2026-08-25 - City Council
Summary
Built from the official minutes (Voting Agenda Meeting, 112 pages with the action sheets). No video is posted, so there is no transcript or timing.
- Voting agenda meeting, 9:29 a.m. to 6:15 p.m., with a closed session from 1:46 to 4:02 p.m. on the Bullington Truck Terminal and the Thanks-Giving Square tunnel lease (real estate and legal advice; no action reported). All 15 members were present; Mayor Johnson presided and Gracey gave the invocation.
- Council authorized a September 16 tax rate hearing on a proposed $0.6978 per $100 rate, 8 to 6, after rejecting two alternative rates.
- A special election on November 3, 2026 was funded with Dallas, Collin and Denton Counties.
- The Living Wage Policy amendment was deferred to the September 2 briefing, 9 to 5.
- DNT Housing, a 350-unit workforce community on Dallas Parkway, was approved after a denial motion failed 3 to 12.
- Three historic preservation tax exemptions passed 11 to 4.
- Sixteen public improvement district assessments (about $51.2 million) were adopted together unanimously.
Property Tax Rate Proposal
- West moved; Bazaldua's voter-approval-rate motion failed 6 to 9; Mendelsohn's $0.68 motion failed 2 to 13; original passed 8 to 6.
Special Election Funding
- Dallas County $1,816,908 (deny motion failed 5 to 8); Collin $65,000; Denton $45,000; canvassing committee 12 to 1.
Living Wage Policy Amendments
- Bazaldua proposed a wage floor tied to the Bureau of Labor Statistics 50th percentile; Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Johnson moved to defer; deferred.
DNT Housing Workforce Community
- Seven speakers; adopted with Roth and Mendelsohn opposed.
Historic Preservation Tax Exemptions
- Swiss Avenue and two Junius Heights Historic District properties; 11 to 4.
Public Improvement District Assessments
- PH4 to PH19 adopted together.
Biennial City Budget
- Public hearing on the fiscal year 2026-27 budgets (five speakers) closed unanimously.
Homeless Assistance Contracts
- Dallas County interlocal ($1.3 million) on consent; The Bridge change order ($1,442,767) adopted with Mendelsohn opposed.
College Advisory Commission Sunset
- Adopted unanimously (Ordinance No. 33511).
Walnut Hill Betty Jane Planned Development
- Deferred to September 23, 10 to 3.
Cleveland Road Industrial District
- Deferred to September 9.
Martin Luther King Boulevard Colonial Avenue Zoning
- Colonial Avenue removed from the Thoroughfare Plan.
Preston Royal Rezoning
- Two open-microphone speakers.
Flock Cameras
- One open-microphone speaker.
Arts Funding Requests
- One open-microphone speaker; National Endowment for the Arts grant ($30,000) accepted.
Other business
- Minutes of August 12 adopted. Consent agenda adopted on Blackmon's motion with a speaker on all items.
- A $125 million drainage utility commercial paper program (ordinance corrected, up to $1,920,000 in costs and fees) passed on consent. A Dallas Love Field aircraft landing fee collection contract (estimated $9,776,565 a year) was deferred to October 14 on West's motion.
- Thoroughfare Plan changes: Crouch Road changed to a four-lane designation, Grady Niblo Road reduced from six lanes to four, and Colonial Avenue removed; all unanimous.
- Zoning: consent docket passed unanimously on Ridley's motion (including a charter school permit on Lake June Road, a mini-warehouse permit on Lemmon Avenue, multifamily and duplex rezoning on Kirby Street, parking permits in South Dallas and a Deep Ellum live music venue), and a group dwelling permit on Prosperity Avenue passed unanimously after one neighbor spoke.
- Large consent contracts: Southwest Water Transmission Pipeline Phase 1A ($89,900,308), Iron Bridge Pump Station rehabilitation ($31,998,300), water and wastewater mains ($23,480,220), pawned property records system for police ($3,204,612.78), a Love Field wireless concession ($1,575,000 over seven years); federal training center grant applications for a police training facility ($10,000,000 and $5,000,000); and a Hensley Field legal services increase of $600,000 (to $1,450,000).
- Water easement condemnation authority, 14 to 0; an easement abandonment unanimously.
- Appointments to the Environmental Commission and its technical panel, the Senior Affairs Commission and the Reinvestment Zone Fourteen board.
- Open microphone: ten speakers on topics including Preston Royal zoning, Dallas Animal Services, arts support, public safety, a youth death and a health technology proposal; the Council suspended its rule to hear all registered speakers.