8 Important Stories From Dallas City Hall in 2022
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A lot happened at Dallas City Hall in 2022 — some good and some that led us to shake our heads and say, “Sounds like a 2023 problem.”
We at CandysDirt.com were challenged in narrowing it down to the biggest eight stories to come out of Dallas City Hall this year.
City Manager T.C. Broadnax almost got fired, then got a 3 percent raise instead. New council district boundaries were drawn. Progress was made in the highly criticized building permit backlog. Just this month, the City Plan Commission opted to remove short-term rentals from residential neighborhoods. A slew of policy documents were approved, perhaps most notably the precedent-setting West Oak Cliff Area Plan.
Neighborhoods won some big zoning cases and lost some, too. Property taxes were decreased. Voters approved Proposition A, which translates to $1.5 billion in upgrades to the Kay Bailey Convention Center Dallas and Fair Park.
Are we forgetting anything?
Probably so. It was a big year for the Big D. And with City Council elections on the horizon in May, there’s no doubt more to come from our elected leaders and public officials.
1. T.C. Broadnax Gets to Stay And a Hike in Pay
Just a couple of months after it appeared Dallas City Manager T.C. Broadnax’s job was on the line, Dallas City Council members in August affirmed his performance during an annual evaluation and offered a 3 percent raise to his $410,919 salary.
Read about the city council’s change of heart with City Manager T.C. Broadnax.
2. Redistricting Map Approved at 11th Hour
After a few failed attempts at compromise, the Dallas City Council approved a redistricting map just two days before the U.S. Justice Department’s deadline.
The map incorporated citizen feedback and specific requests to keep some neighborhoods intact.
Not everyone was pleased, however, as one suggested modification was not approved and council members were not permitted to discuss the pending modifications during the final meeting on the subject, prompting one unidentified elected official with a hot mic to dismiss the process as “[expletive] cowardly.”
Read about the road to redistricting.
3. Espinoza Makes Valiant Effort to Reverse Permit Debacle
It took a village — and a new permitting chief — to make a dent in the backlog of paperwork as Dallas builders try to get their permits processed.
Andrew Espinoza took the reins and offered pop-up permits, Saturday office hours, and lunch-and-learn sessions with the development community. Turnaround times decreased, but there’s still work to be done.
Read about the Dallas building permit backlog.
4. City Plan Commission Makes a Move on Short-Term Rentals
Members of the Dallas City Plan Commission decided in a split vote to recommend defining short-term rentals as lodging use and limiting them to areas where such uses are allowed, thereby prohibiting short-term rentals from residential areas.
It took three years to reach a decision, and the matter is still pending a vote from the Dallas City Council.
Read the latest on the short-term rental situation.
5. West Oak Cliff Area Plan Gets Green Light
As the threats of gentrification and displacement loom over the neighborhoods of West Oak Cliff, the Dallas City Council approved the West Oak Cliff Area Plan in October. Advocates consider the plan an opportunity to shift control of future growth from developers to residents.
Read about the West Oak Cliff Area Plan.
6. Elm Thicket/Northpark Rezoning Approved
It was one of the most contentious battles to take place at City Hall this year.
Legacy residents of Elm Thicket/Northpark claimed that their neighborhood was being overtaken by investors and developers. After hours of public testimony from both sides, the neighborhood got a “nod of respect” as the Dallas City Council unanimously approved a plan to change development standards for new home construction in the area.
Read about the Elm Thicket/Northpark development standards.
7. Property Taxes Decreased
Dallas leaders approved the largest property tax decrease in 40 years, dropping the rate to 74.58 cents per $100 assessed valuation, a reduction of about 2.75 cents from last year’s rate.
City Manager T.C. Broadnax said the city has windfall tax revenue from higher real estate appraisals across the board.
“Our budget serves as a policy document, financial plan, and operational guide,” Broadnax said. “The budget allows us to express our priorities with how we allocate the public’s resources that are entrusted to us.”
Read about the city’s adopted budget and tax rate.
8. Major Upgrades Coming to Convention Center and Fair Park
Voters showed up at the polls in November and approved Voters approved a 2 percent increase in hotel occupancy taxes to fund major renovations at the 65-year-old Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center and Dallas’ Fair Park.
Proposition A is expected to funnel an investment of $1.5 billion into downtown and South Dallas.
Dallas voters cast 186,338 ballots (67.68 percent) in favor of Proposition A, and 88,991 ballots against the measure (32.32 percent).
Read about the passage of Proposition A.
