The Dallas City Council discussed civic priorities during an off-site work session on Wednesday.
Unlike traditional council meetings, there was no agenda posted online prior to the “vision alignment session,” and it was not streamed online for the public to view.
The meeting was led by James Copple, former facilitator to President Obama’s Task Force on 21st-Century Policing and codirector of Act Now.
Along with Arnold, Council Members Chad West (D1), Jesse Moreno (D2), Casey Thomas (D3), Jaime Resendez (D5), Adam Bazaldua (D7), Paula Blackmon (D9), Adam McGough (D10), Jaynie Schultz (D11), Gay Donnell Willis (D12), and Paul Ridley (D14) attended the work session.
The session was held in Thanks-Giving Square.
City Manager T.C. Broadnax, Interim City Attorney Tammy Palomino, and City Secretary Bilierae Johnson were also present.
City Secretary Bilierae Johnson reportedly told KERA News that the meeting was a “special called meeting,” which falls under the purview of the mayor’s office.
The meeting was met with some criticism from City Council Members.
“I don’t know how much longer we can come to these vision meetings and keep talking about a vision … when the city manager has already brought us a plan,” said Council Member Carolyn King Arnold of District 4.
She added, “It’s not about whether you like it or not … we need to decide if we’re going to be serious about this vision.”
Mayor Johnson did not attend the meeting.
The Dallas Express contacted the mayor’s office and asked why he was not present but received no response by press time.
Council Members Omar Narvaez (D6), Tennell Atkins (D8), and Cara Mendelsohn (D12) were also not in attendance.
While Wednesday’s work session was technically open to the public, the City Council held a similar off-site retreat at the Dallas Zoo in February following a series of high-profile zoo security breaches.
During the meeting in Thanks-Giving Square, the Dallas City Council discussed priorities and the barriers they faced in achieving those goals.
Some of the most common priorities included public safety, infrastructure improvements, and economic development.
The Dallas City Council acknowledged that to spur economic development, the City must fix its broken and inefficient permit system, which was recently targeted by the Texas legislature.
The Dallas City Council also discussed the importance of building relationships with local nonprofits to improve the lives of Dallasites — rather than relying solely on the municipal government.
Many Council Members voiced support for additional green space. They suggested making it more walkable by investing in sidewalks and reducing parking requirements for building development.
Council Member Adam Bazaldua also noted the need for the City to fix its poor zoning practices.
Furthermore, several Council Members brought up the supposed need for more “affordable housing” in Dallas.
Council Members and City officials have frequently said that affordable housing is needed to address the City’s crisis of homelessness. However, research has shown that “housing first” solutions are “doomed to failure” because they “begin with an inadequate diagnosis of the causes” and fail to adequately address underlying causes such as mental illness and drug abuse.
The solution favored by most Dallas residents is that of the successful nonprofit Haven for Hope in San Antonio. Haven for Hope provides a one-stop shop for homelessness that offers supportive services to the homeless population in a contained geographic area.
The next official City Council meeting will be held at Dallas City Hall on April 12.