Latest Timeline
Before March 2025: Mavericks CEO Rick Welts said City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert approached the Mavericks “over a year ago” about City Hall likely being available as an arena site, before City Council directed any public City Hall disposition work and before the public studies began.
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March 3, 2025: Dallas Historic Landmark Commission voted unanimously to initiate the Landmark Designation process for Dallas City Hall.
May 2025: AT&T’s CEO raised concerns about Dallas’ “effective sustained governance” by mid May, undermining the public story city leaders used later that AT&T left mainly because it wanted a bigger, more horizontal campus.
June 18, 2025: City staff estimates City Hall repairs at $81M-$121M
Aug. 27, 2025: Mayor orders “Finance Committee” be formed to determine the future of City Hall.
Oct. 21, 2025: City staff estimates for repairing City Hall balloon to $142M-$345M.
Nov. 9, 2025: Mayor Eric Johnson says the city should consider moving regardless of the building’s architectural significance.
Nov. 12, 2025: Dallas City Council orders the EDC perform an evaluation due in February of options for moving City Hall, a third-party facilities condition assessment of the existing City Hall and an exploration of redevelopment or economic development opportunities for the City Hall site.
Dec. 2, 2025: Economic Development Council, which is not an independent third-party, agrees to oversee new repairs estimates for City Hall, due Jan. 19 — six weeks later. This process typically takes at least 1 year.
December 2025: Internal emails show city leaders and consultants discussing how and when to invite “a few” council members to tour potential relocation sites to avoid quorum rules that would require meeting disclosure.
Jan. 19, 2026. Report from EDC due to city staff. City staff then reviews the report and creates a brief for the Finance Committee by February.
Jan. 21, 2026: Mavericks CEO says they are planning for a new arena in one of two locations: City Hall or the old Valley View mall in North Dallas.
​Feb. 20, 2026: The rushed EDC report is published. It claims renovating Dallas City Hall would cost an astronomical $1.4 billion. No other figures for alternatives such as relocating city staff permanently were presented.
Feb. 23, 2026: Finance Committee recommends next steps including moving 911 and 311 out of City Hall as quickly as possible and pursuing relocation and redevelopment options.
Feb. 26, 2026: Dallas mayor Eric Johnson adds a vote on City Hall to the City Council meeting agenda for March 4.
March 1, 2026: Dallas Morning News editorial coverage frames the debate as bigger than demolition, tied to downtown’s future and the Mavericks narrative.
March 4, 2026: After a marathon meeting, City Council votes 9–6 on a compromise direction: study relocating emergency operations and dispatch functions, develop repair plans and funding strategies, continue evaluating relocation and redevelopment.
March 6, 2026: Dallas Morning News editorial board calls the handling of the City Hall debate “a mess,” signaling a shift toward process critique.
March 9, 2026: Dallas Morning News begins reports on 5000 pages of internal emails showing behind-the-scenes maneuvering between developers, EDC staff and city staff.
March 16, 2026: Dallas Morning News editorial board blasts Mayor Eric Johnson as unreachable and ties that pattern to major civic issues, including City Hall.
March 23 to March 26, 2026: Budget town hall meetings hosted by council members take place across districts, with City Hall repeatedly coming up in Q and A — multiple council members refuse to engage constituents on the topic.
March-April 2025: Multiple flawed surveys by city staff and council purport to identify city hall needs and constituent concerns.
April 5, 2026: Dallas Morning News editorial board argues the City Hall debate should have been a public conversation about a new Mavericks arena and downtown investment, and says City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert mishandled the opportunity by letting the fight center on City Hall’s condition instead.
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April 7, 2026: Kathy Stewart town hall becomes a flashpoint, with significant public pushback tied to her March 4 vote. The meeting is heated and dominated by City Hall questions and distrust of the process.
Upcoming Dates
May 1, 2026: No Kings Protest at Dallas City Hall. Shop up in blue and spread the word!
May 13, 2026: Dallas CIty Council Meeting: Supporters encouraged to show up in blue!
May 16: Dallas Bike Ride 2026 at 8 a.m. This 20-mile car-free social bicycle ride for all ages and abilities starts and ends at City Hall!
May 20, 2026: Dallas City Council Meeting: Supporters encouraged to show up in blue!