. Huge trucks. Although heb respectively listens and makes promises To accommodate,
they refuse to commit in writing. So I am depending on you, Our city government, to protect me,
to protect all of us at williamsburg and the six other hoa's in my neighborhood.
your decision to rezone is a critical one and will set a precedent for years to come.
I respectfully urge the council to deny this rezoning because dallas deserves growth that Enhances neighborhoods,
not developments that compromise safety and livability. Thank you. Thank you. Joan nigh. Thank you.
good afternoon. Hi. It's me again. I hope this is my last time down here.
I serve on the board of hillcrest villa association, And I am here representing 100 homeowners,
100 homes. They're not at work. Actually, many of them are retirees. Most people have a spouse or are not well enough.
they don't even know how to get downtown. But I'm here today. I'm also a member of the coalition. I'd like to say that I bought things this just a Couple of weeks ago from heb.
so for me, it is not an heb issue. I wouldn't even mind heb being in the site.
it is more of an issue of you hear people I've asked around like, What do you think about it?
and they're like, hey, I love the store. It'll be crowded. I'll go out the other end of my Neighborhood. We don't. Everybody on our street does not have that option. We have three
high end neighborhoods behind all of mine that actually they can't get in and out of their Neighborhood,
but to go through mine. So I won't be the only one waiting to get out on hillcrest.
the location has severely limited access. It's also. Hillcrest plaza is a private road. Although it is access of lbj.
it's not really on lbj. That's the other thing that they're just about behind it.
and I think that just brings kind of another whole issue to site from the beginning.
this zoning request to me has seemed odd. I was talking to someone.
I said, square peg in a round hole. I want you to know I can still wear clothes I wore in College.
they just don't quite look the same anymore, So I don't I think many of the issues seem slanted in favor of the owner.
I don't want to say heb, so I'm saying the owner is. We've all organized. We aren't professional organizers.
we spent a lot of time and money. Some of the surprises have been hidden.
I'm waiting for someone to pop out of the back, You know, at the end of our old deal here today.
and it just it just seems very kind of late in the game. You know, studies are rehearsed at midnight. We're showing up the next day I want to ask Everybody why not?
or why this is a class a company. They have a premium product and they have premium Buyers.
when I left that store, I won't tell you what the bill is. I've made donations to charities that are less than what I walked out of there with.
what I do find surprising, that is an a company that's worth $5 billion chooses to Employees that are a and they're looking for customers that are a-types.
they want to develop on a c type property. And I think why not ask them before they make This huge change to regional retail,
which will have a precedent. Why not go back to cpc and ask for some adjustments?
take a hard look at it. Is there any accommodations we could make on, You know, some of the other things?
please don't rubber stamp this quickly. It will have a precedent on our community at Large.
I thank you today. And please think about regional retail. Thank you. Cathy kaufman.
good afternoon, mayor johnson and members of the dallas city council.
my name is kathy kaufman, and I live in district 11 at 10805 lark glen circle.
I stand before you today not to just as an affected resident, But as one who has called dallas home for more than 50 years.
I've raised my children and now my grandchildren here, And I have decades of experience observing city government and engaging in the civic
process. I can honestly say that I am deeply disappointed by how this particular case has Been handled.
a neighborhood from the corner of northwest highway, Four mile straight up north on hillcrest and at lbj,
and a neighborhood with no other retail zoning. And now you want to change it to the most dense retail zoning in on our zoning books.
there are huge problems with this picture, but it looks to me like it's a store for Highland park at the expense of the dallas traffic and the dallas taxpayers.
the most fundamental responsibility of local government is to protect its people, To ensure safety,
stability and quality of life. When the city stops protecting its taxpayers and starts Favoring big corporations without the usual vetting,
it's a problem. We are told by city staff that the plan is fine, Despite obvious inconsistencies with the new forward dallas 2.0 plan.
we are told by the cpc to ignore the traffic. We are labeled nimbys by the media. But you know what happens when residents sour on the City because they feel undervalued?
they move away to areas that do value them. So between now and the opening of the heb Store,
we will have experienced on a daily basis the blunder of this corner and it's going to be Huge and you're going to notice it and we will vote accordingly for the next mayor
and city council members of dallas. This traffic nightmare is a nightmare, And if you've not looked at the traffic study,
you're selling us short. The traffic nightmare is going to continue, And we're going to have to live with it and we're not going to forget it.
so let's look at who else you are failing to protect. Today, the more than 300 small businesses currently operating in the adjacent buildings.
I know many of you have seen the private traffic analysis commissioned by the owner, And the data is alarming.
this will overwhelm the area, driving away clients, Patients and employees in their small businesses.
why are these smaller, local businesses so underappreciated? You'll have to ask answer that with them. But we urge you to reconsider the path you are On and uphold your duty to protect all taxpayers and local businesses.
and please vote no on this zoning request. Thank you. Thank you. Frank michalopoulos. Good
afternoon, mayor and city council member. Sorry, I just had knee replacement three weeks ago,
but I felt this was an important case to come and speak. Small world. You all see me here more than I want to be.
but in 1984, my offices used to be at the corner of hillcrest and lbj, Hillcrest plaza drive.
in 1992, we moved the holy trinity greek orthodox church to the corner in hillcrest and Alpha.
today, you should have received a letter from our priest, Father mark page and our president,
billy kurent, in support of this case for the holy trinity greek orthodox church.
and they've allowed me to come here to speak on their behalf. I've been in this neighborhood for for decades.
I've seen the transformation. I used to it used to be a class a office corner.
it's no longer that class a office corner. It has been struggling as the rest of the Office market.
this is an opportunity to enhance the intersection. But before, let's go back to history in 1984.
in 1992. Since then, lbj freeway has been multi-billion dollar expansion with new lanes, New exit ramps,
new off ramps, new texas u-turns, the same thing with central expressway.
a real testament to the improvements of central expressway is the costco store at kuwait And churchill hill.
who would have thought that would have been a successful retail location that is so Successful?
it's one of their top in the country. And yet I drive on kuwait road to go to church every Every sunday and twice a week and there's no traffic.
I remember the backup of hillcrest when it was two lanes, Not a six lane divided road as it is today to handle the traffic.
so from somebody who's been in the neighborhood, Who's lived there, whose family lives in the neighborhood,
very supportive of what he is doing. More important, Heb is our local texas owned company.
in the ten minute drive from this location, I have counted six at least six closed grocery Stores.
two two thumb sums a safeway. If you remember a kroger.
they all used to feed this neighborhood I used to be part of at hillcrest. Campbell. There was a tom thumb before that. It was a safeway.
albertsons at hillcrest and arapahoe gone at tom thumb at northwest highway gone.
kroger at lbj and montford gone. That neighborhood is a big void.
there's a big need to fulfill in that community. Those neighbors will be shopping there. Their grandparents will be shopping there, Their parents and those grandkids.
I've seen it over and over again. H-e-b is the right answer for this corner.
besides having a company that cares, they will do the right thing.
they will build the right infrastructure if the. Working with the homeowners in the area because they're h-e-b, They stand for it.
I'm chairman of us. State senator daniel roby spoke earlier. We need a transportation vehicle. They stepped up and gave us one.
I'm just saying the number one company in texas wants to be in dallas. Let's not say no to them. Dallas needs h-e-b and they will do more stores in this market.
that's your time. Thank you. I will now call the remaining registered speakers.
when I call your name, please come forward and have a seat in the first few rows of the Center section.
andrew nash, andrew nash if you're present, you may come to the podium.
brant reeves, juan reeves, dan newell, christy lamberth, Rami khalifa, beverly heflin,
mary keegan, richard butler, chris bowers, chris simmons and jack cox, Andrew nash,
you may begin. Good evening, senator, city manager, Mayor, city council.
and I'm here in support. I'm andrew nash, ceo with the dallas fort worth business council,
8585 north stemmons freeway. We do certification for suppliers.
again, I'm here in support of heb. Coming into the area, Heb has done a lot even before then.
two years ago, they came to the council and asked us to host their doing their opportunity For
quest for texas. Best to bring in suppliers to put on their shelves.
not kroger, not tom thumb, not walmart, but heb came in.
they are a good neighbor here. They really care about small businesses, As you're going to see that heb supports small businesses that
are in the area. H-e-b gives back to the community before they opened up any store.
the first thing that they did was give they gave out checks to community foundations as Well as school districts.
so they're not coming in just to take. They're coming in to give.
and then h-e-b has opportunities for our small businesses and businesses just to get their Products on the shelf.
with the quest for texas best contest. When you try to go through other big boxes, There's this big,
long. No one talks to you. You don't know who to call, But h-e-b has been there.
all that to say is that h-e-b is good for our community, And we want you to support this zoning change because again,
they're coming in giving first and then supporting the community. Thank you. Thank you. Brant reeves and sorry if I mispronounced it one at a time.
you're one. Okay. Okay. Yes. Hi. My name is brant reeves.
our dad started our company in 1976. We're second generation restaurant owners.
we have been. We've had the our dad really wanted his brand to grow, And he wanted to see it all over the city,
all over the world, all over the state. And he gave us that opportunity.
we produced banana pudding barbecue sauce, barbecue rub for hiv.
and this partnership has been absolutely tremendous.
the cool thing about h-e-b is, is that they pour into the community.
and that community includes us. So it's very interesting because because this zoning may Be
something that's going to that may inconvenience some people.
but the interesting thing is, the products that we make and the products that we produce Are produced by single mothers that have a
job now that are produced by seniors that don't have an opportunity, But yet they work with us and they make banana pudding and they take care
of their families. Heb has created so many opportunities that not only change our lives, But our team
member's lives as well, because now they can they can take care of their family, Put a roof over their head.
we've seen heb reach out into the community and pour into so many different areas.
they don't just come in and start selling goods.
heb comes in and makes an impact on the lives in the community.
they're going to be hundreds of jobs that come in because of heb.
so there are people whose lives are totally this.
this for them is not just this is an answered prayer for some people.
some people are waiting on these opportunities, And heb is opening their door and open their their door,
not only to this community, but to this whole city and to this whole state.
and so for that reason, we totally support heb and just ask for you to approve this zoning Change.
thank you, juan reeves. As my brother just mentioned first of all, Thank you for having us.
and I appreciate the opportunity. As my brother mentioned, Our dad was our founder, and we're second generation business owners.
dallas. Dallas sites for our whole lives. And it's really important for us to share that My brother mentioned the people that we employ that work with us,
our team members. But we've also had an opportunity as a company to start as a second Generation minority,
minority owned business to grow. And we have values and we have standards that we operate On.
and when we started researching about heb, before we got involved with them through the Texas quest for texas best,
we realized that they had very similar values, Very similar core values, very similar mission statement to what we have.
and it was really interesting to see this large, Successful company that still has these really core values that relate to some
small people like us, and it's truly an inspiration to have worked with them the last 2 or 3 years and watch the way they've moved into this metroplex methodically
carefully and thoughtfully. And so for us when we hear there's an opportunity to actually Have an heb in dallas,
like one of the other gentlemen mentioned, that should be something we celebrate. And having watched them as corporate partners, Not just come in and be a part, be in, you know,
in the community, they become a part of the community. We can say that honestly from our own experience, But we can say it from what we've observed.
we've been to several grand openings for the jovi smart shops, For the new, for the new heb and before even on the groundbreaking,
they're giving money away to the community they're sewing, And that means they've done their homework to know what organizations are doing something
in the community and they support that. So for us, It seems like a wonderful opportunity.
we've seen it all around the metroplex. We've seen it in all of the other burbs, And now we have an opportunity to experience that same relationship partnership in the
city of dallas. We hope that you would vote for that, Supporting not only heb, but the community.
and with all due respect to the people that will be inconvenienced, We thank you in advance.
as this goes through, we thank you for the things that you will have to put up with. But we know that in the long term this will be an investment not only for as a business, But for our community as a whole.
thank you. Thank you. Dan newell. Good afternoon.
my name is dan newell, and I'm speaking on behalf of beverly heflin, Who is the owner of a building.
the building located at 12740 hillcrest drive.
and that's the end of the private drive. That heb joins us, And we're known as track c and the traffic
discussion. I'm speaking in opposition to regional retail zoning for the hcb track.
we engage with engineering to conduct a review to understand the impact of the zoning Change on our tenants and investment.
we learned that the traffic on our shared private road surpasses reasonable and acceptable Traffic standards,
and christy lambert will speak more to that. I am here for our tenants, Our service, the services they provide to the community,
and the impact of the 336,000ft² of office space on hillcrest plaza drive.
frank, in contrary to what you said the three office buildings are over 90% leased.
they're primarily medical tenants. 90% is way above dallas average.
and they each are heavily medical. I want to tell you about our building tenants and the Importance of today's decision.
if approved, you'll be forcing our medical tenants, Our medical patients, to maneuver the traffic congestion with a high volume of hb,
h-e-b shoppers on our private road, many of the patients who are elderly, Elderly, or with severe medical conditions will be impacted the most by
your decision. Today, I want to share the patient statements regarding the medical care at Our building.
these are not enthusiastic h-e-b shoppers willing and capable of long, Frustrating traffic queues,
dangerous ingress egress and unique u-turns. These are a sampling of some of our patients Contacts or comments.
pardon me? Oral surgery I was suffering and in constant pain. The quality of my life was saved. The neuro ophthalmology.
