Cara Mendelsohn

Dallas Spends Millions on Consulting Fees And Plans, But What do Taxpayers Get in Return? 

By April Towery / November 18, 2022 /
(Photo: Mimi Perez for CandyDirt.com)

When you start doing the math it really adds up. The Dallas City Council authorized almost half a million dollars last month for legislative consultants. Another $306,704 was recently funneled to TDA Consulting Inc., to gather community input and draft a revised version of the city’s Comprehensive Housing Policy, and $100,000 to Community Equity Strategies, a…

Read More

Dallas’ Pervasive Homeless Crisis is Forcing City Officials to Explore Controversial Solutions

By April Towery / November 7, 2022 /

Dallas has the largest homeless population in Texas, and while a slew of programs are in place to address the matter, there doesn’t appear to be a simple or quick solution.  The city has a $46.2 million budget for homeless and housing solutions, a staffed office dedicated to helping the unhoused, dozens of partner agencies,…

Read More

Development Services Audit Report Does Little to Address Builders’ Concerns

By April Towery / November 4, 2022 /

Do you think you have a stressful job? Try being Andrew Espinoza.  Dallas’s director of Development Services basically holds the keys to the city’s future growth and development, and it’s currently at a near-standstill due to a problem created before he was hired according to city council members on Wednesday.  It seemed the cavalry had…

Read More

Rental ‘Inflation Pandemic’ Prompts Overhaul of Dallas Eviction Ordinance

By April Towery / October 20, 2022 /

The rent is too damn high.  And renters who can’t make their monthly payments are likely to be evicted, which causes a whole new set of problems contributing to Dallas’s homeless rate.  The Dallas City Council heard Wednesday from officials with Child Poverty Action Lab, who said more than 19,000 evictions have been filed in…

Read More

Dallas City Council’s Budget Prioritizes Housing Through Increased Funding And Policy Changes 

By April Towery / October 5, 2022 /

The Dallas City Council has been meeting weekly to trudge through the city’s budget process, and while housing issues don’t always garner the headlines, it’s clear that elected officials are putting time and money into the matter.  At least four funding allocations and program changes have been approved over the past month. The city council…

Read More