Eric Johnson Memo To TC Broadnax

Memorandum
DATE May 22, 2020 CITY OF DALLAS

TO T.C. Broadnax, City Manager
SUBJECT City Council Policy Matters
Dear Mr. Broadnax:
I want to express my very serious concern about some recent encroachments on the policy-making
authority of the mayor by the city manager’s office.
Under Chapter III, Section 13 of the Dallas City Charter, as well as Sections 6 and 9 of the City Council
Rules of Procedure, policy items are under the purview of the mayor and City Council. And under
Section 9.1 of the City Council Rules of Procedure, each standing committee “(s)hall review matters
in its area of responsibility that are referred to it by the city council, the city manager, or an individual
city councilmember.”
However, your office recently decided to brief to two committees the Dallas First Resolution, a policy
that I, as an individual city council member representing Place 15 and as the elected mayor of this
city, proposed. This was done over my objection, which had been expressed by my staff to yours, and
despite my request in a May 1 memo for you to ask me for guidance in the event of a dispute as to
which committee a matter should be referred.
Your decision caused confusion on the part of some of my City Council colleagues, who decided to
boycott a meeting of the Ad Hoc Committee on COVID-19 Economic Recovery and Assistance. Their
tactic was clearly wrong: it was disrespectful to the chairman of the committee who called the meeting,
to the members of the public who were expecting the meeting to occur as scheduled, and to all of the
taxpayers of Dallas who pay for literally every City resource we have at our disposal, and I have made
it abundantly clear that I vehemently disagree with their actions.
However, I do agree with their public statements that scheduling two committee meetings on the Dallas
First Resolution was duplicative and unnecessary.
I know you were well aware that some city councilmembers believed the COVID-19 ad hoc committees
— which I created pursuant to my exclusive authority as the mayor of this city to appoint City Council
committees in order to facilitate the full City Council’s involvement in the City’s policy responses to this
unprecedented global pandemic — were no longer necessary and had expressed that they wanted
them eliminated. And yet, your office scheduled the two briefings anyway. Under Chapter VI, Section
2 of the City Charter, the city manager is “responsible to the council for the proper administration of all
the city affairs placed in the city manager’s hands …” In this case, you did not live up to that obligation.
Not only did your decision overstep your authority, it also created the impetus for unnecessary conflict
among members of our City’s governing body. As the presiding officer of that body, charged with
maintaining its decorum and civility, I cannot abide by this.
In addition, your decision to schedule two briefings was equally baffling to me considering your
previous statements. On multiple occasions, you have expressed concerns about the demands on
your staff caused by meetings of the two COVID-19 ad hoc committees and standing committees,
OFFICE OF THE MAYOR CITY HALL 1500 MARILLA ST., 5EN DALLAS, TEXAS 75201 TELEPHONE 214.670.3301
which you unilaterally decided could resume this month. Subsequently requiring your staff to spend
time preparing for and participating in redundant briefings is contrary to your own stated concerns, and
it is not a good use of the City’s limited resources at a time when we are preparing to do more with
less.
Furthermore, I also read your email this week to Chairman Chad West that an update on Hensley Field
will be briefed to both the Economic Development Committee and Transportation & Infrastructure
Committee. Perhaps you meant for different components of the Hensley Field plans to be presented
to the different committees. Otherwise, I fail to see the purpose of again scheduling two briefings on
this project. And considering the future use of Hensley Field is a policy matter yet to be determined by
the City Council, rather than one that involves the ongoing operations of the currently existing site, the
proper committee for a briefing should be determined by the mayor’s office.
In a legislative body, the referral of a policy matter to a committee is as much a policy decision as the
content of the policy proposal itself. After a decade in the Texas Legislature, where my preceding
statement is self-evident, I have been stunned by the way these matters have been muddled at City
Hall. It would be inconceivable in any other legislative body for unelected staff, and not the presiding
officer or someone who is elected to make policy, to determine which committees hear which policy
matters, and it should be inconceivable here.
Going forward, we must have clear separation between policy matters and operational items.
Continuing on the current path will have a detrimental effect on the proper governance and operations
of the City of Dallas and, therefore, on the people of Dallas who elected me to represent their interests
at City Hall.
Sincerely,
Eric Johnson
Mayor
OFFICE OF THE MAYOR CITY HALL 1500 MARILLA ST., 5EN DALLAS, TEXAS 75201 TELEPHONE 214.670.3301

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Memorandum

DATE May 22, 2020 CITY OF DALLAS

SUBJECT City Council Policy Matters

Dear Mr. Broadnax:

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