Dallas, TX

Dallas city manager’s shift on homeless, focus on cops a welcome change

Published

5 months ago

August 11, 2024

Dallas city manager’s shift on homeless, focus on cops a welcome change

Regular readers of this page know we are tough critics of Dallas City Hall.

There have been plenty of reasons for us to persistently raise concerns: policies we think hamper the city’s success, managerial failures that gummed up the city’s permitting department, an ever-rising cost of government, and ongoing decline in resident satisfaction with everything from their sense of safety to a belief that the city is heading in the wrong direction.

So let us take a moment here to say that there is a good reason for renewed hope in how City Hall is handling its business. It came in the form of interim City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert’s proposed budget for the coming fiscal year.

What we saw in both an executive overview and in an interview with Tolbert and her top staff was a disciplined budget focused on the right priorities for a city that leads a growing region.

Here are the highlights that stood out as indicators Tolbert is properly aligning her budget with residents’ desire that Dallas be safer and cleaner and that City Hall better manage its spending:

A 3.1-cent tax rate reduction to 70.47 cents per $100 in valuation that would save the average homeowner more than $94 a year.
A consolidation of several city departments and a meaningful reduction in the number of non-public safety positions.
A serious commitment to meeting actuarial obligations in the city’s police and fire pension fund.
An increase in public safety starting salaries to attract more recruits to our police force.
A proposed $3 monthly “clean sweep” utility bill fee to answer resident concerns about homeless encampments and persistent messes around intersections and in public spaces.

Those are just a few bullets of a complex $5 billion total proposed budget, with $1.9 billion of that devoted to the general fund budget that pays for day-to-day operations.

Tolbert told us that she felt she had clear direction on where residents want her to go with this budget, and that was to focus on public safety and quality-of-life issues.

The general fund budget is set to grow by $65.1 million under Tolbert’s proposal. But let us offer some valuable context to that figure.

Under prior City Manager T.C. Broadnax, the general fund grew at a pace of more than $100 million each cycle. With each new budget came an unnecessary expansion of the city’s reach, and with it new jobs that grew the bureaucracy even as residents complained services were getting worse. We supported Broadnax’s most recent budget, but reluctantly and with every sort of caveat.

We are more enthusiastic about the direction Tolbert is taking the city. The growth she has added to the general fund is focused on new public safety positions, mainly in the police department. She’s backing that up with the proposed salary increase that we think can make Dallas more competitive in getting recruits.

Meanwhile, she is proposing cutting back on positions outside of public safety. Her budget includes an additional $78.6 million in public safety spending. That means there is a net $13.5 million reduction in all other general fund expenditures. That comes in part from targeting “ghost jobs,” positions that lard the budget but aren’t filled. But it also comes from reducing some headcount, a fiscally necessary move.

We also heard Tolbert describe a subtle but important shift in the approach to homelessness. Like many cities, Dallas has followed a very light enforcement regimen when it comes to encampments, loitering, panhandling, open-air drug use and other actions often (and sometimes unfairly) associated with homelessness. The city has instead adopted a humane “housing first” philosophy. It has proved ineffective, however, in addressing the massive growth in encampments and visible homelessness that have become a major concern for residents. Leaving people to live in desperate circumstances until an apartment is available is unintentionally cruel in itself.

Tolbert described an approach that acknowledges, in her words, that the city’s progress on getting people housed is “not enough.” Greater intervention is required, she said. We are eager to see what plans she has to back that up.

Meanwhile, her proposed $3 monthly fee to help address unsanitary conditions that have taken root all over the city sounds like something residents would gladly pay. The explosion in homelessness has created challenges that cities didn’t budget for. Underpasses, medians, vacant lots and other spaces have become debris fields that make living in Dallas less pleasant. Devoting funds to keeping the city cleaner would make Dallas more livable and lead to a greater feeling of safety. We support that.

That isn’t the only fee that needs attention here. Other than the tax rate, you can expect to pay City Hall more for every service from water to trash pickup. We want to grumble about these costs. Their annual increase is as certain as the rising sun.

But we also have to acknowledge a few things. Dallas is the biggest municipal water waster in the state. Why? The pipes are old and broken. Fixing them is massively expensive. Trash pickup has gotten pricier, especially as more frequent and stronger storms create enormous bulk trash costs that the city hasn’t had to bear historically.

Is Tolbert’s budget perfect? It is not. There are many areas that we could nitpick, and we are going to have more to say before all is said and done.

But the direction here is good and, importantly, different from what her predecessor offered. This is a budget that feels like it reflects what people in this city consistently say they want.

That means Tolbert has been listening. And that’s a huge step forward.

We welcome your thoughts in a letter to the editor. See the guidelines and submit your letter here. If you have problems with the form, you can submit via email at letters@dallasnews.com

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Dallas, TX

Hania Aamir explains why she abruptly left her Dallas meet-and-greet

Published

7 hours ago

December 26, 2024

Press Room

Hania Aamir explains why she abruptly left her Dallas meet-and-greet

After her Dallas meet-and-greet ended abruptly, leaving fans disappointed, Hania Aamir explained in an Instagram story that she left early because an event organiser allegedly verbally abused her and her manager, Maida Azmat.

