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Connecting You With City Information, News, and Resources
Elections, Community & Changes Coming
Councilmember Cara Mendelsohn

Current Council appointments:
*Government Performance and Financial Management, Chairman
*Public Safety
*Housing and Homeless Solutions
*Transportation
*COVID-19 Ad Hoc
*Legislative, Vice Chair
*Regional Transportation Council
*City Council Representative to Texas Municipal League Policy Summit

*National League of Cities Youth, Education, and Families Council
*Women in Municipal Government
Hello District 12,

The latest from City Hall is a change in the city council committees and a new set of priorities for each committee from the Mayor. I will remain on the same committees but have been added to the transportation committee and named Chairman of the Government Performance and Financial Management committee.

Early voting continues through Friday and the closest locations are Fretz Park Library for Dallas county, Renner Frankford Library for Collin county, and Timberglen Library for Denton county. Please bring an ID.

Thursday we have another D12 Virtual Town Hall. We have a special guest, a short update from city hall, and the rest of the time is answering your questions and listening to your input. If you live near the Lowe's on Preston, you may want to tune in to hear about a proposed low-income senior housing development from the developer. Please RSVP by 3 pm.

The Parks Department is putting on a Drive Thru Halloween on Friday at Campbell Green from 6 - 7:30pm. Hope to see you there!

Regards, Cara
A Bunch of Miscellaneous Things...

  • Congratulations to Hannah Schwitzer, District 12's new Youth Commissioner!

  • Street racing is continuing to increase in Dallas. If you see suspicious activity that could indicate groups gathering to take over intersections or race, please call 911. Dallas Police Department says community reporting is essential to enforcement success.

  • If you a HOA president, please confirm your board's contact information with Navaz at Navaz.kayaniirani@dallascityhall.com so we can reach out to you as issues impact your neighborhood.

  • Would you like to get a COVID-19 test? Check out the testing sites and hours at www.dallascityhall.com/COVID19. There is no charge and the eligibility has changed so more people can get tested.

  • Need help paying your natural gas bill? If you are already disconnected or struggling to pay your natural gas bill, funding may be available to cover past due debt, deposits and service charges. The Senior Source's Elder Financial Safety Center and Atmos Energy are partnering to help those age 50+ with their Atmos Energy bills. You must be 50+, live in DFW, and need help paying your Atmos Energy gas bill, have your Atmos Energy account number ready and call 214-823-5700 or email EFSC@TheSeniorSource.org.

  • Several residents have requested help to encourage AT&T to invest in additional broadband fiber in District 12. GOOD NEWS! Our area is on their expansion plans. Unfortunately, they aren't ready to make any announcements on timing. But they say they "hear us" and they are coming soon, which means anywhere from a couple of weeks to 2 years away. If your street or neighborhood has new fiber options, you will be sent mail from AT&T to announce it.

  • Last week Michael Rogers, Director of Transportation joined the D12 Virtual Town Hall and shared information on how to get "traffic calming" on your street. It starts with a call to 311. You report that there is excessive speed on your street and you would like the transportation department to come evaluate the situation. There are many different things that can be done, but not all solutions are appropriate for all streets. The main take-aways are 1) excessive speeds have to be verified 2) neighbors have to agree with the solutions 3) the residents may pay a portion of the cost, depending on the vehicle speeds, and 4) it takes a while to get through this process. If you are pursuing traffic calming on your street, please let the D12 office know so we can help track it and offer help as needed.

  • 44,000 North Texans are needed for a DFW #COVID19 Prevalence Study via UT Southwestern in partnership with Texas Health Resources. They are encouraging the community to be part of the solution. If you would like to learn more about the study or how to participate, please go to: https://bit.ly/3hDQJtT #DFWAnswerTheCall

  • COVID-positive cases are increasing in our area. Do what you can to protect your health by getting a flu shot and practicing all the Covid things you know... masks, wash hands, social distance, etc...

  • The family homeless shelter real estate transaction ran into some issues, but is still being worked on by the real estate office. We're planning a town hall focused on this topic in December.

  • Swastikas were painted at the old Reunion parking garage downtown. There is a story about it in today's Dallas Morning News. The city council was alerted on Friday night about it and all parts have been removed or covered. It is extremely troubling, but I want to reassure you that the police and federal partners are working the case and there is no immediate threat to anyone's safety. The link to the article is below.

  • Thank you to the Dallas Magnolias for your generous support of at-risk students in our public schools. They conducted a giant school supply drive for students in coordination with Dallas Police Association.

  • Thank you to the North Dallas and Prestonwood YMSL Chapters that held meetings to teach civics to teenage boys. It was fun to speak with y'all! Also, thank you to Highlands North and Meadow Glen HOAs for the informative annual meetings and opportunity to talk with homeowners and the Northwood Woman's Club for inviting me to be the October meeting guest speaker!

  • The 2020 Census has ended its collection of data. District 12 came out with the second highest response rate in the city! Special thanks to our outstanding committee members Tarek Radjef, Joe Levy, and Brooklynn Bier. Your hard work is greatly appreciated! The results will be tabulated and sent to federal administration. From there, the data will be used to allocate funding for the next ten years and new districts from city council to Congressional seats will be determined.
DART/Cotton Belt/Silver Line Update
This week the leaders of the public works department came out to D12 for a tour of all Cotton Belt crossings and Preston Green park so they could better understand how the construction will impact the area.

It may feel like DART/Cotton Belt work is starting, but things are still in a holding pattern. DART continues to pull up existing train tracks and rail road ties. Utility work is happening to prepare for construction. DART plans have been submitted, but there are items that have not been agreed on and some require additional engineering and approvals. No new permits have been issued.

A traffic control plan that includes detours, how traffic will be re-routed, any traffic calming needed for roads that will be impacted, possible temporary traffic signals, etc... has not been submitted to the city and diagnostic reports have not been completed.

DART is holding quarterly meetings in Dallas on November 18th, 6:30-8:30 via Teams conference ID 151 919 874, phone 469-391-0632. We will also have a district town hall to talk about the construction and what to expect in November or early December. More information will be coming soon.
Halloween... 2020 Style!
In The News
PUBLIC SAFETY/CRIME/POLICE BUDGETING




ETHICS/GOVERNMENT TRANSPARENCY



FAIR PARK
Faith & Blue
Thank you to All Saints Catholic Church for hosting the Faith and Blue event. It was a great chance for the community to connect with neighborhood police officers, learn more about policing, ask questions about crime in the district and city, and meet officers that are part of specialized units, like K-9.
District 12 Office
Please welcome our newest staff member, Luis Delgado, to the District 12 office! Luis transferred to D12 from the library department and has jumped right in helping residents with constituent issues. Luis is going through formal training with the city and the best training possible - with Navaz.

Luis comes from a small West Texas city and is bilingual. He's patient, professional, and eager to help. It's a strange time to start a job, and we're all working from home, so your patience is appreciated. If you join us for the town hall Thursday, October 29, you'll get a change to meet him. Welcome aboard Luis!
Need help, got a question, or want to give input?

Email: Cara.Mendelsohn@DallasCityHall.com
Office phone: (214) 670-4067
Text phone: (214) 490-1036