my doctor care changed my life. Jaynie genecology the most amazing doctor.
my daughter still flies to dallas to see her rheumatology. Compassionate and personalized care. Psychiatry.
crucial intervention gave me back my life. If time allowed, I would discuss the testimonies of our other counseling practices in the buildings.
we are important to this decision. We are important to the community, And we are speaking with the 336,000ft² of high quality office properties.
with respect, we ask that the regional retail zoning for track d be denied.
we need and request the input that a planned development process would provide.
please do not destroy our neighboring office buildings with sweeping zoning overreach, Which impacts the ability to access our buildings.
thank you and your thank. Your very gracious staff who have interfaced with and beverly Will not be speaking today.
so thank you very much. Thank you. Christie lambert.
hi. Hi. My name is christie lambert. I'm with lambert engineering and beverly with the Southeast office building.
she reached out to us and asked us to review the heb, Tia and their site plan.
and so we looked at this from a traffic engineering standpoint. I had to tell her my mom retired from heb. So like many of us here, I'm not opposed to heb.
just looking at this from a technical aspect. There are some concerns that we recommend to be addressed before approving straight zoning Allowing this use at this site.
the trip generation, the hgb is assumptions underestimate the trip generation.
the traffic projected based on the heb tia was similar to a 40% discount superstore and Only 60% supermarket.
when using the it supermarket criteria and traffic counts that we collected at the hgb Allen location,
it confirms that the projections in the tia were underestimated.
for reference, a general supermarket will more than triple the traffic to and from the Site compared to the existing office buildings that are there.
that's not even adding hgb counts or even higher than that. Amount of traffic is expected to be similar to like eight fast food restaurants accessing Just that hillcrest plaza drive road.
this site generates approximately right on the commissioner councilman blair the school Staff the site generates the same traffic is
approximately 4 to 5000 high school students during the pm peak hour, With only having one main exit point.
so concerns with the trip generation in their analysis, We think that should be updated.
also, northbound vehicles on hillcrest road often block hillcrest plaza, Making it difficult for vehicles to leave even with the green light on hillcrest plaza.
patrons, visitors office staff cannot leave their building and have to wait several Cycles.
all three northbound lanes on hillcrest road are backed up, Not just the right lane.
there are two southeast buildings that only have access to hillcrest plaza with hgb.
the pm peak hour queue is shown to go past all the buildings first driveway into the Second building's driveway.
removing the existing median, as recommended in their tia, Would make it impossible for some of these office tenants to leave their site without
making, and they're not even able to make a u-turn with the recommendations that we've Seen building the right turning vehicles leaving hillcrest plaza drive has
significant delays, calculated to 1.6 minute delay. We've observed six minute delay today without heb there.
the calculations are shown to be over ten minutes. Romney will talk more about park central lane flooding and that closes.
and when that exit is closed, all traffic will use hillcrest drive, Hillcrest plaza drive.
and we just got notice from tex-dot that they thought that the only exit to the site was Through hillcrest plaza drive.
so if you have any questions or need clarifications, I'm happy to answer. Thank you remy or rami khalifa.
hello everyone, this is rami khalifa. I am with lambert engineering.
we are located at 6301 gaston avenue, dallas, Texas 275214.
I am here to speak on behalf of building c on hillcrest plaza drive, Which is the southeast building.
we did site visits over there at the intersection of hillcrest road at hillcrest plaza Drive,
and we observed a traffic is backing up and blocking the intersection.
all three lanes on hillcrest road is blocking hillcrest plaza drive during the pm peak Hour,
which is making it hard on people leaving hillcrest plaza drive, Turning right and left even if they have the green light.
when park central. Regarding the park central drive.
heb is proposing one a driveway for exiting the site on lbj and for
vehicles exiting through lbj. They are. They have to use park central because the driveway Is past the coast road
exit the lbj to coit road exit. So they have to exit through park central.
and when they when park central is closed due to flooding, All heb traffic has to go through hillcrest plaza
drive. 100% of their traffic will use hillcrest plaza drive.
and we've seen park central drive is closed multiple times this year due to flooding Because it's in flood
plain and it goes up north into until frisco, I think.
and so it's not only dallas rain could cause the flood.
any rain from the north can cause this flood and make parque central closed.
and thank you. Thank you, beverly heflin. It's not present.
mary eagan. Thank you for the privilege to
speak today. My name is mary keegan, and I'm a managing director and partner of albany Real estate partners.
we are the office owner of 12 720 hillcrest plaza drive.
we are in favor of opening a grocery store. However, As we have discussed with hiv, we would like to continue to work together on the
preliminary proposed improvements to hillcrest and hillcrest plaza drive to ensure they Are adequate to support the increased traffic that the immediate area will experience.
heb has expressed a willingness to work collaboratively with us to find a solution that Preserves or enhances the value of all the surrounding properties.
we are excited to work in partnership with them through the tia and permitting process, To alleviate all parties concerns and further strengthen the community.
h-e-b has been an asset to texas and our neighboring communities for a long time, And we are thrilled to have them in dallas.
and I believe, like all of us, we want what is best for dallas. Thank you. Thank you. Richie butler. Good afternoon, Richie butler,
1900 mckinney avenue. Glad to be with you. And thank you for this opportunity, Mister mayor and city council,
to speak on behalf of the proposed zoning for heb.
and I just want to speak to a moment about what it means to be a good neighbor.
by definition, I believe a good neighbor may not be perfect.
a good neighbor knows that value is not in the transaction but in the relationship.
a good neighbor is a great listener. A good neighbor does not force its way upon its Neighbors,
but works in collaboration to foster win win situations and solutions.
I believe a good neighbor gives as much as it gets.
a good neighbor steps up in times of need. A good neighbor knows that your word is your Bond.
a good neighbor recognizes what unites us is greater than what divides us, And the sign of a good neighbor.
on this day is if there are no longer in the community, There is a whole, a void, a chasm that is created because of their absence.
a good neighbor simply makes a community better for all, And by definition I believe heb has been and remains a good
neighbor. As someone who was born, bred and raised in austin, Texas, to this day at 183 and springdale,
the heb is still there. I grew up going to that heb.
it's been refurbished and it has been an anchor in that community in east austin.
so I'm not telling you what I've heard. I'm not telling you what I've read about heb Personally,
from my own personal experience, not just in austin, But here in dallas, texas, as our congregation,
I'm the pastor of saint luke community united methodist church, And we have been in partnership with heb.
and so I hope that you will consider this good neighbor who wants to be in partnership With the city of dallas.
and simply put it this way, your your approval, I think, helps to make dallas a better city.
thank you. Thank you. Chris bowers. Good afternoon, Honorable mayor.
members of the city council. I'm chris bowers, 1316 village creek parkway, plano, and a proud resident of district 12 for 23 years.
I represent shelby management, which is managed by beverly heflin, And they own the property to the southeast.
that is improved with the 60,000 square foot office building.
and I'm going to address six key issues in this case. The first key issue is the council should grant hcbs request because it is an amazing Corporate citizen.
that's true. Heb has been beloved by millions of texans for decades, Including my late grandparents in south texas who first took me to an heb when I was
probably 4 or 5 years old. But that doesn't mean that this council should grant heb carte Blanche a blank check when it asks for zoning.
instead, the equal protection clauses of the texas and us constitutions require this Council to evaluate this case,
the same as it evaluates all other cases. Second, That heb requests appropriate zoning for its store.
actually, it requests excessive zoning because it's asking for many more development Rights than it needs.
heb or a future owner could build hundreds of apartments above its store.
heb seeks far more development rights than needed for other nearby grocery stores, Such as the whole foods at preston forest,
the tom thumb at preston royal and the heb central market at preston royal all have cr Zoning,
and senate bill 840 requires the city to allow multifamily and any retail district.
and so that would allow heb not only to build four storeys of apartments, But it really means that this is a request for regional mixed
use and such excessive zoning far beyond what h-e-b actually needs is known as spot Zoning,
and texas courts have repeatedly held that similar spot zoning is illegal.
third, that heb's site has great access because it is at the juncture of a freeway and a Major thoroughfare.
take a closer look. The h-e-b site and the three office buildings to the south have no Access whatsoever to the south or east.
the only access, the only exit to the north, Is a one lane freeway frontage road, and it floods at times.
the only reliable access for the four properties is to the west, But it shares that access and h-e-b's plan would require it to
use an access easement that is not at all on its property.
fourth, that heb's traffic generation is no big deal. Heb would not provide traffic counts despite our request, And so instead, lambeth engineering has done actual traffic counts and have found that the
actual traffic counts are one third higher than we've told, And then fifth, that we're just being nimbys.
but this is not in my backyard. This is taking shelby's driveway front driveway.
thank you. Thank you. Chris simmons.
name is chris simmons, and I live in cedar hill. Have the privilege of serving at Cornerstone baptist church in south dallas,
and for the past 17 years have been a partner with heb and their feast of sharing that has Served thousands of
individuals a meal during the thanksgiving time. And so I stand for you before you, as many who have supported this efforts, Not really to say anything new,
but to just reiterate the importance of heb being a community partner and believe that This particular location is strategically placed
to provide accessibility and convenience and service to the community.
when we think of how we think of something more than a grocery store, They are proven and over the years have been shown to be a trusted community partner.
as they serve the residents in the dallas area.
particularly, as I mentioned around the feast of sharing, Serving them with dignity, compassion,
respect and excellence. And so I think the store will be far more than will provide far More than quality groceries.
but also, as we've heard from daniel rob well-paying jobs that will be impactful to the Dallas community and
not only entry level jobs, but offering career opportunities to the residents across heb.
I believe heb has listened has hosted community meetings with neighborhood associations And community groups and individual residents,
and have heard their concerns regarding a lot of things such as delivery truck traffic, Loading,
dock placement, noise and congestion, and believe that they have and will continue to Address those particular concerns with
infrastructure and traffic solutions. And so I just would like to say that we really Support heb and their efforts,
and hope that you will consider making opportunity for them to come to this area.
thank you. Jack cox. Good afternoon,
mayor johnson city council, my name is jack cox.
I reside at 7658 el pensador drive in district 11.
I'm here today to urge you to deny the rezoning request submitted by heb.
while I appreciate the company's interest in expanding its footprint in dallas, The proposal for this site does not conform to forward dallas.
our city's adopted land use plan for dallas is more than a document.
it's a collective vision of how dallas should grow. It emphasizes consistency and predictability in land use decisions.
unlike this zoning request protection of established neighborhoods and adjacent property Owners from incompatible development such as this one.
promotion of walkable mixed use centers that align with transit and substantial or Sustainability goals which this one does
not. Hebb's request undermines these principles.
the proposed rezoning, regional retail, introduces a large format, Auto oriented use into an area designated for mixed use,
pedestrian friendly development. It would increase traffic congestion at an already Congested intersection and reduce safety for nearby residents.
it would disrupt the planned transition transition towards higher density transit Supportive land uses,
and it would set a precedent that weakens the integrity of forward dallas by allowing Exceptions that contradict its core objectives.
approving this request would signal that our land use is negotiable rather than a guiding Framework.
it would further erode public trust and undermine years of community engagement invested In forward dallas.
dallas deserves development that strengthens neighborhoods, Supports transit, and advances sustainability,
not projects that pull us backward and favor a few.
I respectfully ask you to deny this rezoning request.
thank you for your time today and your service to our city. Thank you. This includes your registered speakers.
are there any other individuals in the audience? Yes, I see several hands. So I'm going to let the registered speakers that just spoke to Go ahead and free up the space there.
and then I'm going to ask that those speakers who want to address the city council to come Forward and have a seat in the first couple of rows in the center section,
and you may begin, ma'am. Good afternoon, mayor johnson, And I'm sorry, will you state your name and address for the record,
and you may begin? Yes, ma'am. My name is kenya woodruff. I reside at 4231 calculus drive in dallas, about three miles away from the proposed new H-e-b store.
I have a husband and two kids. Both of which one attended hillcrest high school.
the other is attending hillcrest high school. My husband is a magistrate judge in the criminal courts in dallas county.
my family is very excited at the opportunity to shop at heb within the dallas city limits,
and not have to drive to a suburb to spend our tax dollars.
grocery stores foster a sense of community, as well as providing the opportunity to buy Family staples.
as a resident, I welcome this store. As an attorney by profession, I am extremely impressed that heb has been willing to commit to
so many written concessions. They agreed to deed restrictions that planning commission and Received unanimous approval.
yet they continue to commit to additional deed restrictions before coming before this body Today.
this is a good company with a proven reputation. I hope you will join me in welcoming them to dallas.
thank you. Thank you. Next speaker.
good afternoon. My name is charlie nye. I'm part of the hillcrest preservation coalition, And I live on hill park drive near the southeast
corner of lbj and hillcrest. I'm here today to oppose the rezoning request by h-e-b to Regional retail of the ten acre tract at
the southeast corner of lbj and hillcrest. My opposition is not directed at heb or Increased density per se.
the heb stores that I have visited are fantastic and amazing.