In a detailed Instagram story, Aamir maintained that she loves and respects her fans, and that the event ending suddenly was unfortunate. She said she was proud of the fact that her fans had built a community of love, trust and support, and therefore offered some transparency regarding the matter.

“Everyone saw videos of me walking to the crowd and taking pictures and everything was fine. When I was going back to my seat I heard one of the organisers verbally abuse my manager. So I walked up to her and asked what had happened and told the man (one of the organisers) that he cannot speak to her like this. She was so distraught that she went backstage. I followed her to make sure she was okay and Fahad [Mustafa] being a gentleman also came to check up on her.”

Backstage, the Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum actors started taking pictures with fans, however, Aamir said the event organiser in question chased after them, allegedly calling them names and telling them to leave the premises.

“[He] called off the security protocols, and verbally assaulted us even more (people had to hold him back). We were rushed out by our promoter Arif Khan to not further escalate anything and we managed a personal means of transport to get back safely to the hotel.”

Aamir emphasised that no one had the right to disrespect another person, regardless of their position. She continued that just because women were in male-dominated fields, it was wrong to assume that someone could get away “with almost anything” without the women taking a stand for themselves.

“Thirdly, we as a fraternity put in a lot of effort to make our fans happy. And such people with their theatrics are mostly trying to paint us black. I don’t know, maybe it does something for their ego. But promoters/ organisers need to step up and make sure such clowns don’t ruin the events and the experience for the fans and the artists.”

The Mere Humsafar actor also called on media outlets to show responsibility with their journalism and stop levelling allegations against artists without facts.

“Last but not the least, I would like to apologise to every single one of you who came. And I dearly love every single one of you. I am sorry things had to end this way. Just have to get through with the bad days I guess.”

Support from entertainment industry

Soon after Aamir’s statement, she was flooded with support from the entertainment fraternity, with many decrying the disrespect she faced.

Fellow actor Yashma Gill reshared Aamir’s story and said, “Like always, immense respect for Hania Aamir and Maida Azmat for handling the situation not only professionally but also with bravery.”

Gill added that there was no place for disrespect in the entertainment or other industries. “Let’s call him out so no one ever has to go through the same because of him or people like him again.”

Actor Maya Ali said, “Disrespect is unacceptable at any cost or under any circumstances. I am so proud of you for handling this situation with such grace. It’s truly disappointing that some individuals failed to show respect to our Pakistani stars and their teams.”

Actor and internet personality Umer Khan, popularly known as Ukhano, shared pictures of him with both Aamir and Azmat, and said, “No one should have the right to disrespect our stars”.

Khan added that Aamir always devoted herself to her craft and fans, which is why she is “Asia’s most influential artist”, and that Azmat had been his mentor since he started working and inspired him with her professionalism.

“If some third-class promoter can’t show respect and love to our stars then everyone should walk out and boycott such promoters. We stand with you.”

Actor and musician Azaan Sami Khan said, “It’s unfortunate to see the artist being blamed without understanding the complete context.”

Actor Namreen Khan echoed others’ sentiments and wrote, “No one has [the] right to disrespect artists. Hania Aamir is a gem of a person! Her love and respect for fans and people is no secret.”

Radio personality Anoushey Ashraf also said that there was no room disrespect and abuse for anyone.

“Artists are our pride and assets. Am sorry you had to experience this. At the end of the day, people show their own upbringing and mindset when they decide to disrespect a woman (and many a times one from media).”

Filmmaker Nabeel Qureshi said, “This has always been the case with the majority of promoters. In the end, it’s the artists and fans who have to suffer, while the promoters still manage to benefit the most.”

Actor Hira Khan wrote, “No, you can’t put everything on the artist because it’s easier for you to do so!”

Fashion stylist Aarinda Noor, who dressed Aamir for the event, said, “No one has the right to disrespect anyone! It’s very easy to escalate negativity and extremely difficult to understand the responsibility.”

Aamir’s Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum co-star Fahad Mustafa has not commented on the situation yet.

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Dallas, TX

Here is everything you need to know for Sunday’s Cowboys and Eagles game

Published

17 hours ago

December 25, 2024

Press Room

Here is everything you need to know for Sunday’s Cowboys and Eagles game

The Dallas Cowboys are undefeated this season in games played where they were mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. Whether or not that continues to hold true over the final two weeks of the regular season will be of extreme fascination.

Up next for the Cowboys is their final road trip of the year, a venture to face a division rival in the Philadelphia Eagles. It was the Eagles’ loss last week to the Washington Commanders that served as the final straw that eliminated Dallas from the playoffs, and as a result, Philly all but took themselves out of contention for the top seed in the NFC.

Still though, a win would give the Eagles the NFC East title, their first since 2023. Whenever the division is secured it will mark the 20th consecutive year that the NFC East has seen its reigning champion fail to repeat so Philly will in all likelihood be the team carrying that burden next year.

Cooper Rush, CeeDee Lamb, Rico Dowdle and co. will have their hands full on offense while Micah Parsons, Marist Liufau and DaRon Bland look to help Dallas continue their form on defense. Even with the season being effectively lost before it was official we have seen the Cowboys playing hard and it stands to reason that this will continue in the City of Brotherly Love.