The City has added more special called meetings to discuss the 2024 bond package after a dispute between City leaders.
City Secretary Bilierae Johnson said last week that the Dallas City Council now has two additional special called meetings, one on Friday, January 19, and another on Wednesday, January 31, as reported by The Dallas Morning News.
The council was initially scheduled to discuss the bond on January 17, but Mayor Eric Johnson requested the meeting be postponed as he will be in Switzerland for the World Economic Forum.
“On that day, I will be representing the city of Dallas at the World Economic Forum,” the mayor wrote in a December 29 memo, per DMN.
As reported by The Dallas Express, Johnson was invited to speak on a panel at the forum on Thursday, focusing on urban transportation and vehicle delivery systems.
The mayor asked that a bond meeting be scheduled for January 31, but three council members claimed in a memo on January 4 that a meeting that late “could jeopardize” the option of having the bond package prepared in time for a May election.
“Constituents throughout the city are deeply concerned about the investments in our streets, the continued expansion and upgrades to our city’s park infrastructure, and the necessary funding for repairs to existing city libraries, arts facilities, and public safety facilities, including our new (police) training facility,” wrote Council Members Adam Bazaldua (District 7), Paula Blackmon (District 9), and Jaime Resendez (District 5).
The council members asked Johnson to approve an additional meeting for January 19. The City calendar includes a special called council briefing for 2:00 p.m. on this date.
Blackmon told DMN that the city secretary was asked directly to schedule the briefing after Johnson purportedly missed the deadline to respond to the memo.
Officials will soon determine whether the bond election will be held in May or November this year.
As reported by The Dallas Express, Johnson and City Manager T.C. Broadnax have previously clashed over the $1.1 billion bond program, with the mayor insisting the City proceed with recommendations made by the Community Bond Task Force rather than City staff.
As the council determines the final allocations of the bond proposal, the issue of “racial equity” has been raised by officials as a priority with regard to how bond dollars will be spent. City staff have also said that ESG will be factored into the bond program despite claims that ESG can lead to funds being allocated based on political agendas rather than financially pragmatic considerations. Commentators have also alleged that ESG will be used to strip freedom from individual citizens who do not conform to left-wing political goals.
After the Dallas City Council finalizes the bond program, it will be placed on the ballot to be voted on by Dallas residents, either in May or November of this year.
