Mayor Johnson reaffirmed Tuesday that he believes the city council should base the 2024 Bond Program on recommendations from a council-appointed task force rather than City staff.
During the Dallas Regional Chamber’s Year-End Conversation with Johnson on Tuesday, the mayor discussed “competing political philosophies” at City Hall that have led to disagreements about how to spend taxpayer money.
He explained how differing views on the role of city government led to a divide within the city council over the City’s annual budget in September. Similar disagreements are now at play regarding the 2024 Bond Program as determinations are made regarding the $1.1 billion in the upcoming bond as some officials argue more funding should go toward housing, he said.
Johnson reiterated his commitment to funding parks “at a high level” with the bond and moving forward with bond recommendations from the council-appointed Community Bond Task Force (CBTF), explaining that spending on parks makes Dallas a more desirable destination for residents and businesses.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, City Manager T.C. Broadnax insisted last week that the City proceed using recommendations from staff as the basis for the bond. However, Johnson then sent a memo to Broadnax saying this was not the city manager’s call to make and the council should instead proceed with recommendations from the CBTF.
Both the CBTF and staff presented their recommended allocations to the council last week. Staff’s recommendations include more funding for streets and transportation but less for parks, libraries, economic development, flood control, and cultural arts.
City Manager Broadnax and CBTF chair Arun Agarwal were both present for Tuesday’s event, during which the mayor said the City should give priority to the volunteers on the CBTF who spent months refining their recommendations.
“I do think first and foremost that we ought to show a lot of respect for the Community Bond Task Force that met for nine months and consisted of 90 members of the public who took hundreds [or] thousands of hours of public testimony information,” Johnson said. “A considerable amount of public input, an extraordinary amount really, over a long period of time.”
“At the end of the day, you’re going to the voters to ask them to approve it anyway, so why would you not start there?” he said. “I’m not even sure why you’d have a Community Bond Task Force if you’re not going to show them a great deal of deference.”
Johnson added that the CBTF’s recommendations “sound very reasonable” to him, and he anticipates a “very good discussion” about the bond package moving forward.
“I’m actually not worried about this. I think the city council will figure this out,” he said, adding that he wants to “frame the discussion from the beginning,” asking why the council would appoint “very esteemed members of this community” to the task force only to discard their recommendations.
“Why would you [have them] spend nine months of their lives working on this, and then from the very first day that the council is even hearing a presentation, say basically, ‘Thanks, we got it from here,’ and then just turn immediately to some other proposal?” he inquired.
Furthermore, Johnson said proceeding without the CBTF’s recommendations could risk the whole bond program being rejected by Dallas voters.
While other officials have argued that housing should have more funding in the bond, Johnson asserted that parks should be “highly prioritized” because they spur housing and economic development.
“I’m a big advocate for the parks systems. I believe it keeps families in the City. I believe it catalyzes economic development in ways that we have seen. I believe [a quality park system] spurs housing. People want to build near it. People want to live near it,” Johnson explained.
“Parks are a draw. They’re an appeal. It’s what people want. It’s what developers tell us they want. That’s why it’s so high in the package,” he continued. “I think we’ll have a very robust discussion about that.”
He also maintained that the City is not the most effective entity to spearhead housing projects and should instead work to make building homes easier for private developers.
Johnson added that he thinks Dallas will “be okay” as long as streets, parks, and public safety are prioritized in the bond.
