City News Roundup

Dallas City Council puts VisitDallas on the ropes and more city news

Despite "promotion" from VisitDallas, the Dallas Convention Center still operates at a loss.

Photo courtesy of Dallas CVB

The Dallas City Council had much to mull over this week, including updates on VisitDallas and housing for the homeless. Meanwhile, Dallas has reached the final chapter in its Confederate statue saga.

Here's what happened in Dallas this week:

VisitDallas on watch
At the May 15 Dallas City Council meeting, city staff and VisitDallas officials presented 20 measures they are taking to correct numerous accounting and contract issues identified in an audit of the tourism board that was published in January.

Some council members support a contract extension with VisitDallas including Casey Thomas, Tennell Atkins, Kevin Felder, and Rickey Callahan. But no vote was taken.

The briefing covered a number of corrective actions proposed to bring accountability to the agency that can't explain how it uses tax dollars. VisitDallas will now be under weekly scrutiny on key performance metrics, such as economic impact, bookings, and convention rentals. The city will also begin monthly checks on compensation and expenses.

Among the fixes: hiring two outside firms (one for the city, one for VisitDallas) to ensure proper goals and metrics are in place.

The contract with VisitDallas expires in 2020, and some council members are pushing for an open-bidding process.

"My sense is that competitive bidding fixes a lot of things," said District 14 representative Philip Kingston. "If everything you told us is true, and all these wonderful structural reforms can be implemented, and the city of Dallas will have near-perfect oversight of all this, then it would merely make you all the strongest possible bidder. Right?"

Homes for homeless
The Office of Homeless Solutions presented strategies for creating housing and emergency shelter for homeless individuals. In 2017, Dallas voters approved a $20 million bond for housing the homeless.

The plans included three sites where apartments can be built.

Adam McGough complained that the area around the location proposed for his district is already plagued by crime, and a homeless housing development may worsen crime rates.

Phillip Kingston said there would be no problem with the two sites on Haskell Avenue in his district. He also proposed additional sites, including one in Uptown used by Dallas Water Utilities to access the Mill Creek Tunnel.

Sites are being chosen using four criteria, including access to public transportation, parks, and libraries. A main factor is a tricky calculation of several economic factors known as the Market Value Analysis, or MVA, which uses a scale to indicate economic stability.

Homeless Solutions also presented a plan to allow churches and other organizations to use their facilities to provide shelter during extreme cold and hot weather, IE below 32 degrees between December and March, and above 100 degrees between June and September.

Council is expected to vote on the inclement weather shelters on May 22.

HUD budget
The city of Dallas will approve the proposed Housing and Urban Development consolidated plan on May 22, but before that, City Council discussed amendments during a briefing May 15.

The plan is a $30 million budget, which provides affordable housing, homebuyer assistance, homeless shelter, and other programs.

Residents will have a final opportunity to weigh in at a public hearing at the May 22 council meeting.

Confederate demolition
At its meeting on May 16, the City Plan Commission unanimously affirmed that the Confederate Monument should be removed from Pioneer Cemetery near City Hall. The CPC vote was the final hurdle to clear before the five towering statues can be pulled up from the historic cemetery.

The demolition permit was already approved by City Council and the Landmark Commission, with the CPC hearing final appeals from Confederate monument supporters. CPC buried the decision at the very end of the agenda, forcing public speakers to wait out a marathon eight-hour meeting chock full of zoning requests. Supporters of Confederate monuments also paid $700 to protest the demolition permit.

The monument is already draped in thick sheets of black plastic, and city staff is in the process of choosing a contractor to yank it up. The city has budgeted $500,000 for the removal and storage, anticipated to take place in the summer.

Pedestrian safety
TxDOT is increasing its consideration of bicyclists and pedestrians in the development of transportation projects, as part of design, construction, and maintenance of state roadways and in the development of federally funded transportation projects. Part of that is this online survey citizens can take to help prioritize topics such as sidewalk conditions and disconnected facilities. Deadline for the survey is June 7.

