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The Real Estate Council is
actively monitoring issues at the state and local level that impact
the commercial real estate industry and our partners. Our mission is
to build a better city – and public policy is an essential component
of that vision.
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On August 14, City
Council approved 18 amendments to
the Dallas City Charter that will appear on the ballot. TREC is
supportive of establishing an independent Office of the Inspector
General, which we shared in a letter to Council in advance of their
vote to outline our position on several of the proposed amendments.
TREC has concerns about the citizen-led petitions and their impact on
the governance and safety of our city. The four citizen-led
amendments at the bottom of the ballot will do the following:
- Decriminalizes possession of up to
four ounces of marijuana
- Allows citizens to file lawsuits
against the city alleging violations of the city’s ordinances
or charters (Dallas Hero)
- Ties community manager bonus pay or
possible automatic termination to results of a community survey
(Dallas Hero)
- Caps 50 percent of all new
revenue (including enterprise fund) and sends 50 percent to
public safety initiatives. (Dallas Hero)
City Council initially
approved amendments that would have effectively neutralized the above
amendments. However, the state Supreme Court ruled in favor of the
complaniant and the three anti-HERO counter proposals will
no longer appear on the November ballot.
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ICYMI
Staff made several
significant changes to the Q Team process to improve efficiencies and
restore some of the best practices and original intent to this
option. Read more in this July 30 memo.
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2024-25 Draft Budget
The Dallas City Council
is considering a $4.97 billion budget, the largest in its history,
while lowering the property tax rate for the ninth consecutive year.
Facing a $38 million deficit, Interim City Manager Kim Tolbert has
proposed several cost-cutting measures to close the funding gap.
These include reorganizing and consolidating city departments,
cutting department budgets by 6 percent, and introducing a new water
utility fee to support city-wide clean-up efforts. The Council is set
to vote on the budget on September 18.
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Forward Dallas 2.0
The
Economic Development Committee voted to advance Forward Dallas 2.0,
the comprehensive land use plan draft, on August 27. In that meeting,
District 14 Councilmember Paul Ridley offered a host of amendments
that add language around codifying protections for single-family
neighborhoods. Council is scheduled to be vote on the plan on
September 25. You can view the Forward Dallas 2.0 update memo here.
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Digital Advertising Kiosks
On September 16, the
city's Transportation and Infrastructure Committee voted 5-1 to
direct staff to issue a new request for proposal (RFP) within the
next 30-90 days for the installation of digital advertising kiosks in
public spaces. TREC has opposed this plan from the beginning, sending
a letter of opposition to the committee in March, previously co-published an op-ed in
the Dallas Morning News detailing its concerns in May, and voicing
concerns at an August 16 public hearing with city staff about the
proposal. TREC will continue to monitor this issue.
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Parkland Dedication
Passed during the 88th Legislative Session last year, the
state Legislature adopted H.B. 1526 in an effort to cap the collection of
parkland dedication fees in the state's largest cities. While the
city works to stand up a new parkland dedication fee program, it
paused the assessment and collection of all parkland dedication fees
for projects that submit for permit after January 1, 2024. The TREC
team is working closely with city staff to reach a consensus on the
fee structure for multifamily development.
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Construction Parking Concerns
TREC was recently
notified about a draft ordinance requiring parking plans for new
Uptown developments. Councilmember Ridley has received
complaints about construction crews occupying limited parking and
congesting the city’s most dense areas. TREC and other stakeholders
requested information about what this proposal entails and how future
enforcement is envisioned. Additionally, this has the potential to be
an unfunded mandate to city departments and another high cost to
developers. TREC and other stakeholders are working with City Council
and staff to discuss the potential impact on our industry.
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Register to Vote
Mark your calendars for
the November 5 election -- less than 40 days away! Texas voters must
register 30 days prior, so check your status now. If you live in
Dallas County and haven't registered, you can get a form here and
mail it in. Verify your eligibility here,
or update your address if you've moved here. TREC
is actively monitoring races and evaluating candidates who support
our mission.
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Public Policy Committee
Interested in joining
TREC's Public Policy Committee?
Contact Michael Williams to
learn more. The next meeting will be Thursday, October 10 at 8:30 a.m.
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You can register for
our upcoming events here.
- Tuesday, October 1| Bank of Texas Speaker Series: A
Conversation With Dallas Mavericks CEO Cynt Marshall
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Manage Your Preferences
The
Real Estate Council
3100 McKinnon Street, Suite 1150 Dallas, TX 75201
214.692.3600 | recouncil.com
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