I also realize that overall increase in density is generally desirable in appropriate Locations under appropriate
circumstances. However, the awkward fit of the proposed heb store onto the location of This small
ten acre tract. Combined with the characteristics surrounding suburban, Low density, quiet,
upscale residential neighborhood scream wrong place, Wrong zoning for a massive 127,000
square foot store and adjacent parking garage.
there is absolutely no way that this small site can effectively provide enough area for Parking,
ingress, egress and traffic circulation with respect to the proposed heb development.
most heb stores are developed on sites of 20 acres or more.
a recent traffic study prepared by lambeth engineering raises some eye opening concerns, Including an
estimate based on the parking counts from heb's own store in allen, Indicating that the traffic generated at the h-e-b
site of lbj and hillcrest will be 3 to 3 and a half times more than the traffic existing There today.
the numbers during afternoon peak hours are 1000 101,122 vehicles per hour in and out,
which is about 19 vehicles per minute. Yikes.
the area around lbj and hillcrest will be a bad ass morass of snarled traffic.
I look forward to heb being in dallas, but not at this site.
we urge city council to carefully examine the long term consequences before approving a Change that would undermine our
stable neighborhood. So vote no to the rezoning of this ten acre site to regional retail.
thank you. Thank you. Next speaker. Hello, greg anderson,
7109 mason dallas. And I'm trying to share my screen. Let's see if that works. Okay. Well, thank you all for being here.
and happy birthday, council members. We really need your vote today. So I do have a home Here in your district.
thank you for being a council member. I do spend most of my time in austin where I have The great pleasure of teaching.
a lot of your students that come from dallas to go to ut texas, Hook em. H-e-b wants to come to dallas. I can't tell you all how lucky you are for that.
so I'm going to scoot up a little bit. I have tons of family here, And it's funny. It's my uncle's birthday as well today. And I said, Do you want to come down to city hall? He said they'd be silly not to vote for that. I'm
going to go do better things with my time. So that's his input, Y'all. It's the most popular grocery store in the state of texas, And it's really interesting. You know, you all have an interest. You have an opportunity
here. You're going to be easy to this community partner and let them into texas. Or are we going to be difficult. And I guess we're going to vote on that here in a minute. Let's see.
let's move forward. So change happens, and I know that there's a lot of complaints that go With change.
I've been on my planning commission for the last eight years, And I've been yelled at numerous times. I'm probably going to be told by someone that I
was paid to be here. I was not paid to be here. No one asked me to be here. It's the right Thing to do. My actually, my uncle did tell me to be here, so I guess I do have that
going. And they're amazing community partners. I also work at habitat for humanity. We build amazing homes for folks earning below 80% of Median family income.
and heb just showed up one day with an amazing check. They want to be amazing partners Because that's what they are.
and my aunt over here in dallas, her home, got hit by the tornado in 19. I know you had a speaker talking about that, And she went straight to central market.
and she's excited about this too. She also wouldn't come today. You know, it's interesting. I know the folks that, You know, might have a serious objection are kind of motivated to come down. Y'all know
that. But the folks who just think it's the right thing to do are just depending on you All to make that vote. So this is the site today. I hope you all have gone to look at it
because it's just really, really sad. There's just not a whole lot going on here.
and with state law, sb two limiting all to 3.5% annual revenue growth, Can you really afford to turn away organically grown tax base?
I don't know. You know and austin we just lost prop q and that was followed by a lot of Very painful cuts.
I hope you all don't have to make those cuts. And you can allow for your tax base to grow To have an amazing grocery store. It still blows my mind that we're having this
conversation. The land use code doesn't just allow this, But I know here we are.
this is a site and it's just absolutely amazing. I'm so excited for y'all. I'm excited to go here. My family wants this.
I know you guys are probably hearing from a lot of other folks that want this. My hope is A supermajority of y'all want this as well.
yes, here's a simple, positive step forward and I urge you to take it. Thank you. Thank you. I'm sorry, sir, I missed your name.
greg anderson. Thank you. You bet. Thanks. Next speaker.
good afternoon. My name is david westbrook. I live at 7125 carolyn court in dallas.
I also want to talk about traffic today, but specifically I want to talk about the Trucking because I have experienced driving trucks.
as was previously mentioned, the semis will enter onto hillcrest plaza off of the 635 Service road
onto hillcrest plaza. That itself is not an easy turn to make, And they will wind their way up that road and come
to hillcrest and stop at the stoplight. Now, H-e-b is proposing to create an entrance into their loading
docks. It'll be 43ft north of hillcrest plaza.
so at the stoplight, the truck is going to have to make a maneuver to cross hillcrest.
all six lanes go slightly north and then go into the loading docks.
now, depending on the traffic conditions, the truck will have to forcefully claim all Three lanes
of northbound hillcrest. Doing so will block all lanes of hillcrest plaza.
it will also block, depending on the length of the trailer, Probably two of the southbound lanes of hillcrest.
that is going to close that intersection, and the truck will sit there until traffic moves And then the truck
can complete that maneuver. And this is going to happen several times a day depending on How many times
there are deliveries and traffic conditions. This is, In my mind, just another
indication of how heb unfortunately has to forcefully plan
on how to fit something into this particular site.
it just doesn't fit. They cannot really get this size store into 9.9 acres.
it just really doesn't work. Square peg into a round hole.
all. Nothing against heb, but it just doesn't fit into this site and it's going to cause a Lot of problems.
thank you very much. Thank you. Next speaker.
my name is paula goss and I live at 7125 aragon court.
and for those of you who don't know where that is, That is adjacent to a piece of property that is currently zoned as neighborhood office.
it is the three buildings on the other side of what heb proposes that you approve.
as to regional retail. These are the facts. People keep calling this parcel a ten acre Parcel.
it's not a ten acre parcel, it's a 9.9 acre parcel. And they are going to cut off part of that parcel in order to make a turn lane.
so we are now going to have I don't know how big the turn lane is going to be, Because of course they haven't told us that yet and it might matter, but we might even
have an 8.9 or an 8.7 period piece of property that you're going to try to put 127,000 Square foot retail building on,
and a garage that nobody knows how tall it's going to be. Yet some people have said it's going to be two stories.
some people say it's going to be three stories. The one thing we know is that each story Is going to be high enough for a fire truck to go in and out of,
probably because a fire truck is not going to be able to turn around on that property any Other way except going through that garage.
there's going to be there is going to be security lights on top of that garage.
I sat in a meeting with planning and zoning, Where people were talking about 35 cars going into a subdivision.
for some reason, heb can send in thousands of cars and nobody cares.
they're talked about lights being in a in a schoolyard that they want to be sure none of The adjacent homeowners are going to be influenced,
that nobody cares about that they are. They are asking you to take the facts this building Does not fit into this property.
they're asking you to trade those facts for their goodwill. There's no disputing their Goodwill.
they're philanthropic. They're philanthropic. Endeavors are to be are to be commended. And they're fabulous. And I wish we could have them for dallas.
and I hope we get them for dallas. But they're asking you to trade the facts for their Goodwill.
they're asking you to ignore the facts because they have goodwill in this community. Not one person who came up here today told you that they wanted an heb at 635 in Hillcrest.
they went on heb in dallas. The only place that that heb could find was 635 in hillcrest Because of a bankruptcy sale,
and they could get it at a good price. That is not a good excuse for sticking that in my Backyard,
which is where it is. And I have been ridiculed. I've been humiliated because it's in my backyard and I tell people it's in my backyard, But unfortunately it is in my backyard and it hurts.
thank you. Thank you. Next speaker.
carolyn bada 6902. Hill park. I'm part of the hillcrest preservation coalition.
first of all, I'd like to say we're not here to litigate whether heb is a good neighbor, Gives to the community,
or provides jobs. We all know that that is true.
we're here to talk about a zoning change. If if heb really were a good neighbor, They would not be seeking
a zoning that does not fit the site. They would be seeking a lesser zoning to provide a Smaller store.
not trying to cram a big box store into a site that cannot contain it and that will Produce excessive
traffic onto hillcrest road. I also want to say that for all the talk about nimbys, Those
of us who oppose this zoning are not just a bunch of nimbys.
many of us have lived in this community for years. I've lived in the preston forest community for 50 years.
I've lived on this one cul de sac street for 30 years.
I have watched over 30 years as the traffic on hillcrest has increased and increased and Increased.
today we jokingly call it the indianapolis speedway.
that is when it does not back up during peak hours where cars are jammed from lbj all the Way to
churchill trying to get home. Now, hillcrest has become a major north south commuter Pathway
and the, the proposed zoning and the and the application by for the heb,
as others have told you and emphasized, is going to dump untold numbers of cars onto Hillcrest road.
now, there's there are two there's two avenues for egress or ingress and egress.
one is off of hillcrest, hillcrest plaza. The other is on to the access road at lbj.
if you have your map now, if anybody wants to go to go north on the access road, They're not going to be able to get on lbj from there.
they'll have to go to court, or they'll have to make a u-turn and come back to hillcrest And lbj,
which we already know is a congested intersection.
it's quite possible that people coming out trying to get out of of the hillcrest plaza During peak hours,
might have to wait ten minutes to get onto hillcrest.
all right, let me just that's your time. Oh, Okay.
the other thing is, deed restrictions may address your time. Okay. I just urge you to keep in mind the traffic problems that we've created.
okay. Thank you. They're going to take me out of here.
next speaker. Mr. Mayor,
members of the city council. I'm bruce wilkie, 7227 north jan-mar drive in dallas.
and I'm the president of the hillcrest forest neighborhood association.
our association has not previously taken a public position on this zoning application for A number of reasons.
however, we appreciate heb management constructively working with us and offering us some Public and private deed restrictions,
which would eliminate many of the uses not related to an heb store that would be allowed If regional retail zoning was passed.
we're aware that many in our association have expressed individual opinions on this issue,
but the board of the hillcrest forest neighborhood association, While not technically in support,
does not oppose this zoning application. In return for heb offering a list of public deed Restrictions as part of its zoning request.
thank you. Next speaker. Thank you, members of the city
council and thank you all for your service. I'm larry ginsberg.
my address is 6911 oak manor drive. I'm appearing regarding agenda item z15.
I've lived just south of the heb site in the lake forest community for over 25 years.
I'm speaking in my personal capacity and not as a representative of any group.
I appreciate that my neighbors in north dallas love their homes and they love their Neighborhoods.
when this matter arose, I asked myself some questions. First, why would an heb store be accretive to our neighborhood?
my answer is that the heb store will create needed additional food store options in north Dallas.
the store will also generate jobs and additional sales tax revenue and property taxes.
would h-e-b be a good neighbor? The answer is yes. They are supportive of the communities in which they operate.
it's part of their dna. And it's particularly refreshing that h-e-b says that it will not Seek governmental incentives to build its store.
I'm impressed that h-e-b was proactive in managing traffic to its site by identifying Proposed routes to its store,
and then actually having its trucks test drive the routes related to all this.
the track is going to be redeveloped as something, If not a food store, then something else,
perhaps as a multi-story apartment project. A more intensive use of this site fronting on Lbj is inevitable.
and h-e-b has agreed to shape future uses of the property by agreeing to a substantial List of deed restrictions.
there's been a fair amount of misinformation. Some have suggested that the store will attract the homeless and panhandlers because h-e-b Will be discarding food,
and that in turn will attract undesirable types. I've intentionally driven past the loading docks at tom thumb and central market in north Dallas at all hours of the day,
and I haven't seen any homeless people or panhandlers searching for discarded food.
it's also well known that supermarkets direct about to be discarded food to local food Banks and homeless shelters.
this suggestion is simply not true. The proposed h-e-b store meets or exceeds the city's High bar for development,
and I support h-e-b's application, as do many of my neighbors.
thank you for giving me this opportunity. Thank you. Next speaker. Are there any other individuals?
I see one more individual that wants to speak. Okay. Three more individuals. Thank you. You may begin.
yes. Daryl. Judy. One two, 614 breckinridge drive, Dallas, texas.
and I'm about maybe a mile or so from the proposed site.
I do one thing. I haven't heard people stress enough. We are in a retirement neighborhood. There's a lot of older retirees.
there are ambulances coming in and out frequently to pick up people with heart attacks.
and with the traffic congestion that will be caused by the increased traffic with with the New store,
I would very much be concerned about the response times whether they can get to the Hospitals.
I am a hospital worker. There are two major hospitals.
we have a trauma center. I think the other one does too. Who? So I would oppose your zoning redistricting for safety reasons.
and to get the people from to the trauma centers on time. The proposed location is about one mile from the high five.
that's a very congested, congested neighborhood. And I think you should keep that in mind. Thank you very much.
thank you. Next speaker.
good evening. I'm benjamin scott with heb, 646 south flores in san antonio, Texas.
