Dallas City Hall
District 12
Enews
April 22, 2022
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Connecting You With City Information, News, and Resources |
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Councilmember Cara Mendelsohn
Council appointments:
*Chairman, Government Performance and Financial Management Committee
*Chairman, Ad Hoc Committee on General Investigations and Ethics
*Vice Chairman, Public Safety Committee
*Housing and Homeless Solutions Committee
*Transportation Committee
*Ad Hoc Committee on COVID-19
*Ad Hoc Committee on Legislative Affairs
*Regional Transportation Council Member
*North Central Texas Council of Governments Executive Committee
Other city-related appointments/elected positions:
*National League of Cities Youth, Education, and Families Council
*Board of Directors, National League of Cities Women in Municipal Government
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Cotton Belt/Silver Line Update & LOTS of events!
I hope you had a wonderful holiday season. Below are some ways to get involved in the community, either through hands on work, speaking up for something you believe in, volunteering for a board or commission, or participating in an upcoming event.
There is a major development with DART's Cotton Belt/Silver Line. The City Manager has asked for changes to the existing plan. If this project interests your or impacts your commute, please read below.
Our next Town Hall meeting, Thursday, April 28th at Renner Frankford Library, is at 7 pm. We'll return to our usual format with a special guest who will speak for about 5 minutes, then a 5 minute update about things happening at city hall, and the rest of the time is for you to ask any questions on your mind. This month's special guest is our North Central Dallas Police Department Major Harris.
Looking forward to seeing you soon! Cara
Council Liaison: Madison.Johnson@dallascityhall.com
Council Assistant:
Luis.Delgado@dallascityhall.com
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Family Fit Festival at Fair Park |
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We would like to invite you to attend Family Fit Fest, which will be held at the Centennial Building at Fair Park on April 23, 2022 from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. This event, which used to be known as Get Kidz Fit but has been expanded to include activities for the whole family. If you would like to learn more about the event please visit www.familyfitfest.org.
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Community meetings about the Cotton Belt/Silver Line were held in March and April. Both meetings included overviews of the whole project and question and answer time. At both meetings, I pledged to work for additional safety changes and improvements to DART's plans.
On April 15th, the Dallas City Manager, T.C. Broadnax, wrote a letter to DART's CEO asking for changes in four areas. These changes include grade separation at Dickerson and Meandering Way, drainage improvements for the proposed design for Hillcrest, inclusion of the safety enhancements identified in the field diagnostic, and additional access for University Place residents during construction when Sugar Cane is closed. A response from DART was requested by the end of the month.
This is a major step forward and I am very thankful for his support, along with Mayor Johnson and many of the Dallas City Councilmembers, the City of Dallas Director of Transportation Gus Khankarli, Assistant City Manager Robert Perez, and many transportation, engineering, and railroad professionals who reviewed the plans, visited the rail crossings, and shared concerns.
Things are changing on this project. More information will be available after DART responds to the City Manager's letter.
If you aren't sure what is happening with this project, please go back and read the most recent edition of the enews on the D12 website, link above, which has a lot of information and history.
Slides from the meeting: click on D12 website above.
WHAT DO WE WANT? TO MAKE IT SAFE!
- Enhanced safety measures as documented in the field diagnostic study!
- Train speed no more than vehicle speed for at-grade crossings
- No flooding where it does not exist today. We do not accept that Hillcrest would go from a 6 lane road that doesn't flood to a 4 lane road with two lanes that flood.
- The #1 item we want is grade separation at Meandering Way and Dickerson! This is the only solution that provides the safety needed.
Lastly, here's how you can give your input in an effective way. The time to SPEAK UP IS NOW.
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Sign up to speak at a City Council Meeting. Call 214.670.3738 or sign up here: https://dallascityhall.com/government/citysecretary/Pages/CCrules.aspx for the next council meeting. Register by 5 pm the Tuesday before the Wednesday council meeting. The council meets the first 4 Wednesdays of the month at 9 am. You can participate in person or virtually. You can only speak once per 30 days if not addressing an item on the agenda. You will be called to speak before the start of the meeting if you are participating virtually. For maximum impact, please coordinate with the Facebook group Neighbors Sharing Cotton Belt Information.
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Email the city council, Mayor, city staff, DART leadership and Dallas board members. Here are the email addresses so you can cut/paste: eric.johnson@dallascityhall.com; chad.west@dallascityhall.com; jesse.moreno@dallascityhall.com; casey.thomas@dallascityhall.com; carolyn.kingarnold@dallascityhall.com; jaime.resendez@dallascityhall.com; omar.narvaez@dallascityhall.com; adam.bazaldua@dallascityhall.com; tennell.atkins@dallascityhall.com; paula.blackmon@dallascityhall.com; adam.mcgough@dallascityhall.com; jaynie.schultz@dallascityhall.com; cara.mendelsohn@dallascityhall.com; gay.willis@dallascityhall.com; paul.ridley@dallascityhall.com; tc.broadnax@dallascityhall.com; robert.perez@dallascityhall.com; alireza.hatefi@dallascityhall.com; ghassan.khankarli@dallascityhall.com; nlee@dallascityhall.com; cgarcia3@dart.org; pjkennedy@dart.org; jbkillen@dart.org; mwkrause@dart.org; rschlosser@dart.org; njohnson@dart.org; eruiz@dart.org; rdye@dart.org
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Send a letter to the editor of the Dallas Morning News at https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/2018/12/02/submit-a-letter-to-the-editor/
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Complete a Community Input form and email it to District12@dallascityhall.com. We'll make it convenient for you by sharing it on your behalf with the recipients you choose on the form. The form is located on the District 12 website, link at the top.
