Dallas City Hall

District 12

Enews

September 19, 2022

Lots Happening in D12!

If you have time, I hope we'll see each other this week.

Monday - Monthly town hall 7-8 pm at Renner Frankford Library. You'll meet and hear from our special guests Collin County Commissioner Duncan Webb and Dallas County Commissioner J.J. Koch. Learn about their roles and how we all work together to serve you.

Tuesday - DART will host a monthly project and construction update on the Cotton Belt/Silver Line at 7pm at the Texas AgriLife conference center on the east side of Coit at McCallum. Come get the update directly about the closure of Dickerson coming at the end of the month, the status of designs for Coit and Hillcrest, updates on construction for McCallum, Davenport, and Campbell. *This is an important meeting.

If you have a project idea for inclusion in the city's next bond election, we'll be working to consider projects in the coming year. This means ideas about parks projects, road resurfacing, erosion control, etc... Project recommendations from HOAs and NAs will receive priority. If your street is not in an HOA or NA, contact us and we'll help you get one set up.  

See you soon, Cara

Council Liaison: Madison.Johnson@dallas.gov

Council Assistant: Luis.Delgado@dallas.gov

What Projects would you like to see in the 2024 Bond?

Lots of discussion has started at City Hall about funding initiatives for the planned 2024 bond. At some point, city councilmembers will be appointing representatives to the bond committee and the various subcommittees that work on specific propositions.

If you live in an HOA or Neighborhood Association, we'll be reaching out to talk with your elected board about bond requests. Please make sure your leadership information is up to date with our office by submitting an up to date roster to District12@dallascityhall.com. If you don't live in an area with an HOA or Neighborhood Association, please reach out to our office to help set one up for your area. ALL BOND REQUESTS FROM HOAs AND NAs WILL BE PRIORIZED.

If you think you would be interested in serving on a bond committee, let us know by indicating your interest here: https://forms.gle/gm7M5ic584CV5SfN7

Free Trees - Branch Out Dallas

The program gives City of Dallas (Collin and Denton County Dallas zip codes included) residents a free five-gallon tree for their yard. Residents will be able to choose from one of the six locations to pick-up their Texas trees. Trees benefit the urban environment by cleaning the air and slowing down climate change. Reserve trees by September 30 (while supplies lasts).

Nearest pickup location in District 12 is the Shelton School at 17301 Preston.

For more information, pick up sites, and registration head over to: Branch Out Dallas

Volunteers Needed for Trash Assessment

Volunteers are needed for assessing (not cleaning up) the trash on the ground in Dallas zip code 75287. Volunteers will be given a list of locations to assess and rate how much trash they see, then email the results to Beth Weaver, the assessment’s leader. Beth will be working with individuals and organizations to adopt locations and continually clean them on the first and third Saturdays of each month.

Details of the Trash Assessment:

Date: Saturday, October 29 (rainout date Saturday November 5)

Time: all day as convenient for the volunteer

To volunteer, please contact Beth Weaver at saturdaysfortheearth@gmail.com.

City Purchase of Apartment Complex

Here is an overview of a voting item from last week's city council meeting. You can watch the news report on the link below. The subject is the purchase of an apartment complex near the Costco on Coit Road, south of LBJ. It's a 75 year deal where the City of Dallas gives up all property tax. We currently receive about $500,000 a year, so we'd give up approximately $9 million in revenue forgone for first 15 years, with 60 more years of no revenue to pay for streets, cops, libraries, parks.

The outcome - the city council voted to approve, 14-1, I was the one (again). 1 bedroom units will go from current market rate of $1580./month to $1420. This was under the guise of "affordable housing," something we need more of, but the "reduced" rent of $1420 is still more than most regular rental rates for a one bedroom in District 12. Was this a good deal for our city? This is the 5th Public Facility Corporation purchase and more are coming. How many housing units should we buy & provide a property tax abatement? How many properties can we allow to forgive their property tax? This is the first PFC deal built on developed land, the others were on undeveloped land, so we weren't giving up existing tax revenue, just adding housing (with a 75 year abatement).

We do need more affordable housing - but this is not the way. We don't need it at any cost. We need to develop units in a responsible way. Sadly, this project isn't even for the lowest income bands, it is for some units under 80% area median income, some 80-140% AMI. Taxpayers will be subsidizing someone who makes 140% of the AMI (approx $120k), to live in a luxury apartment. Sadly, some of the homeowners struggling the most with total incomes of $70,000 will be subsidizing people making much more, putting their housing at risk.



https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/city-of-dallas-to-buy-luxury-complex-for-affordable-housing/3072501/?fbclid=IwAR0XAxDPpWLzRyNA_LWH3_aTwA89xBSmqtkMgkC24rSKVePiBgFl06FRINY

SANITATION IMPROVEMENTS COMING

More than a third of the calls for help to 311 from our area concerns issues related to the sanitation department. A new approach to staffing and shifts will begin soon and we hope it will provide more reliable service to our area. It may mean your day of the week changes, but we'll let you know as the plan is rolled out. If you need assistance because your trash or bulk was not picked up or you need a new roll cart, please call 311 or submit a service request through the OurDallas app. If you don't get resolution through the normal channels, contact Luis for extra help at District12@dallascityhall.com 

https://dpdbeat.com/2022/09/12/the-dallas-police-department-announces-violent-street-crime-decreases-12-in-the-first-year-of-the-violent-crime-reduction-strategic-plan/?fbclid=IwAR2Op6gMKM5WXWPsMKdUTq7TC54BGiwgxd3GbW18SGIMZFEKd037v5nugYM

OUT IN THE FIELD IN D12

This week we held several "in the field" (quite literally) meetings with the city surveyor, public works, code compliance, and DPD to address:

1) Cotton Belt/Meandering Way

2) Midway/Frankford

3) Frankford near fire station #10

4) McCallum/Frank Jackson

Thank you to all the staff for coming out to D12 and providing your assistance.

