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Mission creep at Dallas City Hall must stop

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Mission creep at Dallas City Hall must stop


We are deep into budget season at Dallas City Hall, and you know what that means. Special interests are lining up to protect and expand every dollar that gets spent on their projects.

So it seems like a good time to get a quick reset on how Dallas stacks up when it comes to cost to taxpayers. Houston’s tax rate is 51.9 cents per $100 in valuation. Austin’s is 57.4 cents. San Antonio’s is 54.15. Fort Worth’s is 67.25.

And Dallas? Dallas’ current tax rate is 70.47 cents. We won’t even get into the rates of suburbs the city competes with.

So please, council members, resist the urge to add costs back into City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert’s proposed budget.

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Sadly, we aren’t confident that is going to happen. The council already looks like it will buckle under, once again, on the closure of the Skillman Southwestern Branch Library. The story of this branch is an anecdote of why it is so hard to cut costs at City Hall, and why taxpayers continue to get saddled with ever-higher costs.

The branch is underutilized and doesn’t conform with a necessary consolidation strategy that reflects the reality of how libraries are used today. But it’s been all but impossible to close because council members won’t do it. Instead the branch will limp along another year on reduced hours. Next year, we are promised.

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The council needs to recognize that special constituencies are not the voice of most Dallasites. People who choose to live in our city are paying a premium for the privilege. Tolbert has weighted her budget to add funds for public safety while reducing head count in other areas. That’s what most Dallasites want right now.

We were disappointed that more council members did not focus proposed budget amendments on savings. Council member Bill Roth, from North Dallas, did recommend $13 million in savings. He framed it in a politically unpalatable way by singling out programs that might run afoul of the Trump administration.

But Roth’s effort is the right one, combing the budget for costs that serve very small constituencies at the expense of all taxpayers. His proposal didn’t make it to the budget amendment process. It’s too bad since the discussion could have been fruitful. Whatever one thinks of some of the programs he highlighted, he is likely right that they could draw federal scrutiny.

Instead, if one looks at the council amendments listed on last week’s meeting agenda, the words “add” and “increase” most commonly precede “funding.”

Mission creep has been the standard of business at City Hall for generations. The costs of that creep are creating burdens that make Dallas less competitive.

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It needs to stop. It will take a willingness to say enough is enough to get us there.

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

Dallas weather: Storms return this week with large hail and tornado threat

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Dallas weather: Storms return this week with large hail and tornado threat


North Texans will enjoy a brief break today before the next weather system arrives, bringing multiple rounds of storms. A warmup is on the way, with temperatures climbing back into the mid-80s by the weekend.

Monday Forecast

Following a few morning showers in the eastern counties, expect a warm and breezy Monday. High temperatures will climb into the low 80s under partly cloudy skies.

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Tuesday Forecast

As an upper-level low-pressure system moves to the west, scattered storms will move into the region Tuesday afternoon. Some of these storms could become severe, with the primary threats being large hail, damaging winds and isolated tornadoes.

Simultaneously, storms are expected to develop ahead of a dryline to the west. While the tornado threat remains low in this area, any storms that form could produce large hail and damaging wind gusts. 

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7-Day Forecast

Those overnight storms should push out to the east by Wednesday morning, but don’t put the umbrella away just yet. As the main weather system moves directly over us Wednesday afternoon, we’ll likely see another round of scattered storms that could still bring with some hail. Once everything finally clears out Wednesday evening, we can look forward to some drier, much more comfortable air moving back into the area.

Thursday will be noticeably cooler, with high temperatures settling in the mid-60s. However, sunshine and a quick warmup are expected by the weekend. Temperatures will rebound into the 80s on Friday and Saturday.

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The Source: Information in this article comes from the National Weather Service and FOX 4 forecasters.

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Off-duty Dallas officer shoots at suspects allegedly trying to steal his vehicle in Addison, police say

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Off-duty Dallas officer shoots at suspects allegedly trying to steal his vehicle in Addison, police say



An off-duty Dallas police officer shot at a group of people allegedly trying to steal his personal vehicle on Sunday afternoon in Addison, officials said. 

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According to the Addison Police Department, around 2:15 p.m., the off-duty Dallas officer saw a group of people trying to steal his vehicle in a parking lot at 5000 Belt Line Road. He confronted the suspects, “and during the encounter, fired a weapon at the suspects’ vehicle.”

The suspects fled in their vehicle, Addison police said, and it is unknown if any suspects were hit by gunfire.

The investigation is ongoing.



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Dallas dropped the ball on the Wings’ practice facility

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Dallas dropped the ball on the Wings’ practice facility


The Dallas Wings can’t seem to get a win, at least when it comes to the team’s training facility and arena. Not only is its practice facility in west Oak Cliff, approved over the summer and fast-tracked to open ahead of the team’s spring season, now running behind schedule, it is also somehow over budget.

Dallas had already committed $55 million for the team’s practice facility, a price tag we were uncomfortable with from the beginning. At the time, city staff said that was the amount needed to build a training facility with the amenities and infrastructure required for a WNBA team. The city argued there were few viable alternative locations for the practice facility after delays with the convention center, and they were running out of time. Enter the $55 million facility at Joey Georgusis Park.

But now the project needs an additional $27 million to cross the finish line. How did costs increase so much in just a few months? And how did a project that was expedited to meet the team’s deadline end up falling behind and over budget?

City staff attribute the holdup to missed deadlines by the project management firm McKissack and McKissack and new requirements from the WNBA that weren’t part of the original scope. McKissack and McKissack didn’t respond to multiple messages seeking comment for this editorial. Whatever the company’s missteps, the city is ultimately responsible for conducting due diligence and making sure the project stays on track, and it couldn’t deliver what it promised.

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Now the city wants the Wings to take over. The city would cap its total contributions at $57 million, which includes $653,000 in delay reimbursements. The Wings would then cover the remaining costs, at least $27 million, needed to finish the practice facility and agree not to sue Dallas for the delays.

Some City Council members have suggested that Dallas should consider the American Airlines Center for the Wings’ practice facility and arena. But even though the Dallas Mavericks and the Dallas Stars, who currently play at the AAC, are looking to leave, their lease agreements run through 2031. That doesn’t do much for the Wings who need a practice facility now.

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Maybe all of this could have been avoided if the city had more seriously considered existing facilities that could have accommodated the Wings. That’s not to say the team doesn’t deserve a training space that will meet their needs, but repurposing an existing space instead of starting from the ground up might have saved both time and money.

This debacle is frustrating for the Wings, and it also isn’t a good look for the city. If Dallas can’t figure out how to deliver a practice facility that it promised to one of its professional sports teams, how can it hope to attract more businesses and major investments? Anyone watching this unfold would have good reason to question the city’s ability to deliver.

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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