I'd like to start by thanking you all tonight, Thanking the mayor, council members, city staff and all of the community members here
tonight. This is a big opportunity for us, and that does not sit with me lightly at all.
we're extremely excited to be here. And all the work that has been put into this by all of You.
all of the community members were extremely grateful for heb began its relationship and Commitment to the city of dallas back in 2002,
when we opened our first lover, lover's lane central market store.
since then, that commitment has grown to five stores within the city of dallas, And today,
we are extremely excited about the opportunity to finally bring our namesake brand to Dallas.
as we see this store, it's a lot more than a store that's been discussed a lot here.
it's a major milestone in strengthening our partnership and commitment to the city of Dallas,
and our collaboration with the city of dallas. As miss tolbert and I have discussed, We see this as a huge opportunity.
you've seen our commitment here with five stores, And that will only grow and grow beyond that,
a partnership and collaboration that will be important as we hope. This is the first of many stores in the city of dallas.
one step in that commitment that I'd like to put into the record today is our commitment To work,
miss talbot, with you and your city staff to get that right turn lane in before the store Opens.
so just to read into the record, our application has already been filed for that right Turn lane under pave
d2500160. And then ww
we2500149. We've been through already a schematic review with staff and as of yesterday Fully engineered
plans were submitted to the city staff. So I look forward to working with your team on That to get that installed as soon as possible.
further into that, my commitment to work with the city of dallas and txdot to work on the Flooding safety issues that have been discussed here.
we want this to be safe for every customer, every neighbor we have and every partner that Works at our store.
so we're completely aligned on that goal. As an odd coincidence, I'd just like to say today heb celebrating our 120th birthday today.
so you may see some of that as we're celebrating and very proud of that.
it is a really interesting coincidence today, Because I see this as another milestone in our history that I look to celebrate someday.
so I appreciate you all affording us the opportunity. I'm available for any questions, and please know we're incredibly grateful for your Consideration and look forward to being your partner.
thank you. Thank you. Next speaker. Good afternoon.
good afternoon, mayor. Members of the dallas city council.
thank you all for allowing me to stand before you today. My name is suzanne kedron, 2323 ross avenue. I'd like to talk just a little bit about how Heb is a good neighbor and a good client at city plan commission.
before we received unanimous approval, we made a commitment to prohibit ten uses on the Site.
while standing before the city plan commission, We added an additional use.
since then, we have added 14 additional uses which will be prohibited.
we have added four development standards to reduce the size and other aspects of the store That the community told us was important.
and even today, we added two additional compensations for that.
we also have private deed restrictions that are pending. And if you'd allow me the moment, I'd just like to read these into the record so that you Can have the legal obligation from heb.
the following uses will be prohibited on the property building repair and maintenance shop Machinery,
heavy equipment, truck sales and services. Vehicle or engine repair or maintenance.
temporary concrete or asphalt batching plant. Child or adult care facility. Hotel or motel.
lodging or boarding house, overnight, general purpose shelter, Private game club.
and for purposes of these deed restrictions, Private game club means a private place that is only open to its members that primarily
offers competitive gaming facilities, including games of skill such as ax throwing, Darts,
shuffleboard. Member means an individual joining the private game club, Auto service center,
car wash, commercial, amusement inside home improvement center, Lumber, brick or building materials,
sales yard. Liquor store except as accessory to the general merchandise or food store.
100,000ft² or more. Mortuary. Funeral home or commercial.
wedding chapel. Motor vehicle fueling station. Except as an electric vehicle, chargers are permitted.
pawn shop. Restaurant with a drive in or drive thru service, Except as accessory to a general merchandise or food store.
100,000ft² or more. Theater. Vehicle display.
sales and service. Commercial bus station and terminal. Commercial radio or television transmitting station, Electrical substation, mini warehouse,
max and the maximum structure height is 60ft. Maximum number of storeys above grade is four, And for the two that we worked on today for general merchandise or food store 3500ft² or
less, a general merchandise or food store, 3500ft² or more, And a general merchandise or food store 100,000 or more.
a minimum of one off street parking space per 212ft² of floor area must be provided, And for general merchandise or food store 100,000ft² or more.
the maximum floor area is 200,000ft². With that, I hope you understand that heb is committed to this site,
is committed to this neighborhood and with that we seek your approval. Thank you for your time. Thank you, mr. Mayor.
there are no further speakers on this item. All right, Mr.
roth, you have a motion. I do, thank you, a mr.
mayor. I'm moving to deny the zoning request.
without prejudice. And I move to that. We deny the zoning request without prejudice.
is there a second? Second? It's been moved and seconded.
you have five minutes to discuss. Mr. Roth, if you'd like.
five minutes. You have it. Thank you. This case is.
has been very difficult for the neighbors, for the applicant, For the community generally.
and it reflects a a serious, major issue, which is, Which is facing our city as a whole
as we grow traffic, as we grow, traffic is going to continue to also grow, And it's going to become an issue of in this
whole region, in this whole city. We're we're 1.5 million people in dallas in 20 years.
we could be 3 to 5 million people. Traffic is always going to be a significant issue here.
we can't eliminate it, but we have to be responsibly dealing with it.
we need to have smart planning, smart design to deal with this issue.
we need to also make an express message and send an express message to the community, To the world,
to the business community that we are open for business, That we want to attract new business,
that we want to expand existing businesses, and that we want to provide a process that's Effective and
allows the community to grow and prosper in a reasonable, Sensitive, thoughtful manner.
I was I've been committed to protecting my neighborhood.
and that the neighborhood has priority in our decisions in what's going on in this in this Area.
the neighborhood that we're talking about here is not just the homeowners.
it also includes the business people. It also includes the religious, The education, the governmental institutions that are in
this this neighborhood. But it also includes the city.
the city is this part of this neighborhood. And this issue is not just relative just to This one
intersection. We have got to figure out a way to create a process that allows companies, Excellent
companies like h-e-b, to be able to do business in this city and to to be able to do Business in neighborhoods in an effective,
thoughtful and not adverse situation for those folks.
I'm I, I have made the motion to, to do this without prejudice, With the hope that the parties will go back and really try
to work something out to make this thing a, an opportunity that can have legs, That can be successful.
the you heard from all the neighbors. The neighbors are.
and you've heard from business people, and you've and you've heard that everybody's trying To discuss this.
the situation with this particular case is that over the period of time, It's become more complicated.
we've developed. They've developed more issues. They've developed more opportunities to try to mitigate the issues that have come across.
and I think there's an opportunity to continue that discussion, To continue that collaboration,
to try to get to a path that would be successful for both groups. And that's why I'm asking for the denial of this particular zoning request without Prejudice.
I think that there there are great opportunities here.
our processes need to recognize the complexity of the traffic and the growth issues that Are facing this
city. We have got to embrace those growth issues. We've got to embrace the traffic increases that we have to that we're going to be faced With.
but we also have to create a process that's reasonable and respects the the neighborhoods And the communities that they're in.
we can do better. And I think that in a discussion with the neighborhood, The the progress that's been made by the offering of the deed
restrictions, the communication to the business owners in the in the office buildings next Door,
and the interaction that's been positive with regard to the neighborhoods and heb are all Good signs of an ability to maybe try to keep this thing
moving in the right direction. And I would I would respectfully request that we deny this That this zoning with with,
with, without prejudice. Thank you. Your time. Thank you sir. Mr. Bazaldua, you're recognized for five minutes.
we're on a motion, to deny with prejudice, I believe.
without on z15. Without. Without prejudice. Yes, Sir.
all right. You're recognized for five minutes. Thank you. Mayor. I will not be supporting this motion.
I I think that it's it says a lot quite frankly, To have a case come to us at any time that has not
only unanimous support from our planning commission, But also is aligned with the support and recommendation from staff.
we have heard from a lot of people on both sides. We've heard even through our emails from a lot of people on both sides.
and in fact, I would say more so on the email side was support than in opposition.
and I'll tell you, I know that it was referenced with dallas morning news comments about Nimbyism and as a representative of a
district that would absolutely welcome an heb.
I hope y'all are hearing that. Heb. I think if it looks like a duck and quacks like a Duck,
I mean, we can have a real conversation here, But I've heard from many of my constituents who were very taken back by some of the the
comments that have been made over the past several weeks leading up to this case.
so it was also mentioned earlier in another item that we shouldn't let perfect be the Enemy of good.
one of the things that I think we should be looking at is the fact that I mean, It was a social media craze when heb started coming to the region,
but I want to highlight that word and say the region. One of the things that I saw and heard a million times was, When are they coming to dallas?
when are they coming to dallas? We continue to put ourselves in positions where we have Allowed for other municipalities,
other jurisdictions to compete with us. And mayor, I know that it's been a priority of yours to change that
mindset because as much as we want to be friendly with our other jurisdictions in the Region,
we also want to compete. And I know when it comes to opportunity, When you have a company that is as reputable as h-e-b,
when you have a company that has done as much as they have done in the communities that They've been a part of,
that are knocking on our door and wanting to be in our city for us to make it hard, Harder to put obstacles in the way,
to ignore their willingness to comply with the ability to get a unanimous support at the Planning commission before us.
but because a few loud voices have an issue with their theory of what park or traffic Would look like just have a
huge problem with where we're headed. It's not the message we need to be sending the great Companies like h-e-b when we want to be a leader in this region.
I do not want to continue to perpetuate a cycle of losing opportunities to the suburbs of Dfw.
we are dallas. In addition to that, I'm proud that we have cut the ribbon and opened a Jovie's grocery store in district
seven over on buckner and samuel. It's one that I see a lot of conversation about on Social media,
especially after a lot of speculation. I personally had speculation and went down to Houston to visit the store myself to get my own perspective to be able to
advocate with my constituents. And now I will say again, When it comes to being perfect, being the enemy of good.
what I have seen is that if I would have gotten in the way of the opportunity that came at Buckner and forney,
I mean, at buckner and samuel, if I would have stood in the way because I wanted to demand That it was an h-e-b flagship store that I
wanted to dictate the way that this profitable business is doing their own business model.
I would have taken away the opportunity to where tens of thousands of district seven Residents and in the area are getting their groceries.
we talk about our need to not only compete, but also to combat inequities that exist in Our city.
and I want to be a good partner with h-e-b. I want to help close the gap in food Insecurity areas of our city.
and I know that it is not a true partnership. If we are going to be a zero sum partner and tell you that we don't want something because Perfect is going to be the enemy of good.
so for that, I will not be supporting this denial. I hope that we can support bringing this heb to the city limits.
the first one, and it will be the first of many to come. Thank you, mr. Mayor. Mayor pro tem, you're recognized for five minutes.
thank you mayor. I will not be able to support the motion before us, But I do want to thank.
I take the time to thank the residents who came out.
resident and community support is critical in this case.
we heard on both sides, those who supported it and those who had concerns.
I do want to take a moment to applaud councilmember roth for his efforts in making this Request more beneficial to the community.
it goes beyond what cpc approved. And the request that's before us provides additional Protections to
the neighbors. And for those reasons, I will not be able to support the amendment. Thank you. Mayor. Just for clarity, it's not an amendment, Folks.
chairman was recognized for five minutes. Thank you. Mayor. I appreciate it. First, I want to also echo what mayor pro tem said to the Neighbors who many of whom reached out both in support and in
opposition. I appreciate the feedback. I read your emails and I appreciate everybody who Has come here tonight.
I want to relay my special thanks to mr. Wilkie. I don't know where you went, but of the areas of the hillcrest forest neighborhood Association your neighborhood did a deep dive on this,
I can tell. Negotiated some of the deed restrictions. And I really love it when we can see organized neighbors actually make a case better.
and then and they're not so entrenched in their their know that they can't come to an Agreement.
and then actually you actually went further and came down here and actually you know, Talked about it and talked about the process,
which I appreciate. So often we see people be entrenched in a no. Or when they are a yes, they just don't come down here. So it's nice to see that you did That because of your work and work of others and hb's willingness to agree.
we have good deed restrictions. We received unanimous, Unanimous support at cpc, and yet hb came back and offered even more deed restrictions
as late as today, which I think is great. There really isn't a better site in dallas that I've seen for an heb to put its first
flag in the city of dallas. You have location on a highway, You have a new turn lane being installed.
this just seems like a no brainer case to me, And I'm I can't support my colleague in this situation.
thank you, miss blackmon. You recognized for five minutes. Thank you. And I do want to thank everybody for staying late with us.
but I do have a couple of questions. Some folks alluded to a traffic study, Not a traffic study.
I read the report. So my question is, is there a traffic study or as that's written, Is that when you start to go to permitting,
that's when there'll be a more deep dive. Thank you.
thank you so much for the question. Yes. This is actually a general zoning change.
so for a general zoning change where we don't look so close to a site plan or any kind of Good
layout associated with it is more we don't require a traffic impact analysis, Even if we would have had those.
a traffic impact analysis is always required at permitting.
so even if we had one right now, we still require a different one at permitting because we Wanted to make sure that what you're submitting actually will make sense and if you
trigger improvements or anything. So was there any discussion about the traffic situation?
because I know we're making some adjustments there at the light and such and with turning Lanes.
so there was some probably some eyeballing of it, Of knowing that this could be an issue.
can you speak to that? I can carl is also here, And I think he and the team looked at it.
we do. We always when we do zoning review, we always have a transportation, Engineering and transportation department.
look at all the zoning cases. And even if it turns into a heads up to the developer, Prospective developer,
the applicant to say, hey, when you submitted permitting, We will take a deeper dive.
this is an intersection that already needs major improvements and you are coming into this Situation,
so expect it as part of our due diligence to let them know, To expect that we did have those conversations.
they submitted some sort of a traffic study. So we always do that.
as a rule of thumb, I want public to know to add to that.
expression. I mean, just say there was discussions about a traffic study, Not a traffic study.
just wondering. I'm sure you all did some due diligence before you came this far.
