Power play

2 Dallas neighbors plug into $1.6 billion solar project in Texas

Denton has agreed to buy nearly 6 percent of the power generated by the 1,310-megawatt project.

Photo courtesy of Denton Main St Association

Municipal utilities in Denton and Garland will draw power from what’s billed as the largest solar project in the United States.

Chicago-based Invenergy announced November 18 that work is underway on a $1.6 billion solar project in Northeast Texas that will be capable of supplying energy for 300,000 homes. The project, being built in Lamar, Red River, and Franklin counties, is set to begin producing power in 2023.

Among the customers of the Samson Solar Energy Center are Denton Municipal Electric and Garland Power & Light. Denton has agreed to buy nearly 6 percent of the power (75 megawatts) generated by the 1,310-megawatt project, and Garland has agreed to buy almost 2 percent (25 megawatts).

Denton Municipal Electric already is buying or has committed to buying more than 460 megawatts of power from renewable energy sources. In 2018, the city set a goal of achieving 100 percent renewable energy for all power customers by this year.

Two years ago, Garland Power & Light (GP&L) enabled customers to purchase 100 percent renewable energy from wind and solar sources in Texas.

“Customer interest in renewable energy has been growing because these power resources contribute to preserving the environment and are sustainable,” Jeff Janke, general manager and CEO of GP&L, said in 2018.

The solar project’s biggest customer is Dallas-based AT&T, which has committed to buying nearly 40 percent (500 megawatts) of the solar project’s generating capacity. AT&T’s deal is said to be biggest corporate purchase of solar power in the U.S.

“At AT&T, we believe renewable energy is good for the planet, for our business, and for the communities we serve,” Scott Mair, president of AT&T Technology & Operations, says in a release.

Other customers of the Samson Solar Energy Center are Honda, McDonald’s, Google, The Home Depot, and the City of Bryan. The project is roughly 100 miles northeast of Dallas.

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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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