After Saturday’s runoff elections for Dallas City Council districts 8 and 11, the horseshoe is now complete, with Lorie Blair winning the District 8 seat currently held by the term-limited Mayor Pro Tem Tennell Atkins, and Bill Roth winning the District 11 seat held by Jaynie Schultz, who announced she would not run again. There are some familiar faces: all of the incumbents were handily re-elected to their seats—and some of the newest members have been longtime community advocates or have even served on city boards and commissions.

Once they are sworn in next Monday in an inauguration ceremony at the Meyerson Symphony Center, the new Council will face a raft of ongoing and new issues. Community meetings will kick off this week to hear residents out on zoning reform. A resolution to the city’s public safety pension shortfall is still being negotiated, all while the Council will soon begin work in earnest on next year's budget. They’ll have to negotiate concerns about a ballooning price tag on marquee projects, such as the new Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, while also navigating the intricacies of planning for next summer’s FIFA World Cup as part of a region. 

And then there are the policies that will be shaped and amended not by the Council’s instigation, but by federal and state measures. Bills were passed in Austin that could impact the size of lots in residential neighborhoods, for instance, the threshold a rezoning case must meet when it comes to neighborhood opposition, and allowing areas zoned for commercial use to be used for residential uses. At the federal level, the Trump administration has put municipalities on notice regarding their continued access to federal funds and continuing any diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts. The Council seems poised to discuss on Wednesday whether to allow City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert to “temporarily pause” city programs and policies that might run afoul of federal directives, which could impact a variety of efforts by the city. 

Traditionally, July is a quiet month at City Hall, with the Council on break. Something tells me this year, a lot of work will need to happen during the stillness.

☀️Forecast. It’s going to be gross, again, this week, with highs in the mid-80s to lower 90s and rain and storm chances every day. Which is worse: The 90s and weather you can physically punch because it’s so thick, or an unrelenting 111 degrees for three weeks straight?

🎶Now playing. “Simplify,” by Los Coast