I just want to know, did we see those? Have we looked at them? Because, you know, I mean, traffic is traffic in the inner city, But we don't want it to be so unbearable.
and I'm just curious if your department had a chance to look at it, Work with them, or how,
if any, discussions on traffic, because I know that it just happens during according to The the report,
during the permitting process. Right. Gus, the director of the department of Transportation,
public works. So my understanding from my staff that they've had some high level Discussion about the traffic in that area and
certainly which basically contributed to the discussions about the improvements physical Improvements of the intersection as a
whole. So and the improvements, again, is not only limited to the physical infrastructure Improvement,
but also the electronics on the traffic signals and so on. Okay. Thank you. Also to looking at and there's been comments about density and I'm Looking at the far it seems it would you say
it's pretty much the same as far as how much coverage of the land and the building is.
so yes. Thank you. Page five of the report, the general zoning changes from an no, Which is neighborhood office to an rr regional retail these two
type of zoning districts, obviously they're different. They allow different type of uses. This rr allows general merchandise by.
right. They have a distance. The difference in height.
far I don't yeah. It's around the same. The lot coverage is the one that differs and the Height.
but the f.a.r is the same. And you are right, The f.a.r is the most restrictive one. And in order to park it, there's going to be a parking garage.
or is that just something that I catch that, Right? Yes. And that's for the applicant. So they will still have to comply with the parking Requirements,
which per our parking reform, there aren't many. But it is our understanding from the applicant that they're planning to build a garage and To provide their normal parking based on the expectations for the site.
this might be actually for the applicant, but if you don't have it, You know, we're looking under every couch cushion for every penny we can have.
did you all do an economic development study, Like understanding what what what more you'll put in the coffers,
either through sales tax or property tax? Is there that kind of data?
if not, that's fine. I was just curious. Do you mind pushing that button so
we can hear you? I apologize, we do have those numbers. If you could give me a second to pull them, I'll be right back with you.
okay? Yes, ma'am. Also, too, I mean, I think we have three council members here that are On ferguson road,
and I think we have some big land that you can come and develop. One right on 635 and ferguson. And so we're happy to help you find that place, But the current 2002 opening of the central market is in my
district, in lovers lane. I remember when councilwoman mary pos advocated for that and the It was a big day.
it was pretty darn cool when we opened it and steven, But has been a good neighbor, a good partner in anything we do is somebody who shows up
when they are asked, regardless if it's, look, You know, we need extra parking at the central market at lover's lane,
dun. We need more security because we've got folks coming through that may be unsheltered.
it was a big population there. Done. There is.
and I think the best thing that I see from your store is when I see jacob's name and has Been there since 2002,
and he's the sweetest little russian man who checks you out very methodically.
and that says a lot about your company, that you're not going anywhere, That you're here to stay and you're here to work if there is going to be a traffic
problem, I'm sure we can call you and we can get it worked out if there is going to be a Public safety issue.
I feel that your company has always been able to be in contact with, And you get it resolved in a very thoughtful and and very intentional way.
and so you know, we need grocery stores. We do.
and we need good grocery stores. And your door and your door is always open.
but I'm also happy to hear that you have a huge list of things that we're going to put in As deed restrictions,
because we heard from you. So I guess what that's telling me is when or if I'm not saying When or if there is these issues,
you will always be there to come back at the table to help us address if there is a Traffic issue or if a parking issue arrives or such.
so I'm councilman roth, I do applaud you for working this, But I'm not going to be able to support it.
and and I do think that this is the first of, Of many herbs.
I love central market. I walk there, I live next door, And it's it's a really fine establishment.
and you should be proud of what you built as a texas company and promoting texas Businesses.
and I look forward to the opening to your next store in dallas.
thank you, thank you. If I could just follow up on your question on the economic. We looked at a five year analysis, and it's about $20 million, We estimate, in sales tax revenues that would be brought to the city and over 4 million in
property tax with 800 new jobs created over that.
did you say 800 new jobs? 800 new jobs with the store? Yes, ma'am. Thank you sir, thank you. Thank you.
council member blair. Yes, I have more questions.
for transportation and traffic improvements and an egress and ingress.
we heard a lot about the challenges. It would be to get in and out of this property.
doctor, can you help us understand what is being offered to help help eliminate those Problems?
thank you. So obviously, again, the the site has not been engineered, Fully engineered.
however, at the high level, what has been discussed, To my knowledge, is the improvements to the intersection that is sorely needed
for the city of dallas, which I'm hearing the residents and their spot on, On the challenges of that location.
I mean, we've got the drainage issues, we've got the traffic issues and so on. So at the, you know, to start with, I mean, just putting that right turn lane in there.
I mean, it saves the city a huge burden because of the fact that you've got so many Utilities in that way.
we don't have the right of way and so on, and they're doing all that as part of the Discussion,
in addition to the other discussions that what I have been informed of the willingness to Improve the
electronics on the 635 hillcrest intersection traffic signal, As well as the modifications
at the newly constructed hillcrest plaza and hillcrest traffic signal and potentially Further down which I would like to
have a conversation also about the improvements to hillcrest and churchill way.
so once we do all these things, if they materialize, Will be able to be able to use technology to improve the throughput of the traffic
in that area. Thank you. So just to make it simple for the my colleagues here.
but you're basically saying is through this process, There will be some major upgrades and some major changes to hillcrest in 635
that is being brought by this development. Correct? I believe so. Thank you. Thank you very much for that.
and doctor. Eudora. When I look on slides
page number 16 it says the map vicinity, the vicinity
map. If I'm reading this correctly, those areas in blue are are floodplain.
the areas that are white are not floodplain. Is that correct? Yes, yes. So this means this site is not in a floodplain.
is that not correct per these maps? Yes. So there is no modification that needs to be to Bring this section,
this this land up and take it out of floodplain if it's not in floodplain. Correct. Per this map. But they will again, they will submit for permitting, As you know,
and it will be routed to dallas water utilities and to our engineering department. And if they see any kind of touching of the floodplain with their new development, They will review it accordingly
and they will have to comply with laws. Okay. So my next question if I will, if I may, I don't know if it's for miss kidron or if it's For you.
I understand, I know that miss kidron read some more deed restrictions into the records Just now.
and I don't know if it's. It's miss kidron or both of you who may need to to answer this.
based on straight zoning and what with the regional retail can have and what what was Previously deed
restricted out and what was just of added to those restrictions.
how much more is left in this zoning classification besides retail?
that's a very great question. Some of agricultural uses.
I mean, I can come back and read all of them. I didn't a little bit of commercial. Just give me a ballpark.
we've. From what I understand and what I remember, You've restricted out almost every hazard,
every business, every classification, except for retail.
is that correct? Yeah, there's a good number. Councilwoman blair, that was restricted. I know you know this from your time on planning Commission.
that initial list was very common that we would get from planning commission.
and since then, as I noted, we did add an additional 14 uses, So.
yes, ma'am. We included a lot. I won't say it was just retail that was left, But there is a lot that we did take out,
ma'am. And reading the report, I know that there's one commissioner who worked on this Case in planning
that would happen to be yours. And when I was on planning, If you can get anything by her,
it was solid. Did she have any issues with with what was brought forward, What was left that you guys brought to us?
no, ma'am. She was actually very instrumental in crafting that initial list of ten.
and then once we were on the floor, she did ask for an additional one, Which we promptly gave to her.
thank you so very much, both of you. You're welcome.
h-e-b central market. Shall we? Excuse me. Jovis.
I call it jovis. That's my nickname for it. I have shopped there.
it's. There's one not far in district three. It used to be district eight.
when it started to be developed. It was district eight until redistricting.
whether or whether or not it's north or south, I want one.
I shop in central market. I shop in heb, I shop in jovis.
I this was the first time that I knew that that the good, The smokey joe's,
smokey joe's was actually distributing their product through heb.
I eat at jovi at smokey joe's too. Okay, I'm all over the city.
I go where good food is. I go where good shopping is.
I have exquisite taste. My mother gave it to me and I use it.
I'm sorry. My brother, my fellow council member. I am not unable to support your denial. I have land and I welcome heb
central market in my backyard. I have residents that would love to see you there.
what? I most importantly, what I heard was that there is improvements that are going to Happen that will not happen unless this happens.
it has to happen in order for us, for your neighborhood to grow.
so for that reason, I cannot support you. Thank you.
thank you. Chair. Gracey. Thank you. I'll start with the good and and first I'm going to Start with.
thank you. I do acknowledge the fact that heb does, In fact, give back.
I've been to the quest for texas best and went down to houston and and took a tour of the Jovis,
both the oldest and the newest. Jovis did all of that. And they absolutely do give back to the community.
and I'll continue to say thank you for that. Thank you for how you inserted yourself.
you came not just with a business model, but you came with a giving heart.
and I acknowledge that I really do. You know, Again, we have the the local businesses there,
all of that. We've had those conversations. Why can't we get a heb in this particular Location?
I just looked it up. You know, the average size. I think the smallest heb is like 12,000ft² down in san antonio.
and then I think there may be somewhere around 70,000ft². But when you look at the jovis, it is about 55,000ft².
and that's what what that particular location is. So again, I've, I acknowledge all of those things.
and I were talking about the aqua fit to the community and to the residents that stayed And made your voices heard and your concerns.
definitely appreciate you and giving your feedback and making that very distinct Difference between not being against heb,
but also understanding what fits in your community. Acknowledging all of that, the very, very, very frustrating thing.
for me, I'll just speak for me in southern dallas we've been asking, We have so many food deserts and there's so many
gaps. And again, you all have filled that need. And again, thank you for that. But there are just so many other gaps.
and you have on one end you got a community says we don't want them on another one. I think when I heard some speaker, I'm not sure if she was here, But they said within a two mile radius there's like seven grocery stores, you know what I
mean? And so when we hear these things and we have to consider this, It's not an easy decision.
and it's very frustrating. And I have to go against my colleague here because of that.
and I guess I'm saying, you know, the message here, And I want you to hear me when I say this because I'm very much appreciative.
but the message and again, all of my colleagues and, And pastors that are here, that I have a tremendous amount of respect for all called me
and all of that, and I appreciate that. But the struggle for me, And I just want to make this very clear,
the struggle for me makes it feel like you see southern dallas as a charity case versus Capable consumers.
that is the sentiment that many of my constituents are feeling.
I want you to hear that we say thank you. We are, And you are very much a giving organization.
but I want you to understand the sentiment that sometimes the giving gives versus the Doing,
and that doing is thank you for the job. But we are heb worthy.
we have the money and the dollars to support it, But oftentimes we're not getting there.
so this conversation, quite frankly, about any of these grocery stores is just continually Frustrating because we find ourselves here advocating in the north
and coming up short in the south. And that is extremely frustrating to me. And I want you to appreciate that. So my frustration is not about heb.
welcome to dallas. Wonderful. Glad you're here. The frustration is we continue to have these conversations and it's and that's it.
thank you. Thank you. Chair. Gracey. Chair. Mendelsohn.
thank you. Well, first I'm going to say something to my colleague, Bill roth.
you started working on this with neighbors before you were even elected. So I know how hard you've been trying to make this a great deal.
and you've had a very long, successful career in commercial real estate, Which puts you as the most knowledgeable person to have tried to negotiate something.
and so I think we all recognize your expertise and your knowledge and how you know, What it would take to have a really,
really great project. And the problem is you're seeing that we don't always approve really Great projects.
we accept mediocre because of politics, because of expediency, Because we have nonprofit leaders coming down and emotionally manipulating
us. And I'm going to be honest, there's mabry right up there.
mabry, you and I filled up a refrigerator in district eight.
house of a blind man. We've done a lot of nonprofit projects together, But as at least 1 or 2 residents have said,
this is a zoning case. This is not about how wonderful h-e-b is.
and I'm going to tell you, I love h-e-b. I want h-e-b in dallas.
I do. It's just as simple as that. I don't think I live the closest to your proposed Location,
and there's probably a triangle between council member, Roth, willis, and I, but I know I drive by that location the most because I live off of
hillcrest and I drive by it every single day.
I've driven by this location or been to this location for so many years, Because my child needed medical treatment three times a week at that shopping center or
office complex. I refuse to meet with you, h-e-b, Because I'm like, I know this probably better than you do.
so I do have a couple questions and you can decide who's the right person to answer it.
but why isn't this a planned development?
thank you for this question. I can take a stab at it, And if you wish, the applicant or the applicant wants to add more.
it didn't warrant a need for planned development district, As I always say, we.
because when we are discussing with the applicants, They have to prove to us that they cannot comply with the code and they need to change the
code in a way to fit their proposal. And then we discuss and we staff review if their Proposal and their change is
within the vision of four dallas if it's technically sound and if it's a good look, If it's a good proposal at that location,
we don't just like all of a sudden want a pd because we just want to carve out their own Zoning.
they can develop their product in a general zoning change.
and every time that is possible, that's what we do. In order for you to gain the pd with city staff, There are provisions in the code.
they need to have pre conferences. They need to talk to us and to show us why they cannot Comply with the code and why they need a custom zoning.
so I think this was a mistake. And I think if you know the area and you know the traffic Challenges and you know the flooding challenges,
this absolutely needs a pd in my opinion. I'm not a planner, But that's the first thing that I said.
why are you doing it this way? This doesn't make sense. I would say that flooding and transportation are issues that are going to be addressed at Permitting.
you cannot get out of them, and they're outside of the purview of zoning. So for zoning, we look again at, you know, lot coverage uses.
so everything that they have for zoning purposes, This district can serve them.
again I think this belonged to the council to decide. So is there a traffic study that h.e.b. Did and did they or did they not share it with the Residents?
they submitted a preliminary one with our transportation with us.
and our transportation planner looked at it. But there isn't. You share that with the residents? I think so, But I think it was it was published on the agenda for,
for cbc. But as the staff report notes, there isn't enough advanced design that
will be changed at permitting to warrant a full on traffic study. So we were lacking data, and it's too early in the process for a traffic study.
