City Hall Roundup: New Lawsuit, DART, Library Survey, Love Your Block
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Now that everyone’s done showing their love this Valentine’s Day, maybe they will show a little love to their neighborhood block in Dallas. Applications are open for Love Your Block mini-grants. More on that below, along with some updates out of Dallas City Hall.
Lawsuit Alleges City Juked Revenues To Get Around HERO Amendment
City officials are now facing a lawsuit after allegedly failing to properly fund public safety in accordance with the controversial Dallas HERO amendment to the city charter: Proposition U.
Attorney General Ken Paxton and two Dallas residents filed the suit on Friday, claiming that the city miscalculated significant revenues, effectively bypassing obligations under the charter amendment. As previously reported by CandysDirt.com, Proposition U requires the city to dedicate at least 50% of all excess unrestricted revenues to the police and firefighters’ pension fund. Remaining excess revenue is supposed to be used to increase police pay and bring the force up to 4,000 officers.
The suit cites the city charter as defining unrestricted revenues as those not limited by state or federal law, arguing that there are some $80.2 million that were improperly classified as restricted by officials.
City Manager Kimberly Tolbert and Dallas CFO Jack Ireland are defendants in the suit alongside the city itself.
Additionally, Paxton and the two other plaintiffs claim the city failed to complete a mandatory third-party salary survey of comparable police departments in North Texas.
DART Negotiations Appear To Make Progress
City leaders in the Dallas area who are negotiating the future of DART services and governance might be making some progress as several exit elections loom in May.
At the heart of the talks is a governance overhaul approved earlier this week by the Dallas City Council. In a 13-2 vote, council members endorsed a framework that ends Dallas’ historic majority control of the DART board, instead allocating the city seven seats and no less than 45% of the voting share while giving every member city a seat.
The resolution also affirms principles like “one city, one seat” and preserves supermajority requirements for major decisions, and has garnered support from some suburban city councils as they weigh their next steps.
Negotiations have also produced a strategic funding proposal from the DART Board that would return up to 25% of member cities’ sales tax contributions over six years, backed by a $75 million regional commitment through the Regional Transportation Council.
Dallas staff say an interlocal agreement to formalize these funding changes is in the works, and several cities — including Plano, Irving and Farmers Branch — are expected to consider rescinding their withdrawal elections ahead of state deadlines later this month.
Officials stress that legislative action will be required to lock in major governance and funding reforms, and Dallas may pursue those priorities in the 90th Texas Legislature, according to a memo.
Love Your Block Grant Open for Applications
Dallas residents looking to spruce up their neighborhoods will soon have another shot at city-backed funding.
Building on the momentum of its inaugural cycle, the city has opened applications for the second year of the Love Your Block mini-grant program, which is aimed at supporting resident-led neighborhood revitalization efforts.
The grants fund projects like community cleanups, small-scale beautification initiatives, playground repairs, and even the transformation of vacant lots into community gardens. City officials say successful applications should demonstrate a clear commitment to neighborhood pride, civic engagement, and tangible local impact.
Backed by the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins University, Love Your Block is designed to strengthen ties between residents and local government while fostering greater social cohesion.
Applications opened February 14 and will be accepted through March 15. Residents can learn more about eligibility requirements and submit proposals at kdbccs.org.
Library Use Survey Now Open
An online survey is now open to residents to collect feedback on library services and usage following some contentious meetings over the proposed retooling of the Dallas Public Library system.
Staff were pitching a reconfiguration of the public library system that involved closing the Oak Lawn, Skyline, Renner Frankford, and Arcadia Park branches. That proposal is now being reconsidered following a rough reception from residents and council members.
“The City of Dallas, [Dallas Public Library], and [Friends of Dallas Public Library] encourage all City of Dallas residents to complete the survey at bit.ly/DPL-Feedback and to share it with their networks and communities to help inform future decision-making about DPL,” a media advisory reads, noting that the survey will close on February 26.
Residents can take the survey in English or Spanish, and paper copies are available at library branch locations across the city.
The push by staff to close the four branches was part of a proposal to transition the library system to a regional model based on flagship locations with beefed-up hours and services but fewer neighborhood libraries.
