Permit News

Dallas brings in outside help to fix fubar'd building permit situation

Lots of projects around Dallas are in limbo right now.

Courtesy photo

Dallas has brought in an outsider to help clean up the department that issues construction permits, which has been plagued by backlogs and delays.

According to a release, Dallas City Manager T.C. Broadnax has appointed William G. Mundinger II to serve as "Executive in Residence" for the Department of Sustainable Development and Construction.

He'll report to Dr. Eric A. Johnson, Chief of Economic Development and Neighborhood Services, where he'll work on a reorganization of the department.

As far back as November 2020, construction industry veterans such as Phil Crone, executive officer of the Dallas Builder's Association, have raised alarms about a backlog in the city's building and permitting process, with hundreds of building permits stuck in review, and an average wait time to get a permit running at five weeks or longer.

On July 27, former department head Kris Sweckard was reassigned, and Johnson was appointed to manage in the interim. Two other high-ranking employees, Peter Chacko and David Cossum, announced they were retiring.

Broadnax says in a statement that Mundinger has "decades of expertise" to lend to this transition.

"His determination, dedication to the City of Dallas, and passion for problem-solving will prove to be beneficial as we navigate through this reorganization and chart a new course for Sustainable Development and Construction," Broadnax says.

Some of their goals over the next 90 days include:

Renaming Sustainable Development to "Development Services Department."
Moving the zoning function to the Planning and Urban Design Department, with a goal of creating a comprehensive full-service planning and land use department. The Real Estate Division will move to the Public Works Department as a part of the transition.
Both Departments will move from a traditional organization format into a "teams" environment.
Annual performance metrics will be developed.

The release describes Mundinger as being adept at convening partners and identifying strategies, solutions, and implementation plans for complex problems in all aspects of the development process, across all types of properties and projects.

Mundinger was previously National Director of Development, Environmental, and Construction Services at Goldman Sachs, where he oversaw services in Dallas, the East and West Coasts, and internationally.

When the City Council approved the Economic Development Policy, they established a one-year transition period to develop the infrastructure and processes that will lead to a successful Policy implementation.

Mundinger's strategy will include organizational restructuring, communicating with the development community, and examining process issues.

He'll start on August 16.

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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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