I would say that I'm hoping that the applicant, If they had one, shared it with the community.
did you guys share a traffic study with the residents? You did residents? You got a traffic study? Okay. What exactly is the access from hillcrest into heb if this Goes
forward? It's the it's a I think it's a private driveway.
it's called hillcrest. Hillcrest plaza. Yes. Right.
and this is not a roadway the other side of the street where you're actually going to the County buildings and some other corporate offices.
it's got it's a main road. This is not this is private road.
and h-e-b has no control over that road. Is that right?
I would let heb answer that. It is a private driveway for our purposes and for our review.
so, that will have to be modified when they submit for permitting to show that it will be Able to handle access and traffic.
so I as far as ownership and who has rights, I will ask him to address the question for our purposes is a is a private driveway.
do you want to come talk about hillcrest plaza drive?
I refresh my memory and we drove it this morning.
yes, ma'am. It is a private drive, and they currently do have access to access points off Of hillcrest plaza drive.
if you note the site is basically a rectangle and it has complete frontage on hillcrest, It also has complete frontage on lbj on the feeder road.
so half of the site has access on a public road in addition to the access on the hillcrest Plaza drive.
and what's the distance from hillcrest plaza drive to the lbj frontage road?
it's the short side of a rectangle, so I'd have to look on our plan, But it's the short side of the rectangle.
how many cars do you think could back up to turn from?
from hillcrest into hillcrest plaza, drive into the driveway.
how many cars can stack up before you're blocking lbj's service road?
well, that's one of the good things about this project. Councilwoman mendelsohn we are we Are proposing the right turn lane that will be installed.
the permits are in, as mr. Scott mentioned in his presentation, And we have full engineering plans and that allows a free right hand turn lane.
so right now, if you're sitting at the light hillcrest, If I'm going southbound on hillcrest and I want to go into hillcrest plaza drive,
how many cars can stack up? I don't have that exact answer for you. Would you say it's 12 or less? I do not have that exact answer for you, Ma'am.
I'm going to say it's less as a guess, but there's there is a problem.
there's a real problem of traffic here. There's a real problem of the traffic signal, Which is probably older than me.
I mean, that's real, and I'm not hearing how that part is going to be taken care of.
I'm glad to hear that you guys have agreed to the turn lane on the service road.
that absolutely had to happen. And then there hasn't been a lot of discussion about the Discussion about the flooding issue.
so that service road is closed whenever there's a big rain.
yes. I was actually on a call with our engineers as well as txdot, And there were some representatives from the city as well.
we discussed how that would be implemented. We're working through either putting down some Sort of gate,
which will allow traffic to go immediately onto the service road, Or to cycle back through our property.
so it will be a marked improvement from what's there now. There is a gate, And actually dpd is sent out when there's a big rain to block people from going.
people have died in that flood, that flood water. It it's a it's a major issue over there. Are you confident you could even fill that?
well, what I am confident of is that we have started those discussions and that we're Looking at that.
and I think what will help is if we put that gate arm a little bit before that area so People aren't actually driving down into that area with the gate arm.
it will allow them to go directly onto 635 or circle back through our site.
so you can say for just a minute, but I'm going to pause. So I'm just going to say for the Residents, there are some really over the top comments that are just way beyond the real
problem here. And I'm just going to say that to you. But also on the heavy side, I think, is that's my time, Your time for this.
I'm going to come back again. Chairman johnson, Have you spoken yet on this? No, sir. You have. You're recognized for five minutes on zoning item z 15 for the public.
that's still tuning in. Thank you. Mayor johnson, I want to pick up from where my colleague councilman gracey left off.
I've got several calls this week. Several I've heard from people.
that's never called me. Concerning supporting heb from my community.
I didn't get this kind of phone call when I was fighting for south oak cliff high school Kids. So it was amazing to hear from some from some of them.
former elected officials way prior to me, have been asking for heb in the southern part of Dallas,
but we've been told no, heb does not want to come to southern chad.
is is councilman west end he's all. Okay, we'll look for him for you.
this has been a concern. Even councilman west has been asking for heb for years, And it's not happened.
this is a problem for me. It's a problem for my community. As I spoke with you, mr. Ben, in the office. You have every right to place your store Where you desire to place it.
but if you don't want to be in southern sector, We respect that.
I understand that there's a job that's there, But we're asking and have asked for heb.
as you stated, central market has been in dallas, I think early 2000.
I shop at central market. I've done done a lot of community work in that area for for our Kids and in other areas
in central market has supported. I'm grateful that you guys give back to the community.
I'm grateful that you give and you help and etcetera.
but as councilman gracey said, it appears that we are more of a charity case, Not a a capable consumer.
that is challenging to me. Councilman west, I want you to speak for yourself.
how long have you been wanting a store? Heb in the southern part of dallas where you serve As well.
is it okay if I respond? If you would like. All right. Thank you, mayor. I appreciate the question. You know, I think we, my residents, have been asking for a grocery stores of all types for a long
time. That is literally the number one thing. District one residents ask for public safety and grocery stores.
and I know heb does own a lot in my district just south of the lake cliff neighborhood.
and I'm very hopeful they'll activate that lot sometime in the near future, Because we've been we have been talking about it for going on six years.
thank you. We're not asking for bike lanes. We're more than just I want we want real Partnership.
we appreciate the gift when you come and help us with events or support.
but that's not what partnership looks like in my community. When I've had a meeting concerning this heb conversation.
a lot of people in my community was concerned that why they have not come to the southern Sector.
and the first thing I asked you, when you talk to me, I said, why not start in the southern sector?
we can afford it. We want you from as. As our council member said, I've heard from other communities that say,
hey, we don't want this right now. The southern sector have been asking for you to come in The black community. We've been asking for you to come, but you refused to come.
that is your right. Whether you feel we cannot afford it economically or you don't think It's economically savvy for you.
but we're saying that we can do this. And for me to have to talk to other council members That have been asking for years
seem like begging. Councilman gracey, as he stated, Went to houston, drove back, and the only thing that that I've been told is the best that
we can get, the best that we can get is the jobs.
I was told, don't push too hard. I got phone calls.
don't push too hard. You don't want to seem like you don't want to support them because They may not come.
big mama said you never miss what you never had. So as we had this conversation, I believe in equity.
my community is a little frustrated because we've been treated unfairly.
we do have a food desert. I was listening to one of the speakers say, This is important because it's in other words,
there's a food desert over there. We've been saying the same thing.
there's a food desert, and we want real partnership, Not just handouts, a hand up.
thank you. Miss cadena, you recognized for five minutes.
thank you, mr. Mayor. I will not be able to support the motion. I want to thank everyone who provided input in the zoning case, And took the time to come to city hall to voice their opinion.
I know that's not easy, and I want to thank h-e-b also for listening to the residents and Offering deed restriction and improvements to the area.
the first time I shopped at heb was when I visited my best friend in south texas.
my friend was always envious that dallas seemed to have everything, But I was envious that the valley had something that dallas didn't have an heb.
later, as a baylor student, I was able to enjoy shopping at heb in waco, Texas.
we had heb and heb plus. Now those are really nice.
while a student, I learned that heb is a thoughtful, Community oriented partner.
they were located in every area of waco the north, The south, the east and the west.
and they took great care in providing constituents with excellent service. And they wanted their customers to have a great experience.
they invest not only by giving back to the community, But also in economic opportunities for small,
local businesses. My opinion of heb is formed by my own personal experiences throughout The years,
and I would be glad to extend an invitation to come to district six next. District six is a growing and thriving community and we would love to have an heb.
thank you, mr. Mayor. Chairwoman stewart, you're recognized for five minutes.
thank you, mr. Mayor. This. I will be very brief. I think we need to look at this as this is the first heb to come to dallas.
this is the first one. You all, from my perspective, Are just getting started.
and I think there are many districts around this horseshoe, Obviously, who are ready for you to come to them.
and I am encouraging you to have those serious conversations about the communities that Need that have the food deserts.
I would love for you to come to ten, but we can get to the one you're currently looking At.
we'll be fine. But I think there are a number of other places in the city who who do need A grocery store,
period. And h-e-b would be a great option for that. So I would like to encourage that. But this is the first one out of the box.
and we I want to be supportive of them. I know they're a good company.
we've heard so many good things about them. I'm especially appreciative to the neighbors Who are willing to work with them and come up with some compromises so that it can be a
workable situation. And my hope is that as we go forward, There will be additional conversations.
and those of you who are have have your concerns about traffic, Can have your concerns listened to and hopefully addressed.
I will also caution you. Yes, the, the flooding issue just east of there at park central Is real.
we have lost people there. I don't know that that's a problem to solve.
I have a feeling that's more of a txdot and city problem to solve and perhaps dwu, So we need to work on that.
and in the meantime councilmember roth, I am regretful to tell you that I won't be able to Support your motion.
I do want to see the first one get going. And I think this location is a good spot.
thank you, mr. Mayor. Mr. Resendez resendez for five minutes.
go ahead and add to the chorus of similar statements.
I won't be supporting this motion either. I hear the neighbor's concerns.
truly. But speaking as someone who grew up not far from areas that had no grocery stores At all,
places like highland hills and greeley, or areas like pleasant grove that don't have Grocery stores.
at the level of quality of an heb, I can tell you that convenience stores are often the Main option for people in those neighborhoods.
traffic is a very different kind of inconvenience in many of our communities.
parents spend half a day piecing together food options and not always healthy ones.
approving this store isn't just about north dallas. It helps shape the environment for how we attract grocery investment citywide, Including in communities that have been left out for decades.
companies look at how a city responds to their first investment when deciding whether to Expand into harder to serve areas.
this is an opportunity to think bigger than one intersection. And as council members, gracey and johnson stated, There's a misconception that southern dallas can't sustain a store like heb.
that's simply not true. The spending power in our neighborhoods is real.
families already drive long distances and spend those dollars elsewhere.
a quality grocery store in our communities can thrive. So to heb, if you truly want to be a partner to this city, I encourage you to look closely at our food deserts and the areas that do not have quality
grocery stores and invest where the need is greatest. Many parts of north dallas already have options.
many parts of southern dallas have been overlooked for generations. This first store is an important first step, But it shouldn't be the last.
we want you in dallas, and we especially want you in communities that have been asking for Something like this the longest. Thank you. If I don't see anyone else who hasn't spoken
yet, I'm going back to chairwoman mendelsohn for three minutes. Seeing none one three minutes. Chairwoman mendelsohn, You recognized. So I don't need you to come up, suzanne. But I do want to say thank you
for reading off the list of concessions. It's a long and impressive list.
so you clearly have heard the neighborhood and made those concessions.
I do wish you had made them earlier, because I think there have been a lot less Opposition,
and I do think this entire room would have been filled had that not happened, But this maybe could have been handled a little bit differently.
I'm not worried about the parking and traffic for your customers. The truth is, the market will take care of it. If it is too much of a pain to drive there And park people aren't coming.
and frankly, your own central market store is just around the corner, As is other.
there's lots of other places to go, so I'm not worried about that.
I am worried about the traffic for the people who aren't your customers because they have No other choice.
and the north south roads, meaning hillcrest, Are so essential for getting everywhere.
we had someone from park forest come speak. Yeah, Park forest. Forest is going to use forest lane to get out.
they are not stuck using hillcrest. And when you are stuck using hillcrest, You are at the mercy of this development.
and I understand that. So I love that you're putting in a new light.
I hope the city will strongly enforce the need for access on this private drive.
if not, your project's going to fail. It is not. It's going to underperform. And not only will the neighbors be mad, But your customers will be mad.
so that is very, very essential. I do have a and I'm just going to say everyone's talking About they want h-e-b.
and while of course everyone would love an h-e-b, We would love a jovi's in district 12.
and I'm not kidding, it's a great store and we would like that value pricing of your same Exact products.
to me it's it's basically costco, so please feel free to bring a jovi's to north dallas.
and I'm not kidding. And I'll show you where. So the next one is I have a procedural Question,
which is, can you tell me, is there a supermajority needed for a denial?
or that's a simple majority and it's only a supermajority for approval.
is that right? So you can stop your time will consider a parliamentary inquiry and we'll Let the parliamentarian and I was wondering the same thing if the if the original motion
was one to deny, if it's still a same threshold as it is to approve.
but go ahead. Thank you, mayor, for the motion on the floor.
motion to deny is a simple, simple majority. Okay.
so I'm just going to say I'm not going to deny heb. And there's a lot of different reasons. Our city council does not want the headline of we Denied heb,
and that's just a fact. And while I think it's been a difficult process for the residents,
probably needlessly I do think that they have come around and they've offered a lot of Concessions.
I still think this should have been a pd. I don't know if you're going to have any other Motions coming forward.
I hope you will. But I'm not going to vote to deny.
so I do understand the issues. I could be one of the residents down here complaining about It as well.
but this is this is okay to not for it's okay to vote to deny.
I'm sorry. But it's also okay to approve. It is your time.
chairman gracey recognized for three minutes. Okay. Thank you. In my passion, I got a little excited, And I failed to mention that I do to support the joves.
