Dallas City Council members said that the upcoming 2024 bond program should spend more on “racial equity” and that the council should consider disparities between northern and southern Dallas when determining how bond funds should be allocated.
During a Monday meeting of the Workforce, Education, & Equity Committee, City staff briefed committee members on how municipal departments are measuring up to the standards set in the Racial Equity Plan. The complete presentation can be found here.
Staff shared an upcoming Racial Equity Plan dashboard that aims to “increase transparency, accountability and to foster trust with residents regarding the action of the Racial Equity Plan.”
Some council members said these findings should be taken into consideration as the council moves forward with refining the upcoming $1.1 billion bond program that will be put before voters next year.
“If we were to see this data set parallel to that of the bond initiative, I don’t think that it would be very exciting. I don’t think that’s something that we would be able to tout as a win,” said Council Member Adam Bazaldua (District 7).
While staff highlighted the accomplishments of the City as it pertains to racial equity, Bazaluda said tools like the dashboard should also show where the City is falling behind in its equity goals.
“I think that it’s just as important that y’all’s work highlights some fails,” he told staff. “That’s where I think that this could also be very helpful, if we were able to articulate how this doesn’t touch racial equity in what’s being proposed in such a large dollar amount with bond capacity over a billion dollars. I think it would be very helpful for the public to see that we’re missing a one-shot opportunity.”
Bazaldua argued that racial equity initiatives should be tackled with taxpayer dollars from the general fund and bond dollars. His sentiments were echoed by Council Member Carolyn King Arnold, who represents District 4 in southern Dallas.
“We will be remembered by the policies we embrace and support,” Arnold said. “I would like to get with [staff] so that we could talk about, in terms of data, statistically what we are not responding to in terms of these goals as it relates to this bond in particular.”
Arnold argued that because the City of Dallas will use bond dollars for long-term spending, the council must ensure the funds are spent equitably.
“This [bond] money is going to have to be repaid,” she noted. “When you talk about repayment, you’re going to be asking the same people that you turned your back on to pay their property taxes so that we can pay off these bonds down the road.”
“As a council, we really want to make a landmark decision as it relates to racial equity. This is our opportunity to be that council,” Arnold added. “I’ve heard people talk, but they’re not really about it … They backpedal.”
“We have to stay woke,” Arnold continued. “Whether folks want that statement or not. We cannot afford to turn the hands back on this clock.”
“Racial equity [is] an uncomfortable conversation for some, but if equity is about making … some adjustments so that everyone can sit at the table and eat a meal that is healthy, then … we need to do that,” she said.
Council Member Gay Donnell Willis, who represents District 13 in northern Dallas, argued that bond funds should not be presented “in a vacuum” as funding for City projects can come from other sources, including the general fund and partnerships with the private sector.
Willis added that the City should continue to allocate funding toward areas that have been historically spent on in as to maintain certain projects. She said council members “need to come to an agreement” regarding older infrastructure in need of improvement.
“To wholesale say, ‘We’re not going to maintain that’ is counter to the discussions we’ve been having around, ‘If we’re going to create it, we need to take care of it,'” Willis said. “It’s a delicate balance because we want to be sure that we are spending in communities that have not had the investment. On the other hand, to perpetuate the crumbling infrastructure is not a good policy either.”
Bazaldua then argued that “equitable” spending across the whole city would benefit Dallas in the long run.
“This isn’t about pitting anyone against each other,” he said. “Being citywide should be reflected on the goals that are set out for this Racial Equity Plan, and that doesn’t mean that priorities have to be mutually exclusive to one another.”
“We can’t continue to maintain the status quo and then wonder why an entire portion geographically of our city doesn’t contribute to the tax base,” Bazaldua said. “There’s a reason why North Dallas contributes far more to our tax base — because there’s infrastructure invested in it. There was a starting point that was equitable.”
Bazaldua said that rather than council members being at odds with each other on where to spend City dollars, they should “have the mentality that what is good for southern Dallas is good for all of Dallas.”
“Because we already know what’s good for northern Dallas is good for all of Dallas,” Bazaldua added.
Some racial equity initiatives put forth by the City have been criticized for potentially being unconstitutional, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
Devon Westhill, president and general counsel of the Center for Equal Opportunity, previously told The Dallas Express that programs like the Predevelopment Assistance Program, which issues taxpayer-backed loans to select businesses owned by women or racial minorities, “are vulnerable to legal action because oftentimes they violate the Equal Protection Clause.”
“In reality, all this does is divide by race and make it harder for people to compete in the marketplace,” said attorney Erin Wilcox.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, the Dallas City Council recently began its process of refining the 2024 bond program before residents vote on it next year. However, there has been some conflict between officials, notably Mayor Eric Johnson and City Manager T.C. Broadnax, over whether the City should base its bond allocations on recommendations from staff or a council-appointed task force.
