Dallas City Hall: The Vote is Wednesday

Jun 5
3 min read

On Wednesday, June 10, the Dallas City Council votes on abandoning Dallas City Hall. We need you there. Here's what to do and where we stand.

Sign Up to Speak & Show Up

Sign up to speak by Tuesday, June 9 at 5pm. Full instructions are at the bottom of this post. This is the single most powerful thing you can do.
Show up Wednesday at 8:30am. City Hall, 1500 Marilla Street, Council Chambers, 6th Floor. Wear blue.
Can’t sign up to speak? Contact your council member at actnow.savedallascityhall.com/call. It takes two minutes.

Where We Stand

Dallas City Hall belongs to the people of Dallas. We paid for it, we own it, and we deserve an honest conversation about its future before an irreversible vote is cast. The Save Dallas City Hall Coalition represents residents from every corner of this city — and we believe Dallas doesn't have to choose between a great downtown and keeping what's ours. Here's where we stand.

We don't Have to Choose: Downtown Dallas Can Have It All — An Arena, Development & City Hall

There is room in Dallas for an arena, an entertainment district, and City Hall. There are potentially 60 acres of land ripe for development near City Hall. The 15 acres of land where City Hall sits isn't the problem. We never had to choose between a thriving downtown and City Hall. Keep City Hall. Build downtown. Dallas is big enough for both.

Show Us The Costs of Leaving City Hall

Dallas already owns City Hall. Nobody has told us what leaving costs — the buildout, moving costs, years of rent on buildings we'll never own — and no one has a plan for what happens to City Hall after it's abandoned. Demolishing it could produce hazardous pollution and eliminate our centralized, accessible government. Without a clear redevelopment commitment, Dallas risks turning the heart of downtown into vacant land next to vacant land, right next to a cemetery. That's not development. That's how you blow billions of dollars and doom the southern sector of downtown.

Give Us Real Numbers: Independent Repair Estimates Are a Tenth of What's Been Presented

The city's own former architects and engineers dispute many of the costs, but they were never invited to the table. Leaving these experts out of the planning drove up the estimate. City staff directed estimates for a luxury A-class building overhaul with the most expensive possible parameters. That resulted in the billion-dollar number we've all heard. It was designed to scare us and justify a decision that was already made. Dallas taxpayers deserve an honest accounting before an irreversible vote. Compare the real costs. Then decide.

This is a Dallas Fight: Every District. Every Background. One Coalition.

This coalition has members in every corner of Dallas — Oak Cliff, Far North Dallas, East Dallas, South Dallas. What we share is pretty simple: We think Dallas should spend its money honestly, make decisions transparently, and hold onto what its people already own. Every district. Every neighbor. One City Hall.

Dallas City Hall belongs to all of us. It’s time the City Council acted like it.

How to Sign Up to Speak at Dallas City Council

Deadline: Tuesday, June 9 at 5pm.

Go to dallascityhall.com/government/citysecretary/Pages/CCrules.aspx.
Scroll to the red box (see below) and choose your meeting first.
- Haven't spoken or signed up for Open Mic in the last 30 days → click City Council Meeting (9am)
- Have spoken or signed up in the last 30 days → click Special Called Meeting (10am), then select Agenda Items 1, 2, and do not sign up for Item 4 alone — it may be pulled.

Do not use autofill. Type everything manually — autofill breaks the form even when it looks correct on your screen.
Choose videoconference unless you are 100% certain you'll be there in person. You can always show up in person after registering for videoconference. You cannot switch the other way. If you videoconference, you must appear on screen — test your setup first.
Register as "Save Dallas City Hall" in the "Whom do you represent" field so we can track our people.
After registering, download the speaker list from the blue box (see below) and confirm your name is on it. When your name is called, be ready — miss your turn and you lose it.