I go there. Unfortunately, I have to go to about three different grocery stores in three Different cities to get my grocery list there grand prairie,
duncanville and dallas. But the joves I do want to speak to that, Because when I went there,
the thing I do appreciate about joves is the culture. Many of those employees have worked there, and they started as, As baggers and things like that,
and they worked themselves all the way up to management, And they've had sustaining careers there.
so the jobs that they bring 100% spot on. I think the other one that I was impressed about Was meat cutting.
I think it was at like 40 something dollars an hour or something, Some I don't want to put it out there, but I think that is something somewhere around
there. So they have these jobs and all of that. And again, I go to jobs for their produce and the bundle box.
shout out to the bundle box. If you don't know, Look it up.
but so so I am very appreciative. I don't I don't want you all to miss understand my Passion and what I'm asking.
and that ask is, as many of us have said, the frustration is many of the grocery stores, Not just heb,
but many of them seem to think that we can't afford those things.
or and I think I was reading an article, it said, You know, high end central market discount oriented jobs.
these are the that's the language that's being used in some of these in the newspapers and Things like that.
so that sends a message. And again, I've been on this kick about the tone and the tone That we put around this horseshoe and all of that.
this is a dallas thing. Welcome to dallas. I'm happy to have you here.
I'm also saying in southern dallas we can afford an heb, Many of the folks that I know drive wherever they can go and find either an h-e-b or a
reasonable grocery store because of the risk we have to take with some of the options that Are there.
so people will drive to do it. They'd rather not. And if you actually bring one, we can save some gas money and actually buy more. But my Point is this is something that,
again, I want you all to hear in what we're saying is we're appreciative of all that you Do.
but strongly, seriously, consider having an h-e-b in southern dallas county.
and I'm not just talking about three, or it could be four, Eight, seven, whatever.
but consider it seriously because many a times our our, Our residents, we get our hopes up and we're consistently being let down by grocery
stores. Now, with that said, I, you know, I'm not going to say it, But I've already told you how I feel about all grocery stores.
there. But maybe some trauma from my childhood. But either way, just thank you all for what you do.
but please hear me in my passion and understand that I'm representing my constituents.
and that's the message that you're sending unintentionally. Thank you. Mayor pro tem recognized for three minutes.
thank you. Mayor. My colleagues around this horseshoe know that I'm a neighborhood guy.
I listen to the residents and try to bring balance.
I believe the traffic concerns have been addressed. Still have some work to do on flood gates. Deed restrictions are in place to keep Neighborhoods safe.
the other cap I have to wear is my economic development chair.
our priorities are to strengthen our economy, To attract and retain new businesses.
and this is just what it's doing. It's bringing hundreds of affordable jobs, High quality foods,
and very importantly to me as a small business, Is bringing entrepreneurs through the doors and onto shelves.
it's getting access to our small businesses here in our city, An opportunity to grow.
and we're doing all of that without incentives, Without asking for the city of dallas to provide resources.
and for those reasons, again, I will not be able to support the motion that's before us.
thank you. Mayor. Is there anyone else would like to speak on for or against the motion to Deny without prejudice by mr.
roth, item c 15. Seeing none. All in favor, say aye.
any opposed? All right. Well, that was weird.
yeah. They were there any. Okay. We had an I the.
yeah. Okay. And then nay. The ayes have it. So the motion to deny without prejudice fails.
I'll now entertain another motion on z15. May I make a motion, Please?
I heard a motion to approve, but let me. Let me consult with the parliamentarian really Quickly. Hold on. I.
can't believe it. But I have to say my piece.
yes. Mr. Roth, you recognized for a motion. I'd like to move to approve the item.
as recommended by the city planning commission. Subject to the additional deed restrictions which the applicant has submitted.
and the deed restrictions that relate to the private deed restrictions also that they've Submitted.
second. Sorry. Okay, so it's been moved and seconded.
mr. Roth, you have five minutes to explain your your motion. Thank you. I want to thank my colleagues for their robust discussion on this.
I think it's obvious that there is absolutely a, An interest in, in having heavy in our community
and that I think they've there's been a very sound and, And vociferous explanation of the need
for heavy to consider the whole community as well as be considerate and thoughtful in Their development plans anywhere in this community.
to the credit of hcb, the there's been some robust discussions with the with the Neighborhood.
there's been some identification and some discussions which are reflected in the deed Restrictions being offered to try to mitigate some of these issues.
I was hoping that we would be able to continue those discussions, But seeing the the feelings of our of my colleagues,
I feel like this is an opportunity to go ahead and move for approval with the assignment And with the identification
and the recognition of those deed restrictions that you've offered.
we need to be concerned about the traffic in this community, And, and and the community is not just this
intersection, but it is the whole community of dallas.
we're getting a lot of traffic. And this is something we have to deal with. And the the stores like yours, which are tremendous retailers, Tremendous assets to the community,
tremendous economic development opportunities here. Need to help us in a responsible way to manage those issues, And to help be creative and thoughtful in
participating in in addressing these. This is real important for the growth and the Development of our community,
of our city, of our tax base, but also for the longevity and the support and the branding And the recognition
of those stores and those community players that understand the issues and are willing to Help us out in a productive way.
and when I say us, I'm talking about the city. I'm talking about the people that are absolutely impacted by these things, Which are the neighbors,
the homeowners directly in the path of of the development, Your development and anybody else's.
and it also deals with the, the building owners. The office building owners. The industrial owners.
the. The institutional. The religious, the other governmental institutes that that can't Come out and don't want to or aren't
able to come and express their impact. Adverse impact that any great successful operation Imposes
on them. So I would absolutely encourage you to continue your discussions with the with The neighborhood,
continue your discussions with the city and the and the staff to try to see if there's Some additional mitigation situations,
if this if this motion does pass. And so again I thank you for coming here.
I thank you for for the work you've done. Most importantly, I thank my neighbors and I thank the people in my district.
I'm so proud of you all on how you've come out, How you've organized, how you've made the statement which reflects not just our
neighborhood in district 11, but you reflect the, The, the community of dallas and their interests and their needs and
their and the importance of this issue citywide.
and I thank you for bringing it to the table. I thank you for advocating for it. And I thank you for for being so thoughtful, Respectful and and intelligent in your
in your approach and your wisdom in identifying these issues for us all.
and that goes to both the people in favor as well as the people that were opposed.
thank you. Before we continue, I want to make sure the city attorney, Before we go too far down the road here,
we just need to clarify. The motion was made with a little bit of loosey goosey, To be honest with you.
so we're just going to tighten that up a little bit before we get too far down the road.
so I'm gonna let the city attorney do that. Thank you. Mayor. So the the motion was to approve the item as recommended by the city planning Commission,
subject to the revised deed restrictions, not private deed restrictions.
and those restrictions and the ones offered at the horseshoe are volunteered deed Restrictions.
I'm sorry. And that was my mistake. If you'll allow me to correct it to.
I think we just did to reflect. We just we just did that. Thank you. Thank you. Deputy mayor pro tem recognized for five minutes.
thank you. And thank you for everyone who's come down to speak today and who's engaged in This process.
I know it's not always fun to sit here at city hall, But it means a lot to have you here. And I also want to thank everyone who reached out about the case via email or phone calls Or at the the meetings,
because the concerns that you raised in opposition to this really helped me frame the Points of discussion that I've had along the way with
heb and those involved in helping with this case. And so I know it may not be 100% of the way there yet, But I'm satisfied that the issues that have been raised by the neighbors have been
addressed. And thank you, mr. Roth, for working on this, Even down to the last minute here.
I think one of the most meaningful steps heb has taken to show us is filing that permit to Begin that work on that right turn lane on hillcrest,
because some of the discussions I've had, what I've observed, A lot of it is related back to just having that flow begin.
and the fact that that may be completed before this store is even constructed is such a Gesture that is meaningful to not just those who live around there,
but anyone in that area. I frequent that area as well, So that will start benefiting the neighbors.
just as soon as it's completed. So thank you for that. I heard a lot of concerns around traffic, and that and other specifics will be addressed As the permitting process gets underway.
so your voice does not need to go away at this point. I mean, there's still going to be points of entry where those things can be considered, But heb knows this well.
I mean, they are real estate and construction experts. They do this all over the state of texas. And this is not even the first store of this Size.
I know this seems small, but they've got a similar sized model that's already been Successful and it's open and operating in houston.
so I, I want to emphasize that I hope this heb will be the first of several in dallas Proper,
and that's including areas that are in genuine need of high quality grocery options.
today, the city council has an opportunity to send a message not just to heb, But to business in general,
to the point that chair moreno made. This is about sending a message on economic Development in dallas and how serious we are about it.
you've already demonstrated your philanthropy in dallas through h-e-b, Central market, other brands.
and while this isn't a consideration at the plan commission, It is allowable at this level.
and some of the examples we've heard today that I did not know about are really, You know,
really floor me. And it's not about emotional manipulation to have nonprofits here.
I mean, to me, it's about showing how you answer the call, Whether anyone asks you to or not.
and that's that benefits our community and makes us stronger.
so but access to food should not be a privilege. And I welcome partners who will hear what's been said today.
I think that we, as a council, need to look at the economics of your business.
it's low margin, high volume. We need to look at where we need density in certain areas.
that will help you get to the numbers you need and the dollars you need to make this make Business sense for you as much as it makes quality of life sense for our residents?
so I welcome those who want to invest in dallas thoughtfully and responsibly, And I'll be supporting this motion.
is there anyone else like to speak on for or against? Z15 the second motion we had here Today.
seeing none. All in favor, say aye. Any opposed?
nay. You want to do a record just to have it?
no. We're good. Okay. Sounds like it was 14 one. Okay. Thank you, mr. Mayor. We'll now move to back to zoning.
item 11. Item z11, item z11 z11 is a public hearing and an ordinance granting the renewal Of specific use permit number
2387 for an alcoholic beverage beverage establishment limited to a private club bar and a Commercial amusement inside.
limited to an amusement center on property on the north line of west davis street, East of north tyler street.
mr. Mayor, we sent 13 notices to property owners within 200ft of the area of request.
we received one reply in favor and one reply in opposition to the request.
there are no registered speakers for this item. Are there any individuals in the audience That would like to address the city council on item c-11?
no speakers, mr. Mayor. No speakers. Mr. Mayor, Item c-11 is there a motion on the item?
I have a motion. I move to approve the zoning changes recommended by staff.
it's. There's a motion and a second. Any discussion? Any discussion. Anyone? Seeing. None. All in favor, Say aye.
any opposed? Motion carries. Thank you. Your next item is z14.
item z14 is a public hearing regarding an application for the renewal and amendment to Specific use.
specific use permit number 2078 for an industrial outside.
potentially incompatible use, limited to concrete or asphalt crushing, And to add concrete or asphalt batching on property along the east line of lunar
road north of ryan road, mr. Mayor, we sent ten notices to property owners within 500ft of The area of request.
we received one reply in favor and zero replies in opposition. Due to a city planning commission recommendation of denial, This item requires a three quarters vote to pass.
you do have one individual who has signed up to speak on this item ronnie mestas.
ronnie mestas is not present. Are there any other individuals in the audience I see?
one, two. Okay, you may come forward. The first speaker may come forward.
okay, I'll take mine too. Please state your name and.
please state your name and you may begin. Address. And you may begin. Yes. Mr. Mayor, members of council.
santos martinez, 2489 camino loop, northeast rio rancho, New mexico.
87144. We have a handout being passed out. We would respectfully request there are some Elements going on with the agreement with the city
attorney's office with the property going into receivership, That we would like to hold the case for 30 days to final out that agreement to bring
you perspective of where this property is located. Your first sheet shows where the Property is located on luna road.
it also shows the properties around us that have permanent stops to batch concrete to Batch cement or crushed concrete,
40 year sup's to crush concrete, 35 years to batch cement, Ten years to crush concrete or batch cement.
you have other properties around us that also have long term sub and page two.
there are two properties that have zero sub and their certificate of occupancy do not Match the allowance to either batch cement or crushed concrete,
which is defined in the code as industrial outside, Potentially incompatible.
their ceos say industrial outside. And in fact, If you look at one of them, they never passed inspections to get a final co.
and then lastly on page three, there's been conversations about proximity to residential.
there's no residential on the east side of the golf course that is within dallas.
but I'd like to point out on the west side of the golf course in the city of irving, You've got 2800 apartment units at a vacancy rate of 7%.
you have five single family subdivisions as well with very low vacancy rates, According to city of irving's websites that there is
no potential conflict with residential uses in this part of the city, Even though it abuts another metropolitan area.
we would respectfully request a 30 day deferral to make these final arrangements.
if that is not something that can be supportive, We would like to refile the case without prejudice under the new management organizations.
that we're in, in conversations with stand for any questions you may have.
we also have another speaker that can probably go into more detail on that.
thank you. Thank you. Next speaker. Dennis holmgren, Three two, three alcalde street, dallas,
texas, 75246. I am counsel to the applicant. What we have here in terms of this Application,
if the standards are properly applied and that's looking at the land use, The effect on land use and just the land use elements.
what you have here is a permit renewal that cpc denied over staff recommendation to Approve with no opposition.
there is absolutely no justification to deny that application. Right now the weirs have been shut down or the applicant has been shut down by the city of Dallas on an injunction.
understand that what they were shut down for, The neighbors are doing right now.
cowtown is operating a either batching or crushing plant with an expired suv.
two other people in near proximity are operating batching plants with no suv having been Obtained.
period. So where we're at right now, the code violation allegations are namely differences Of opinion over which section of code applies.
if the section of code or the code year that applies under the under the applicant's Vested rights is applied.
everything that they did out there for the most part, Is compliant.
as a result, we would urge that the city that the council overturn cpc's recommendation of Denial and approve the application.
alternatively, we would ask that the council hold this application for between 30 and 60 Days.
we understand that the city has some concerns about the current operator of the property.
now, whether or not those concerns exist, those aren't objective concerns to consider.
the concerns to consider are land use. There has been no final judgment against any of the Operators of this property with respect to anything that would be relevant to whether or
not this application is approved or disapproved. Right now, There may be allegations, but as we know, under the constitution, a person is innocent
until proven guilty and the proof needs to be established in a full and final judgment After litigation on the merits,
which has not occurred here. Ultimately, as an accommodation to the city, We consented to the appointment of a receiver at the
moment. We're going back and forth with the court because the court changed our agreed Upon receiver to another one that is disqualified because of a conflict of interest.
and we're getting the court to establish that we expect within the next probably three Weeks,
the receiver to take over functional operations of the property and control over the Property and control over the applicant.
so functionally, new management will be in place in order for this property to succeed the Receivership to succeed.
ultimately, this plan needs to be approved, should be approved based on the objective Facts and the standards under which these decisions are measured and
ultimately reviewed by a reviewing tribunal. There's no basis for denial if the city Believes or if the council believes differently.
respectfully, we would ask that the application be put off sufficiently to allow the Receiver.
thank you. Thank you. That's your time. Are there any other individuals in the audience That would like to address the city council on this item.
item z14. No further speakers, mr. Mayor. Thank you.
councilmember, do you have a motion? Yes. On item number z14.