As a resident, you are the first to see issues. If you see something that doesn't look right or needs attention, let us know. District12@dallas.gov (call 911 for emergencies & 311 for routine requests)

HOLIDAY AT THE FARM

Dallas Park and Recreation is preparing for Holiday at the Farm where the historical Samuell Farm will transform into a holiday wonderland with lights, an artisan market, visits with Santa, hayrides, & more. Your business can be part of the memories - become a vendor! Info at: https://bit.ly/3e7CSzr

NEIGHBORHOOD CRIME WATCH MEETINGS

About 75 neighbors attended a neighborhood crime watch meeting last week. Our efforts to address apartment crime continue to be the focus so tenants, staff, & nearby residents can all remain safe with a high quality of life. Thank you to Dallas Police Department & our North Central Neighborhood Police Officers. Special shout out to Officer Davis! If you'd like to schedule a crime watch meeting for your area, contact Edmundo.Lujan@dallascityhall.com or (214) 670-7247. If you'd like to have me come talk with your neighborhood, please schedule through District12@dallascityhall.com. 

CITY OF DALLAS RACIAL EQUITY PLAN

Months ago, I voted FOR the racial equity resolution, but the racial equity plan proposed was/is bad policy. Lots of public speakers asked us to slow down and have more community input. Why did it have to be passed so fast? I'll let you figure that out. Here are some news stories that tell more about what happened:

https://spectrumlocalnews.com/tx/austin/news/2022/09/12/residents-criticized-dallas--racial-equity-plan-

https://spectrumlocalnews.com/tx/austin/news/2022/09/09/dallas--racial-equity-plan-sparks-more-backlash

https://spectrumlocalnews.com/tx/austin/news/2022/09/02/more-criticism-leveled-at-dallas-s-racial-equity-plan-

DPD to Provide School Resource Officer

at Frankford Middle School

Coming to Frankford Middle School at the request of Plano ISD. Goal: keep students safe and develop positive interactions with law enforcement. Plano ISD will reimburse the city for the cost of staffing the school resource officer. #studentsafety

https://www.keranews.org/news/2022-09-14/dallas-police-officers-working-at-a-plano-isd-school-heres-why-thats-happening

Volunteer With Dallas Park & Recreation Department

Would you like to volunteer with Dallas Park and Recreation Department? They're looking for you! 

-To get involved in a Friends of a park in our area, contact our D12 representative on the park board, Lane Conner, at Lane.Conner@dallas.gov

-To volunteer with any park facility across the city go here for more information:

https://app.betterimpact.com/PublicOrganization/8c24d063-80d2-4ae6-83b8-aea8f1cf9e5f/1?fbclid=IwAR1eDcEhMroqVKwUlWC01SPvdDudFVZz0i8ums36BRdgHkvn23_zuaVu3jA

VIOLENT CRIME REDUCTION IN DALLAS 

Here's a one year update on the City of Dallas Violent Crime Reduction Plan - 12% reduction in first year. Read more here:

https://dpdbeat.com/2022/09/12/the-dallas-police-department-announces-violent-street-crime-decreases-12-in-the-first-year-of-the-violent-crime-reduction-strategic-plan/?fbclid=IwAR2Op6gMKM5WXWPsMKdUTq7TC54BGiwgxd3GbW18SGIMZFEKd037v5nugYM

LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES FOR THE NEXT STATE SESSION

Great lunchtime meeting to talk about issues facing Dallas residents and the city and share legislative priorities with State Representative Angie Chen Button. Thank you for listening and for all your support! - with City Hall staff & Jaynie Schultz, Dallas City Council District 11

THANK YOU FOR ATTENDING FOSTER CARE EVENT

Last week we hosted an information session for people to learn more about becoming foster parents. Some folks are interested, others asked about ways to volunteer & support foster families with donations and gift card drives. Thank you Pathways non-profit for the presentation & work you do every day! We recorded the session and will share a link on how you can watch it in the next enews. 

• When will your trash get picked up? Get notified! Download the Dallas Sanitation App and it will text you when it is time to put your items outside. Did your trash/recycling get missed? Call 311 asap and they'll come get it within 24 hours.
• Dallas Animal Services reports the shelter is full! If you are interested in fostering or adopting a dog or cat, please contact them. 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.
• Sidewalk maintenance in front of your home is your responsibility. The City of Dallas has a sidewalk replacement program, where the city will pay half the cost and the resident pays half the cost. Learn more here: https://dallascityhall.com/departments/public-works/DCH%20Documents/Public%20Works/pdf/SidewalkReplacementProgram-brochure%20091021.pdf
• To report panhandling or homeless encampments, call 311 or report on the OurDallas app. If you see something dangerous, please call 911.
• Learn more about the latest happenings at our Family Gateway North family homeless shelter. http://familygateway.org/north/
• If you're eligible to vote, make sure you're registered by October 11th to participate in the upcoming November 8 General Election. Texas law requires eligible voters to be registered 30 days before Election Day, and since the 30th day before November 8th, 2022 falls on the Sunday before Columbus Day, eligible Texas voters effectively have two extra days to register this year (Texas Election Code Sec. 13.143(e)). You can find accurate and comprehensive voting information at VoteTexas.gov.