Tennell Atkins
In a December meeting of the Dallas Mayor’s Ad Hoc Committee on Pensions, a new solution to the Dallas Police And Fire Pension fund’s $3 billion deficit was suggested: monetize the city’s real estate assets. It’s one of numerous ideas that has been floated since the deficit came to light in 2015. Other suggestions include…
Altamonte Springs, California, recently became the first U.S. city to implement artificial intelligence for site plan reviews, and the initiative has caught the attention of Dallas leaders looking for ways to improve the permitting process in the Development Services Department. It took Development Services Director Andrew Espinoza over a year to clear a permit backlog…
In the wake of new legislation that allows builders to hire their own third-party reviewer if permits aren’t issued within 45 days, the Dallas City Council’s Economic Development Committee told the Development Services Department last week to continue prioritizing faster service, particularly for commercial permits. In a Sept. 6 committee meeting, District 1 Councilman Chad…
Despite the Texas Legislature’s ongoing work in Austin, many new state laws passed during the regular session will go into effect Sept. 1. Reports say that the Texas Legislature will convene a third time in October concerning school vouchers. The first two special sessions dealt with property taxes, also a hot-button local issue. In an Aug.…
The Dallas City Council last week authorized the city manager to execute a $3 million, one-year contract with Housing Forward for master leasing services for the Office of Homeless Solutions. While council members agreed that the idea was a good one, Councilwoman Cara Mendelsohn argued that the resolution — a 180-page contract that no one…