I move to follow the cpc recommendation of denial. Second, is that straight denial? Just straight denial.
okay. All right. It's been moved and seconded. All in. There's no discussion. Further discussion.
okay. All in favor, say aye. Well, I. Okay. Go ahead, Go ahead.
colleagues, this zoning case was filed september 4th, 2024.
cm narvaez was expected to hear this case prior to his departure. This case started when I was a staffer, and I'm very familiar with this case.
as I heard from community members, the applicant's representative and commissioner Carpenter,
cpc recommended denial. You all know commissioner carpenter is very thorough and Thoughtful when she works cases.
cpc agreed with her and recommended denial as well. The applicant has delayed this case since june through various mechanisms.
you all should have received letters from constituents in district six who championed our Local parks and the environment in northwest dallas they were not able to be here in
person. I know some of them are listening online. As many of you know, district six has a history of environmental issues.
this property sits near community parks, luna vista golf course, L.b.
houston tennis center, and the elm fork gun range. These parks are community assets important for our residents and district six.
for this reason, I move to follow the cpc recommendation of denial.
thank you. Okay. Any further discussion? Okay.
seeing none. All in favor, say aye. Any opposed?
motion carries. Your next item, z16. Item z16 is a public hearing regarding an application For one
rr regional retail district, and two a resolution accepting the termination of deed Restrictions on property on the south corner of ferguson road in little pocket
road. Mr. Mayor, we sent 17 notices to property owners within 300ft of the area of Request.
we received zero replies in favor and zero replies in opposition.
there are no registered speakers for this item. Are there any individuals in the audience That would like to address the city council on this item? No speakers,
mr. Mayor, thank you. Councilmember bazaldua, I move to approve this item as recommended by the city planning commission.
is there a second? Second? It's been moved and seconded. Any discussion? Councilmember? No, sir. All right.
seeing none. All in favor, say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries. Item c-17 is a public hearing on an ordinance granting an amendment to Specific use permit number 2544 for an
alcoholic beverage establishment limited to a bar, Lounge, or tavern, and a commercial amusement inside,
limited to a dance hall on property on the northeast line of botham jean boulevard, Southeast of south boulevard.
mr. Mayor, we sent notices to property owners within 200ft of the area of request.
we received zero replies in favor and zero replies in opposition to the request.
there are no registered speakers for this item. Are there any individuals in the audience That would like to address the city council on item z17?
no speakers. Mr. Mayor council member bazaldua I move to approve this item as recommended By the city planning commission with the following change.
the scp is approved for an 18 month period. Second, There's a motion and a second.
any discussion? Very briefly, yes. Thank you all. Colleagues I hope I can count on your support for this.
we all supported me deferring this item, and I just wanted to give you all an update that I spoke with the applicant and,
am hoping to see some improvements in the area from some of the nuisance that had gone on.
we agreed upon an 18 month time period so that before I vacate out of this seat that I Could help get them a longer term for
it. So that's the only update I wanted to give you all and hope that I can support you.
any further discussion? Seeing none. There's a motion and a second.
all in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries.
item one is a public hearing. One to receive comments on substantial amendment number one To the fy 2020,
20 2526 action plan and at the close of the public hearing and to authorize substantial Amendment number one to the fy 20 2526
action plan, including amendments to the fy 20 2425 through fy 2028 through 29.
five year consolidated plan amendments to the fy 20 2526 action plan and amendments to the Community development block grant cares act
program, grant home investment partnerships, American rescue plan program grant to a incorporate adjustments to the city of dallas
plans, policies, and programs implemented by the city manager pursuant to city council Authorization to remain in compliance.
compliance with federal grant requirements and other federal directives reflect Departmental and operational efficiencies set forth in the fy 20
2526 operating and capital budget with cdbg funds in the amount of $2 million for use on Public improvement projects as
fy 20 2526 reprograming budget number one. There are no registered speakers for this item.
are there any individuals in the audience that would like to address the city council on Item ff one.
no speakers, mr. Mayor. Move to approve. There's a motion and a second.
any discussion? Seeing. None. All in favor? Any opposed?
motion carries. At this time, I would like to recognize council member kadena.
yes. I need a motion to reconsider on z14. It's a denial with second.
yeah. Sorry. All right. All it requires is a simple majority.
you can restate your motion, please. I wanted to deny without prejudice.
motion to reconsider. Second. Okay. First, we have to vote on the reconsideration.
and it's a simple majority. All right. So those that would like to vote for the Reconsideration,
please say aye. Any opposed? Motion carries. So now, If you will read your, your new so on item z14.
I want to deny without prejudice second. All right. There's a motion and a second. Any discussion?
no discussion. All in favor, say aye. Aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries, madam city secretary.
thank you, mr. Mayor. This concludes your voting agenda. You do have remaining open microphone speakers.
I'll recite the speaker guidelines.
speakers must observe the same rules of propriety and decorum applicable to the city Council.
any speaker making personal, impertinent, 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 a time on the monitor at the podium.
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 moreno only. Your first speaker will be nicole mica.
miss mica will be virtual. I'm here. Can you hear me?
we can hear you have. Your video is not displaying. Shoot. How do I. I'm sorry.
my apologies. Okay. Hang on. Hello? Is it. Here we go.
yes, you may continue. Okay. My apologies. Okay.
good evening. I am here. I am speaking for you today on behalf of your resident horse, Rocky,
as well as the other horses alongside rocky as well.
the volunteers. This is for banning horse drawn carriages, By the way.
so the volunteers, the volunteers bravely go out day after day to witness the lack of care These poor horses and other horses in this trade is going through.
the city is unable to monitor the trade because there's no there's no funds available nor Real way to ensure the horses are getting proper care that they need.
this leads them to be open to abuse and putting their safety and others at risk from time To time.
this is outdated in our modern times and needs to be banned immediately.
san antonio is the first city in texas that voted to phase this out. Phase out the carriages. So as you can see, people are saying the importance of compassion And animal welfare.
as years go on, will you join the rest of us and bring peace and compassion to these Horses?
retire them to a sanctuary, and if even able to or look into introducing electric Carriages.
thank you for your time. Thank you. Gloria carbajal.
there's a button at the base of your. Thank you. Good evening. Yes. My name is gloria carbajal, And I am the co-founder of ban horse carriages.
dallas. Today marks my 11th visit before you addressing this important issue.
this is a follow up explanation regarding last month's public comment in which I observed I made observations of carriages
on the nights of october 4th, 11th, and the 17th.
section 47, a 3.2 requirements for horses in services in service, States that a horse used in a non motorized
passenger transport service must, and number four is be offered not less than five gallons Of drinking water at least every
two hours worked. During the nights of october the 11th and the 17th, I witnessed the same driver fail to
even get down from her her carriage seat to offer the horse water.
and I was there about two hours. Also. Number five is have at least a ten minute rest Period
every 50 minutes worked on all three nights. It was a rare occurrence that there was a ten Minute break given.
if it was given, it was because of a lack of customers. Many times I witnessed the same driver drop off a group of customers, And within five minutes she was back out working the horse.
in other words, as soon as she got a new group of customers, She was off.
and this is another violation. Finally, on sunday, June the 15th, 2025, which was father's day,
and on saturday, october the 11th, 2025, also a festive day with a college football game.
I witnessed horse waste fecal matter on the 1900 block of north hardwood street, Of which I did take pictures and
videos. This is a clear violation of of number eight.
be properly cleaned with no offensive odors or cakes of dirt or mud, And also nine wear a special sanitary
device for containing animal excrement. I will end this public comment with the same Question that I had last time.
who is overseeing these drivers to ensure that they do the right to to do right by obeying City code ordinance and maintaining public safety
concerns? We humbly ask again that you please support bringing back the proposal to ban Horse drawn carriages.
thank you. Thank you. Veronica arredondo.
jaynie. Moreno. Sachse. Veronica. Chata. Ebba.
focus more. Mohammad ali khan. Hi. Mayor
pro tem moreno. My name is veronica. And thank you for being here today.
I represent myself as an individual and come here as a community member involved with the Native american community.
and I came here today to bring the atacama, which is the good word about what is going on In our community.
but I would like to say, as the city grows, it becomes more difficult for us to live our Culture.
and so it is actually more difficult today than it was growing up in my childhood.
born and raised in oak cliff. And so I would like to recognize our community for their Efforts through daily
discrimination, assimilation, and termination. We still are guided by our ancestors, and we remain resilient and come together.
in district two during november, the intertribal community council of texas hosted the Sixth annual honor our elders
event, and in district 14, the inter-tribal council of at&t employees hosted the fifth Annual native
american heritage month contest powwow. And in district one, Texas native health hosted the storytelling in nature,
and there were many more events throughout arlington, Fort worth, and across the state.
and there was a an historic moment in alto, texas, Where the caddo mounds are located, and the traditional game of stickball
and caddo tamales were served. And this was a historic moment, Because that has not happened in a thousand years.
and for the missing and murdered indigenous women texas rematriate, They were able to solve a case that was about I think it's been a
year now. So they were able to solve that case. And so, so, so we are so grateful. And then for district one this weekend, The dallas indian revival church is hosting a bake sale.
their church burned down about a year ago. And then on december 20th, We are hosting the second annual coop's christmas
powwow celebration at dallas college, mountain view campus, December 20th from 12 to 6.
and on december 16th tuesday we will be meeting with council member for district three Zarin d gracey.
so thank you so much. Yeah. Thank you. Dolores.
philip.
dolores phillips homeless by retaliation. Your links, Connections and networks.
your operations to have the ability to mask corruptions and cover ups.
you operate like a rico. I'm going to speak slowly and distinctly from my experience, For which I understand it.
not you. How you want me to explain it. There's a sheriff over in johnson county, And I've read all three of his indictments.
he's accused of and indicted of for obstruction of justice and in sexual harassment.
for the world of me, I cannot understand how your retaliatory open quid pro quo can Operate strategically as sexual
harassment in your open quid pro quo, and it be justified because sheriff adam king and Johnson county,
him and his victim represents other black women, Men and women, beyond race and beyond title,
beyond sexuality. There is a young lady by the name of gabby little that was over there at Newman high school or newman academy in arlington that was indicted for
crimes. And I could be her. I could be sheriff adam king and whatever this is that I'm Confused about,
and I want to talk about it. But first, I want to talk about the retaliatory eviction that Had me and my grandson in the elements.
no rent monies was due. It was a covert, overt, Clandestine an operation and some of the documents that they got.
september 24th, 2025 mayor was for the case in dc dash 2106299, Where these same
exhibits continued to be erased and stolen from the court of law.
now, I suppose to talk to you, but miss tolbert, Sit in two meetings.
I know for sure with me speaking before the ok and cfpb about the cover up of the 911 Calls back in 2009,
the fabricated police report 02732918. In this retaliatory eviction, They
stole the same documents. 911 calls fabricated police report that continues to be stolen And targeted from
the courts of law. I heard much to say about my back injury where I was crushed in 1998.
them exhibits that y'all stole from honorable honorable judge williams.
you know, she prevailed against y'all. Stacey williams versus city of dallas 310 colon cv 1197.
she prevailed against y'all. She's the judge where the exhibits came up. Missing 12 to 15 of my images. I got scar tissue on my back and my stomach.
don't play with my pain. You had my dad take back.
take him back as as an incapacitated elder. Somebody made that call to take him back as Retaliation.
we going to talk about it? I ain't going to be afraid to speak. Thank you, cheryl tovar. Cheryl tovar is not present.
marvin crenshaw is not present. This concludes your open microphone.
speakers. Mr. Mayor, there's no further business. Thank you. The time is 701, and we are adjourned.