Cara Mendelsohn

Dallas Efficiency Committee Floats HR Cuts, Civil Service Merger

By Charles Grand / May 12, 2026 /

Dallas City Hall’s Human Resources Department is facing growing scrutiny, with council members on the Government Efficiency Committee signaling support for staffing reductions and even consolidation with the Civil Service Department. On Monday, the committee received briefings from Human Resources, Civil Service, and the Information & Technology Services Department. The departments provided overviews of their…

Critics Say Viaduct Plans Could Cut Oak Cliff Off From Downtown

By Charles Grand / May 11, 2026 /

A lot of things in Dallas seem up in the air these days, and now you can add connectivity to Oak Cliff to the list. Plans to reconfigure the Jefferson Boulevard and Houston Street Viaducts that link North Oak Cliff to downtown are in the works, prompting concerns that the city is going to disrupt…

Dallas Officials Signal Possible Staff Cuts, Policy Changes as Budget Gap Grows

By Charles Grand / May 7, 2026 /

The Dallas City Council is trying to get a handle on the city’s fiscal problems, signaling what measures may need to be taken to arrive at a balanced budget come the fall. And it ain’t going to be pretty. On Wednesday, staff gave council members a briefing on the budget situation, elaborating on the drivers…

Mayor Johnson Blames Colleagues for Self-Inflicted Budget Woes

By Charles Grand / May 4, 2026 /

Mayor Eric Johnson let loose on the city’s spending practices in a newsletter on Sunday, criticizing his fellow council members for repeatedly voting for “bloat” every budget season. As previously reported by CandysDirt.com, City Manager Kimberly Tolbert implemented a number of emergency spending measures last month to mitigate a projected budget shortfall in the tens…

Council Approves Former Plan Commissioner’s Controversial North Oak Cliff Rezoning Request

By Charles Grand / April 23, 2026 /

A majority of the Dallas City Council voted late Wednesday to approve a controversial application to rezone undeveloped land in North Oak Cliff from single-family to multifamily, with developer and former city plan commissioner Christian Chernock securing authorization to build apartments on the site. The land in question, some 3.5 acres between Plymouth Road and…