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There are several social media groups keeping people informed. One is on NextDoor called Cottonbelt / Silverline Updates, and there are two Facebook groups, Neighbors Sharing Cotton Belt Information and Cotton Belt Concerned Citizens Coalition. Each page shares different information. Some pages may restrict members to nearby residents.
It was intended that a frequently asked questions and answers section would be published in this enews edition, but it is being delayed while DART considers design changes. We'll include it once designs are settled.
Links to some recent media about the problems with DART's Cotton Belt/Silver Line:
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Ethics Advisory Commission & Youth Commission |
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Would you like to serve on the City of Dallas Ethics Advisory Commission or Youth Commission? Send an email to District12@dallascityhall.com.
Dallas Ethics Advisory Commission Mission
To establish, amend, and rescind rules and procedures governing its own internal organization and operations in a manner and form consistent with this article.
Dallas Ethics Advisory Commission Meetings
The commission meets quarterly on the third Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. The meetings are held at 1500 Marilla Street, City Hall 6ES, and last about two hours.
Dallas Ethics Advisory Commission Qualifications
Each member of the ethics advisory commission shall meet the requirements of Chapter 8 of the city code. Additionally, at least six members of the ethics advisory commission must meet a minimum of one of the following qualifications:
(A) Possess a juris doctorate degree from an institution of higher learning.
(B) Formerly served as a Justice of the Peace.
(C) Currently or formerly employed as a professor or instructor at an institution of higher learning in the following disciplines:
(i) Ethics.
(ii) Criminal justice.
(D) Currently or formerly employed as an ethics officer, or similar position, in a public or private organization, aligning the practices of that organization with the stated ethical standards of the organization or enforcing the ethical standards or codes of the organization.
Teens with interests in how cities work and politics, read below for a unique opportunity.
Youth Commission Mission
To inspire Dallas youth to become lifelong civic leaders actively engaged in assisting policy makers and promoting advocacy. This will be accomplished by hosting regular and active civic engagement opportunities for youth to: build leadership skills; learn how municipal government decision making takes places; develop and implement advocacy strategies to youth constituents and participate in community service projects.
Youth Commission Meetings
The commission meets monthly. Members serve on the various working committees and may expect to devote about four hours a month to board service.
Youth Commission Qualifications
Enrolled and in good-standing as a full-time student in grades nine through twelve at a public/charter, private or home school; and have been a resident of the city of Dallas for at least six months prior to the date of appointment. Commissioner must reside in District 12.
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Ribbon Cutting Event at Campbell Green Park |
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Mayor's Distinguished Service Award |
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Mayor Eric Johnson announced the creation of the Mayor's Distinguished Service Award. The award will honor the notable service and significant contributions of Dallas residents to the City of Dallas. During the inaugural year, Mayor Johnson — the 60th Mayor of Dallas — will name 60 awardees.
To be considered for the award, nominees must:
- Currently live in the City of Dallas;
- Have a distinguished record of service and/or meritorious achievement over multiple years in the City of Dallas;
- Demonstrate a standard of excellence; and
- Display good moral character.
Nominations are now open and can be submitted through this form. To be considered for an award, nominees must be current City of Dallas residents. City employees are ineligible to receive the award. The nominations are due by 6 p.m., April 29, 2022.
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UPCOMING DISTRICT 12 MEETINGS &
DISTRICT WALK-IN OFFICE HOURS
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4/28 - Townhall - Renner Frankford Library, 7 pm. Special Guest: Major Harris, head of the North Central division of Dallas Police Department.
5/13 - Walk-in office hours, 2 - 4 pm, North Central Police Station Community Room
5/19 - Townhall - Renner Frankford Library, 7 pm
5/27 - Walk-in office hours, 2 - 4 pm, North Central Police Station Community Room
Townhall Meetings - These monthly meetings are for you and focus on District 12 and city issues. Usually there is a short update from city hall, a guest speaker for about 10 minutes, and time for you to ask questions and give input.
Walk-in Office Hours - Twice a month we take over the North Central Police Station community room (6969 McCallum Blvd) to talk with you. Stop by to get help with any city service, share your view on an issue facing the city council, ask any question, or just say hi!
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Each year, your county will assess a market value for your property. Your market value will be used to calculate your property taxes once the various taxing entities (city, school district, county, etc...) set their annual tax rates.
Your market value is a very important number and it should accurately reflect your property's market value. If you feel that your market value is too high, it is important to "protest" your property value so that you can lower the property taxes you pay.
You are able to protest your market value on your own or hire a firm to help. Most realtors are happy to assist by pulling recent sales data for your area and showing how those properties compare to yours. Or, you can hire a firm to assist who does all the work and usually takes a portion of what was saved as their fee (no fee if no savings).
The city taxes are only a portion of your annual property tax bill, but I remain committed to making sure we have the lowest rate possible to maintain needed services (police, fire, parks, libraries, streets, etc...). I chair the budget committee and put forward 7 amendments to the budget to reduce the property tax rate. While many had support, none had enough to pass and the tax rate was reduced a minimal amount. With the large increase in property value, combined with the large influx of federal dollars to cities
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- Learn more about the latest happenings at our Family Gateway North family homeless shelter. http://familygateway.org/north/
- Dallas Animal Services reports the shelter is full! If you are interested in fostering or adopting a dog or cat, please contact them. Dogs are free to adopt and we have the Everyday Adoption Center inside the Petsmart at Coit and Campbell, usually open 4 days a week. Check out the website www.BeDallas90.org to see the pets currently available.
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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
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