City News

New Dallas police chief restructures department and more city news

The DPD is being restructured by its new chief.

Courtesy photo

In this weekly wrapup of news around Dallas, the Dallas Police Department has promoted some officers. The city is offering funding for repairs to homes damaged in Winter Storm Uri. There's a new residence being planned for the homeless, and Dallas could reach herd immunity against COVID-19 by early summer.

Here's what happened in Dallas this week:

Police promotions
Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia promoted Assistant Chief Lonzo Anderson and appointed former Deputy Chief Albert Martinez as 3-Star Executive Assistant Chiefs over the Dallas Police Department.

Chief Anderson will be the Executive Assistant Chief over Patrol and Administration. Chief Martinez will serve as Executive Assistant Chief over Investigations and Tactical Operations.

To fill the vacancies left by Chief Anderson's promotion, Chief Garcia promoted Deputy Chief Jesse Reyes to Assistant Chief of Patrol, and Major Malik Aziz to Deputy Chief of the South Patrol Bureau.

These divisions are part of a restructuring Chief Garcia initiated in his first month on the job, with support from City Manager T.C. Broadnax. Chief Garcia said there will be more command staff augmentations and a new organization structure in the near future.

Herd status
The Parkland Center for Clinical Innovations estimates that Dallas County will reach a critical tipping point of COVID-19 herd immunity in late-June, due to total case recoveries and vaccinations. This forecast is based on models estimating individuals who either have recovered from COVID-19 or who have received vaccinations.

Steve Miff, PhD, President and CEO of PCCI, said that Dallas will get to herd immunity "either through continued infection, which is a slow route that will continue to harm the community and economy, or vaccinations."

Uri repairs
The Department of Housing & Neighborhood Revitalization is funding emergency home repairs to low- and moderate-income Dallas homeowners who sustained damage due to Winter Storm Uri. The Dallas City Council approved $2 million towards an Emergency Home Repair Program.

Residents who qualify for the program have two options for assistance:

A rebate program where residents pay a licensed contractor to repair damages, with reimbursement up to $10,000
A nonprofit program for homeowners who lack funding to pay for repairs up front. The City is currently procuring non-profits with info on the organizations and the application process still to come

Homeowners within the city of Dallas qualify if their household income is at or below 80 percent of the area median income, as long as the damage occurred during the winter storm and applicants reside in the home. The programs will cover wall/floor removal, sewer lines, gas lines, water lines and/or water damage, roof, electrical system, HVAC units, plumbing fixtures including sink pipes and toilets, and mold remediation.

For more information, call the Dallas Department of Housing & Neighborhood Revitalization at 214-670-3644 or email at HIPP@dallascityhall.com.

Housing for the homeless
OurCalling, a faith-based Dallas nonprofit serving the homeless, has launched a $12.6 million capital campaign geared towards purchasing and rehabbing a housing facility, modeled after an assisted-living center with services that include food, medical and mental health treatment, counseling, job training, discipleship, and a community planner.

OurCalling recently earned national attention after partnering with the city of Dallas to open the massive Kay Baily Hutchison Convention Center to house the homeless during winter storm Uri. Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and Texas actor Matthew McConaughey donated funds to buy meals.

city-news-roundup

Politics News

Dallas narrows down field for new city manager to 4 candidates

Photo by R K on Unsplash

This is an Dallasite's sign to launch that small business they've been dreaming of.

After six months without a city manager, the city of Dallas has narrowed down the field of replacements to four semifinalists including one serving as current interim city manager, plus candidates from Fort Worth, Michigan, and Georgia.

Dallas has been without a city manager since May, when previous city manager T.C. Broadnax left to take a job with the city of Austin. Since that time, Broadnax's former chief of staff Kimberly Bizor Tolbert has served as interim city manager.

The city retained Baker Tilly, a consulting firm, to recruit and compile candidates. (Baker Tilly famously erred in the brochure it created for the position by featuring a photo of the Houston skyline instead of Dallas; they've since replaced it with Dallas.)

A spokesperson for Baker Tilly did not respond to inquiries but according to D Magazine, an email listing the candidates has been sent to the Dallas City Council.

The semifinalists include:

Kimberly Bizor Tolbert, Dallas’ current interim city manager
William Johnson, an assistant city manager in Fort Worth
Mark Washington, the city manager of Grand Rapids, Michigan
Zachary Williams, a county chief operating officer in Georgia

All have more than 25 years' of public administration experience and have worked in similar capacities in their respective cities.

Before working in Fort Worth, Johnson was Baltimore’s transportation director and Atlanta’s deputy chief operating officer and public works commissioner.

Washington worked in Fort Worth and Austin before becoming Grand Rapids’ city manager.

Williams has mostly worked in Georgia at the county level, including serving as county manager in Fulton County and chief operating officer in DeKalb County.

Tolbert began working for the city in 1998, first as the city manager’s assistant and later in the aviation department. Broadnax hired her as his chief of staff in 2017.

Unlike the Mayor and the Dallas City Council, the city manager position in Dallas is not elected but is instead appointed by the city council, and is tasked with executing policies, overseeing the annual budget, and managing staff at city hall.

The council’s Ad Hoc Committee will choose finalists, introduce them to the public, and make an offer in early 2025.

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