Several members of the Dallas City Council criticized an equity policy that prioritizes the needs of certain parts of the city over others based on a point system.
Council members raised their concerns about the City’s Equity Impact Assessment Tool in a meeting on Wednesday.
The tool is used to determine which ZIP codes in Dallas should take priority with regard to policy proposals and resource allocation. Five factors are taken into consideration: whether blacks, Hispanics, and Native Americans comprise 70% or more of the ZIP code area’s population; if the area has a family poverty rate of 15% or more; if its homeownership rate is less than 15%; if more than 12% of its population is 65 or older; and if the area has “social economic vulnerability.”
The final result is a “compound risk score.” The higher the score, the more priority an area gets in terms of City projects.
Several council members questioned City staff about the equity measures, raising issues like whether certain municipal facilities primarily service area residents and the seeming subjectivity of the score itself.
Council Member Kathy Stewart (District 10) said she was hoping to boost support for city projects at Orbiter Park, claiming that the area’s equity score does not accurately reflect its needs.
“I don’t see the rhyme or reason, and I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but I found stuff that just didn’t make sense to me, and I would hope that we find a way to make it more accurate,” Stewart said. “You may need to run it through council members who really know their district.”
City staff defended the tool as a crucial measure of specific streets and communities in need, as opposed to a general assessment of the needs of every community in Dallas. Council members were told they could schedule individual appointments to address more specific concerns.
The City Council signed off on the Equity Impact Assessment Tool in 2019 as part of its “Equity Resolution,” which calls for “ensuring equity is a priority in all City of Dallas policies, program, services and practices.”
City staff informed the council members of a new goal to ensure 30% of bond investments are allocated in areas with higher equity scores. Council Member Paul Ridley (District 14) expressed his concern with the proposal, arguing that it fails to establish clearly defined qualifications.
“Why are we adding to what appears to be a subjective analysis of overall bond funding levels?” Ridley said. “Who determined why that additional subjective analysis was necessary?”
The City of Dallas has been advancing equity initiatives since it adopted the Racial Equity Plan. More recently, the City’s proposed budget for the new fiscal year aims to include an equity element in 95% of major projects at the Office of Data Analytics & Business Intelligence, The Dallas Express previously reported.
Relatedly, the Office of Arts & Culture is directed in the budget proposal to “[i]ncrease support for cultural equity through facilitating cultural celebrations throughout the year,” including LGBTQ Pride events.
Council Member Omar Narvaez (District 6) said he also had concerns about the Equity Impact Assessment Tool, claiming isolated high-value properties could skew scores.
“We still need to fine-tune that,” Narvaez said.
Council Member Cara Mendelsohn (District 12) had similar concerns, stating that the tool fails to consider whether a municipal facility in one area serves residents in another. She claimed it could be diverting taxpayer resources from areas that may need them most.
“What I’m seeing now is that this equity tool means very bad things, at least for my district,” Mendelsohn said. “All of the people who need the help and the scoring aren’t going to receive it because the actual location happens to be, the library in this case, on the other side of the street.”
The Dallas Express asked the City about the Equity Impact Assessment Tool but was simply directed to previous public statements about its equity initiatives.
