Update: At 1:39 p.m., the Dallas City Council reconvened and took up Item 2. The due diligence process outlined in Item 2 mirrors the structure approved in Item 1. Multiple amendments to Item 2 were proposed and rejected by a 5-9 vote (with Councilmember Adam Bazaldua absent) on each attempt. This item authorizes funding solely for 911 and emergency operations relocation due diligence — 311 services were not included.
Item 2 vote passed 9 – 5, with 1 absent vote (Adam Bazaldua). Councilmembers who voted against were Laura Cadena, Paula Blackmon, Bill Roth, Cara Mendelsohn, and Paul E. Ridley.
At 2:20 p.m., the Special Called Meeting was adjourned to move into regular session.
Note: Minutes for this meeting have not been finalized at the time of publication.
The Dallas City Council convened a special-called meeting Wednesday to consider authorizing up to $3 million for pre-acquisition due diligence on potential new locations for City Hall operations and the City’s 911/emergency operations centers.
Item 1 vote passed 9 – 5, with 1 absent vote (Adam Bazaldua). Councilmembers who voted against were Laura Cadena, Paula Blackmon, Bill Roth, Cara Mendelsohn, and Paul E. Ridley.
The two agenda items will allow City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert to negotiate agreements with property owners in the Dallas Central Business District and conduct detailed studies on up to four sites for each function, as previously reported on by The Dallas Express. No final decision on relocation was put before the council on Wednesday.
“The due diligence process will be taking place over the next few months. I do believe that the goal would be to come back before we have a finalized budget. Council understands that the budget is due to the City Council by, I think, August 11. And so, we would plan and come back and have information available before you, so you will be able to give additional direction, hopefully during that time period,” Tolbert told City Councilmember Cara Mendelsohn.
“My goal would be to not drag it out past August,” Tolbert told City Councilmember Paula Blackmon.
Background on City Hall Debate
Dallas City Hall at 1500 Marilla Street, designed by architect I.M. Pei and opened in 1978, has been the subject of months of debate over repair costs versus relocation. Consultants previously estimated major repairs between $531.6 million and $610.8 million, with full 20-year occupancy costs potentially reaching $1.6 billion.
Last week, the council voted 9-6 against funding a phased repair strategy for the existing building, as reported by The Dallas Express.
Agenda items covered in Wednesday’s meeting:
Item 1 authorized the City Manager to:
(1) negotiate and execute pre-acquisition agreements for due diligence on up to four sites for City Hall staff and functions;
(2) transfer up to $2 million from the ARPA City Hall Generation and Electrical Repair line-item; and
(3) return with results for further council consideration.
Item 2 mirrors the structure for 911 and emergency operations, with up to $1 million in funding.
The passing of Item 1 does not expressly authorize “any terms for an actual deal… all it’s doing is authorizing due diligence,” said Executive Assistant City Attorney/Chief of the Real Estate & Construction Section, Dallas City Attorney’s Office, Consuelo “Connie” Tankersley, in response to Councilmember Paul Ridley’s question of how much negotiating power Tolbert will be given.
However, Tankersley would later tell Ridley that the resolution authorized Tolbert to “negotiate and execute and define the terms for a relocation option… it stops short of a relocation option limited to a lease option or a buy option or a lease to purchase option… she is not authorized to execute on any one of these opportunities.”
Mayor Eric Johnson has noted that the funds come from the ARPA Redevelopment Fund, which he described as local dollars rather than direct American Rescue Plan Act money.
Item 2 will be voted on after a short break. This story will be updated accordingly.
Legal and Procedural Context
The special meeting follows a court ruling by State District Judge Eric Moyé, who issued a temporary restraining order last week after two council members challenged agenda language under the Texas Open Meetings Act. The judge found prior notices too vague.
Council Members Adam Bazaldua and Paula Blackmon have continued legal action regarding last week’s proceedings, including filing a motion seeking a contempt order against the City, per KRLD News.
Next Steps
Due diligence results will return to the council later this summer. A final vote on any relocation would require separate council approval. The City’s budget process, with public hearings expected in late August, could incorporate any relocation costs.
In Wednesday’s Council meeting, Tolbert said of the four sites under consideration that “if at any point in the process, if we see something or know something that we believe is detrimental to the City, we would have the responsibility of raising the flag and making sure that’s known to the body, and we would definitly not want to recommend something that would not be in the best interest of the City… that is my responsibility, and that is what the Council should expect.”
