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City Hall reporters Rudolph Bush and Steve Thompson provide political junkies with in-depth features, breaking news and off-beat tidbits through lively coverage of Dallas government. Readers are encouraged to join the conversation. March 2010
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Six finalists named for Dallas Police Chief Dallas City Hall website still spotty, e-mail down for some Dallas City Hall wants to hire 71 fewer cops this year Dallascityhall.com gone then back again? Or is it still gone? Fewer cops, less spending: A financial update for the city of Dallas in 2009-2010 Dallas City Hall Daily: Monday, March 8, 2010 How will Dallas City Hall save $8 million in debt payments next year? So glad you asked Some progress in Fair Park railroad mediation and an agreement to meet again Recent Comments
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March 8, 2010
In a memo to the city council this afternoon, City Manager Mary Suhm named six finalists for Dallas police chief. The finalists include three internal candidates and the current police chief in Austin, TX. "These six finalists are strong leaders with law enforcement experience in large, diverse cities. their records exhibit innovation, a commitment to community involvement, and sound communication skills. They are an outstanding group from which to select a new Chief of Police for the City of Dallas," Suhm wrote. The finalists for chief are: Art Acevedo, Austin chief of police David O. Brown, Dallas first assistant chief Robert L. Davis, San Jose, CA chief of police Daniel V. Garcia, Dallas assistant chief Floyd D. Simpson, Dallas assistant chief Robert Crump White, Louisville, KN police chief  Comments (0) Leave comment
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Many of you out there are still having a lot of trouble accessing the city's website and sending e-mails to city staff. Frank Librio provides this update: Emailing the City is through the internet, and because our domain name expired, email was affected. Within 24 hours most if not all internet service providers throughout the world will have refreshed their computers with dallascityhall.com, dallascityhall.net and dallascityhall.org. - once those providers refresh it will restore the ability for people to email city accounts. Cost to renew the domain name that expired unexpectedly? $213. Comments (1) Leave comment
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This morning, City Manager Mary Suhm told the council's budget committee that she recommends the city hire about 120 new police officers this year, or 71 fewer than the 191 City Hall budgeted for back in September. For years, it's been a bedrock goal of city management and the City Council to hire an additional 200 officers per year to get to the city to a rate of 3 officers per 1,000. But because of budget troubles, Suhm wants to slow down police hiring for this year. "We told you as we briefed you about the budget in January that we thought we ought to slow down," she said. Now, with sales tax numbers coming in well below estimates, she wants the council to okay a hiring decrease. In addition to helping pad the budget, Suhm said the department needs time to integrate a large number of rookies already on the force. Council member Angela Hunt said she has serious concerns about the city backing away from its hiring plans. "I think that has been directly correlated with our crime decreasing over the years," she said. But she said Suhm has a good point about trying to give the force time to integrate rookies. "It's a very reasonable argument. You don't want too many rookies on the street at once," she said. Council members Ron Natinsky, who has long supported the plan to hire an additional 200 officers per year, said he's fine with the slowdown largely because crime is down in the areas he represents. "As long as we can keep that level of response to the citizens and to the neighborhoods I don't think there's anything magical about that number," he said. Comments (8) Leave comment
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By the time I logged in this morning, the city's website was running just fine. But a few e-mails and blog comments indicate it was down, way down, this morning. Robert Wilonsky reports that City Hall somehow let the domain expire. Not sure how that happened. UPDATE: City spokesman Frank Librio confirms that indeed the website was down this morning (I got in from my home round 8 a.m., which is debatably the real world). Librio also says that the city's website registration with register.com indeed did expire. The domain name was registered a decade ago and an e-mail warning City Hall of the pending expiration went to limbo. City Hall has re-registered the site, and Librio reports it's running smooth. True from my desk at City Hall's all I can say. Update 3: I can't connect from my hardline but have been able to get in wirelessly. Comments (10) Leave comment