Freeway closure
The nightly eastbound closure of US 175 (C.F. Hawn Freeway) that began May 9 has been extended through May 24 to set bridge beams on the north and southbound bridges. The closures will take place from 10:30 pm to 6 am. Eastbound lanes of the highway will close nightly at the intersection of SH 310.

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Pestilence News

New invasive pest in Texas is destroying grasses and pasture

TAMU

Mealyworm is small but damaging.

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller has issued an urgent alert to farmers to inspect their pastures for a newly detected and highly damaging pest: the pasture mealybug (Helicococcus summervillei).

According to a release from the Department of Agriculture (TDA), this invasive species, never before reported in North America, has been confirmed in multiple Texas counties and is already causing significant damage to pasture acreage across the southeast portion of the state.

The pasture mealybug causes “pasture dieback,” leaving expanding patches of yellowing, weakened, and ultimately dead turf.

This pest was first detected in Australia in 1928; its first detection in the Western Hemisphere occurred in the Caribbean between 2019 and 2020.

The TDA is working with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension and USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to coordinate a rapid response and protect Texas producers.

Mealybug history
Although the mealybug is just now being spotted, researchers suspect it may have been introduced before 2022.

Since mid-April 2025, southern Texas pasture and hay producers have been reporting problems in their fields. These fields show grass patches becoming brown or necrotic, or patches that are completely dead. Originally, it was presumed that symptoms were caused by another mealybug called the Rhodes grass mealybug, which has been reported in the U.S. since 1942. However, further investigations confirm that it's this new pasture mealybug (Heliococcus summervillei).

It has devastated millions of acres of grazing land in Australia and has since spread globally. Its rapid reproduction, hidden soil-level feeding, and broad host range make it a significant threat to pasture health and livestock operations.

MealybugTAMU

Adult females are approximately 2-5 mm long, covered in a white, waxy coating. They are capable of producing nearly 100 offspring within 24 hours, resulting in several generations per season. While adult females can live for up to 100 days, most damage is inflicted by the youngest nymphs, which feed on plant sap and inject toxic saliva that causes grass to yellow, weaken, and die.

“This is a completely new pest to our continent, and Texas is once again on the front lines,” Commissioner Miller says. “If the pasture mealybug spreads across Texas grazing lands like it has in eastern Australia, it could cost Texas agriculture dearly in lost productivity and reduced livestock capacity. TDA is working hand-in-hand with federal and university partners to respond swiftly and protect our producers from this unprecedented threat.”

Houston has a problem
The estimated impact area currently covers 20 counties, primarily in the Houston area, including: Cameron, Hidalgo, Willacy, Refugio, Calhoun, Victoria, Goliad, Dewitt, Lavaca, Fayette, Jackson, Matagorda, Brazoria, Galveston, Wharton, Colorado, Austin, Washington, Burleson, Brazos, and Robertson. AgriLife entomologists have submitted a formal Pest Incident Worksheet documenting significant damage to pastures and hayfields in Victoria County.

Research trials are underway to determine the best integrated pest management options. Currently, there is no known effective labeled insecticide for pasture mealybug.

Affected plants include: Bermudagrass, Bahia grass, Johnsongrass, hay grazer (sorghum–sudangrass), St. Augustine grass, various bluestem species, and other tropical or subtropical grasses. Damage can occur in leaves, stems, and roots.

Symptoms:

Yellowing and discoloration of leaves within a week of infestation
Purpling or reddening of foliage
Stunted growth and drought stress despite rainfall
Poorly developed root systems
Dieback starting at leaf tips and progressing downward
Premature aging, making plants more vulnerable to pathogens

How to spot it

Scout regularly for mealybugs on grass leaves, stems, soil surface, leaf litter, and under cow patties
Focus on unmanaged areas such as fence lines, ungrazed patches, and roadsides
Look for fluffy, white, waxy, or “fuzzy” insects on blades and stems
If plants appear unhealthy and insects match this description, investigate further

“Early identification is critical, and we need every producer’s eyes on the ground,” Commissioner Miller added. “We are working diligently with our federal and state partners to determine how to best combat this novel threat and stop it in its tracks.”

If you observe suspicious symptoms or insects matching the descriptions above, contact TDA at 1-800-TELL-TDA immediately.

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