2026-05-19 - City Council (Afternoon)
Summary
Built from the official minutes (approved; signed by the Mayor and attested by the City Secretary). The evening meeting is 2026-05-19 - City Council. No video or agenda is on file.
- Special session called to order 1:32 p.m.; all nine members present (Mayor Ross, Galante, Gonzalez, Hunter, Ware, Garcia-Dumas, Pham, Hogg, Odom-Wesley). Adjourned 5:10 p.m.
- Executive session 1:32 to 2:32 p.m. (attorney consultation, real property, economic development): four Division Street sidewalk land settlements and offers of incentives to business prospects. No action was taken in the afternoon; the land settlements were approved 9-0 that evening.
- Open session began 2:40 p.m. with five work session briefings, three committee reports and future agenda requests. No votes.
Division Street Sidewalk Land Acquisition
- Items 2.1 to 2.4, Project No. PWSW16003: Walid M. Joulani (about 278 sq ft, 501 West Division), EIDCO Real Estate LLC (627 sq ft, 704 East Division), Sandra G. Knapp, et al. (614 sq ft, 200 West Division) and Collins Division LLC (1,350 sq ft, 816 and 808 East Division).
Work session briefings
- FIFA World Cup Operations: Jennifer Wichmann, Deputy City Manager, and Brent DeRaad, President and CEO of the Arlington Convention and Visitors Bureau, gave the 2026 World Cup update.
- Arlington Fire Department 2025 Annual Report presented by Bret Stidham, Fire Chief and Director of Emergency Management.
- Cultural District Application: Gary Packan presented the Texas Commission on the Arts proposed cultural district application; Trey Yelverton, City Manager, available for questions.
- Workers' Compensation Program and Administration overview by Lemuel Randolph, Deputy City Manager (Risk Manager Lacye Stewart and Yelverton available for questions).
- Council Priority, Preserve Financial Stability and Resilience, presented by Spenser Slider, Chief Financial Officer.
Committee reports
- Municipal Policy Committee (Odom-Wesley, chair): honorary naming and President's Corner facility naming opportunities; construction chapter update (TX SB 2835 single-stair residential buildings, electrical and fire code; see Single-Stair Building Code Update); 2027-2028 federal and state legislative agendas (see Biennial Legislative Agendas).
- Community and Neighborhood Development Committee (Hogg, chair): Alisa Lane perimeter fence.
- Transportation and Municipal Infrastructure Committee (Gonzalez, chair): Handitran update.
- Two board and commission appointments were previewed for the evening agenda; evening items 8.8, 8.12 and 8.18 were discussed; no discussion on City and TxDOT projects.
- External reports: Gonzalez on the Regional Transportation Council Subcommittee; Mayor Ross on the North Central Texas Council of Governments Executive Board.
Future agenda requests
- Ross: process for council representation on external boards and commissions. Gonzalez: signatures or fee required for candidates to run for office. Hogg: nomination and appointment process for external boards and commissions; downtown parking. Pham: towing of illegally parked vehicles. Odom-Wesley: signage during elections at the ACTIV center. Ware asked whether a replacement is needed for his seat on the Planning and Zoning Commission. Galante: illegal parking of trucks.