While I had Mayor Tom Leppert on the phone Monday evening, to discuss the walkout by six council members before the tax-rate hike briefing even got going, we talked for a few minuts about his opposition to a property tax hike. He acknowledged: Yes, some council members are leaning that…
Doubtful Andrea’s liveblogging today’s meeting of the council’s Ad Hoc Legislative Committee, fascinating though it may be. Because today’s the day the council gets its Federal Legislative Update and the Development of the City’s Legislative Program for the 82nd Session of the Texas Legislature, for which the city pays big…
Well, I was about to tell you to tune into the tax-hike briefing, which was about to get underway, like, five minutes ago. But then the damnedest thing happened: As the briefing was getting going, there was much giggling. Much guffawing. Then, the briefing stopped. Then, the mayor interrupted and…
Once they hung the posters for this afternoon’s big announcement at City Hall, the suspense was pretty well killed. My money was on a Batman to slash the cost of crime-fighting, but it turns out the hype was over the new Oncor-sponsored Mayor’s Youth Fitness Initiative. As for how this…
City council’s back after its lunch break, and if you’ve got a few minutes I’d recommend tuning in to the Park and Rec budget briefing. Mike Rawlings, the former homeless czar who’s now the Park Board president, is leading the presentation, and moments ago he singled out Fair Park. As…
Well, that was quick: Patrick just sent word that Oncor’s ponying up one … million … dollars to the Dallas Parks Foundation, every cent of which will go toward the rec centers, whose operating hours are on Mary Suhm’s chopping block. More to come. As in: What the what’s a…
This morning, Frank Librio at Dallas City Hall sends word: City Auditor Craig Kinton has wrapped his look-see at parking revenues from Dallas Summer Musicals’ productions at the Fair Park Music Hall. And there’s one major problem: For the last couple of years, the city didn’t have any idea how…
At 9 this morning, the council will yet again sit down to debate the budget, and most of the briefing will likely focus on cuts to Park and Rec, which is looking to lose around $15.4 million out of its budget in the coming fiscal year (from $64,266,766 to $48,855,266),…
Well, that’s not true. It’s not everything — just 29 Qs and As and a few handy-dandy exhibits provided by City Manager Mary Suhm in a memo distributed last night. And you didn’t ask the questions — the council did following the last budget workshop, another of which is scheduled…
I’ve been trying to tell you: Word from inside City Hall is that a tax hike of at least one cent “actually might happen.” The reason: That’s what The People are demanding at these budget town halls, if only to keep the rec centers open and the parks mowed. And…
This is what the Google Machine tells me about Dallas defense attorney Jim Moore: He’s a namesake in the Oak Lawn firm of Moore, Grant & Barrett. He’s a Hillcrest and SMU graduate (just like my father, hmmm). He is indeed eligible to practice law in the state of Texas…
Moments ago, Angela Hunt posted to her blog her thoughts on yesterday’s Love Field concessions vote — which, she says, needed to be voted on yesterday rather than dragged on another week, as some council members had wanted during the hours-long debate. The reason: A delay “would not bring greater…
This afternoon, City Hall spokesman Frank Librio forwarded a memo City Manager Mary Suhm sent to Mayor Tom Leppert and the council last night, in which Suhm broke some news: She found an extra $1.8 million with which to fund the city’s rec centers, whose hours she’s proposing to drastically…
As I said after Mayor Tom Leppert’s huge convention center hotel victory, the man simply knows how to win. So that, combined with a sneak peek at Angela Hunt’s thoughts, didn’t make me fret about missing the big vote on the concessions at Dallas Love Field Airport. However, had I…
Speaking of library branches …Let’s return for a moment to the subject of vacant city buildings, chief among them the branches that have been replaced by new-and-improveds (like, say, boarded-up Walnut Hill and that canvas Casa View). Because when last we spoke with City Manager Mary Suhm about the subject…
An intriguing invite just arrived in the Unfair Park in-box: On November 6, the Park and Rec Board is hosting a daylong summit at the Fair Park Music Hall, during which Mayor Tom will deliver a keynote before the limited-to-500-attendees go in their separate directions to learn how to become…
Late last night, after a long day sluggin’ it out with the council (Carolyn Davis especially) over those Love Field concessions contracts, Mayor Tom Leppert sent out a conciliatory congratulations e-blast with the subject header “Love Field decision will benefit Dallas.” The decision, for those who missed it: The city…
‘Round 3 on Monday afternoon, the day after crews coated the hothothothot stainless-steel playground at Main Street Garden, Andrea was supposed meet Park and Rec officials to see if they were satisfied with the cool-down offered by the spray-on. She waited an hour, had a tea at the Lily Pad,…
Following up the Poor People’s March on City Hall in June, activist John Fullinwider (seen above “as” Mayor Tom) and his band of bikini’d protesters took their fight to save the city’s swimming pools to 1500 Marilla at noon sharp today, as promised. Alas, this time ’round no council members…
The great Dave Levinthal decamped from the City Hall beat in the spring of ’09 for the Center for Responsive Politics, where we find this item of some local interest: Emmitt Smith, freshly minted Pro Football Hall of Famer, is also a generous federal-campaign contributor — the only one among…
[Update: If you can’t make it through all 80-some-odd comments to get to the actual news, here it is: The council eventually voted to open up the bids at Love Field. It wasn’t easy, and it wasn’t pretty. But it’s done.]It’s another Wednesday morning here at City Hall, and love…
Patrick Michels will be Our Man at City Hall today, liveblogging the portion of today’s council briefing having to do with Love Field concessions (hey, he asked). But there is something else of interest on the agenda today: Storm Communication Improvements, referring, of course, to how Oncor gets out to…