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Either I'm going to have to get a new picture or little Mr. Empty Pockets over there is going to have to agree to work overtime. City Manager Mary Suhm sent out a memo Friday with an update on City Hall's current fiscal year. Here's what it says in a nutshell. City Hall is about $8.5 million down in revenue for the current fiscal year but is cutting spending about $8.5 million. The rub here is that Suhm plans to recommend the council curb its plan to hire many additional police officers this year. How many? Working on it. Read the memo here: Memos 3-5-10.pdf Comments (0) Leave comment
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Your daily dose of news and views from in and around Dallas City Hall: • Federal stimulus money intended to help the homeless is being spent at a trickle's pace, writes Kim Horner. • How did a gorilla escape its enclosure at the Dallas Zoo? They ain't dumb is how. • St. Patrick's Day partying will come to Greenville Avenue again this year. Nancy Visser writes about the tradition of not only the big party but efforts to make it bearable for the neighborhoods around Greenville. Have a news tip? We want to hear from you. E-mail Steve Thompson, at sthompson@dallasnews.com, or Rudy Bush, at rbush@dallasnews.com. Follow us on Twitter by clicking here. Comments (2) Leave comment
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| E-mail entryThe entry "Dallas City Hall Daily: Monday, March 8, 2010" has no entry tags. March 5, 2010
It takes time, determination and will to get big things accomplished, and Dallas shouldn't give up on the Trinity, Kirk said this afternoon. "Don't lose faith," said Kirk, who was keynote speaker for an annual luncheon of the Trinity Commons Foundation, a non-profit group that supports the project.
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On Wednesday, the Dallas City Council agreed to issue $330 million in bonds that under ordinary circumstances would have added several million dollars to the city's already very hefty debt payment schedule. How hefty? Well, this year's total debt service is $283 million or more than half what it costs to run the police department. The council agreed to the bond issue for two reasons. First, it funds bond projects that enhance the city and provide jobs. Second, about half of the $330 million - $158.25 million to be precise - will be used to refinance old debt at a better rate. Good stuff. But even with the better rates, the bond issue would have raised the city's total debt payments next year versus this year, something that very much bothered council member Angela Hunt. These, however, are not normal circumstances, and this will not be a normal bond issue. Comments (4) Leave comment
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Yesterday, attorneys for the city of Dallas and the Museum of the American Railroad sat down for a court-ordered mediation to see if there's any way they can get on the same track. I spoke to both sides today and fair to say the meeting was neither boom nor bust. Neither side discussed details of the meeting before an independent mediator, but both indicated it was time well spent. The parties have agreed to meet for another mediating session next week and likely will push back, at least for a little while, an injunction hearing requested by the museum. "We've worked together the last 50 years so we just need to hold hands and get this done. We both have the same goal of getting the museum to Frisco," said William J. Brotherton, the museum's attorney. First Assistant City Attorney Chris Bowers said the mediation had "narrowed our differences somewhat." Still, major disagreements between the city and the longtime Fair Park resident remain. Trial may be inevitable. Comments (0) Leave comment
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Your daily dose of news and views from in and around Dallas City Hall: • The standing wave project in the Trinity River's going to take a bit more scratch, Steve Thompson reports. Speaking of dollars running into the Trinity, Jim Schutze was none too happy about the city's plans to front the federal government money for a feasibility study on the project. • Also unhappy? Residents whose trash was moved from the alley to the curb. • Bad wiring caused a fire that took down historic buildings on Lower Greenville. • Is a very strapped City Hall getting a little too liberal with the ticket books, Tim Rogers wonders. • There will be no permit issued for urinating behind a bar 301 S. Carroll, the plan commission has decided. Oh wait, there will be no permit for a bar at 301 S. Carroll. Urinating apparently is a, uh, go, Daniel Rodrigue reports
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How about hiring fewer bad cops this
When it comes to at least the dot com p
One of the local "groups", Metroplex An
Did the temperature outside just plumme
Eliminate the bi-lingual text on everyt
The City of Dallas has become a CLOWN C
Now we find the motivation behind the
All city's are cutting back in services
If you do not know the difference betwe
Rudy- Just tried it. Nope.