The Dallas City Council balked at supporting a 2026-27 budget amendment that would have allocated $1.2 million toward accessibility compliance in City Hall.
The amendment was proposed by Council Member Paul Ridley during Wednesday's briefing. It also was supported by Council Members Bill Roth, Laura Cadena, Adam Bazaldua, Paula Blackmon and Cara Mendelsohn.
They signaled their support in the "straw poll" during the briefing, which is an unofficial vote that serves to show if an item has favor.
The remaining eight council members — a majority — did not support the amendment,.
Wednesday's vote comes as the future of City Hall on 1500 Marilla St. is uncertain.
City staff told council members last year that City Hall had $345 million in deferred maintenance, including compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. A study released earlier this year estimated it would cost up to $1 billion to fully repair and update City Hall over the next 20 years.
Dallas City Hall is a cast-in-place concrete structure designed by renowned Chinese-American architect I.M. Pei, with a distinct modern style. The building officially opened in 1978 and later appeared in the backdrop of the 1987 movie 'Robocop.'
Speculation about what could replace Dallas City Hall is already in motion and wide ranging — everything from a casino to a new Mavericks stadium.
A movement called Save Dallas City Hall has pushed for the building to be preserved. Others with groups like Connect the Core have supported utilizing the 11.8 acre property for business growth opportunities in downtown.
The money in Ridley's amendment was specified for Dallas City Hall. Chief Financial Officer Jack Ireland said that use would apply wherever it was located, whether it stayed on Marilla Street or moved elsewhere.
Mendelson said City Hall is "the people's house" but it was not fully accessible.
She acknowledged that there were other needs in the city, like recreation centers and libraries.
"But this building is also part of that," Mendelsohn said. "And it should have been done long ago. And I'm glad we have the dollars available to allocate towards it now."
The funds are from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Community Development Block Grant. That grant money goes toward public improvements to public facilities and infrastructure in eligible areas.
While Dallas City Hall is a public facility, it is not in an "eligible area" for the grant. However, because the money was proposed for ADA compliance, staff said City Hall would be eligible to use the money.
But Council Member Chad West said he voted against the amendment because a decision on City Hall has not been made yet. He also did not want to put a singular public facility over all other facilities.
"I think if we're going to make a decision on where to allocate our very much needed ADA dollars, it should be based on best evidence," West said. "The best evidence is going to be how many people use a facility in the city."
Discussion around years of deferred maintenance for City Hall is affiliated with a history of current and past council members prioritizing other initiatives over the facility's maintenance needs.
The 2012 bond program set aside $400 million for city facilities that would have included City Hall. But flood control and drainage, economic development, and streets and roadway improvements took priority for the bond that year.
The 2017 bond program set aside $7 million for City Hall. The 2024 bond program initially requested $61 million for the building, but $28 million was advanced and later reallocated to other priorities.
City staff are currently reviewing more than 400 responses submitted to the open call for concepts for City Hall.
The call for concepts was in response to the City Council directing City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert to pursue options to redevelop the City Hall site earlier this year. Council members also asked staff to look into repair costs for City Hall.
Got a tip? Email Megan Cardona at mcardona@kera.org.
KERA News is made possible through the generosity of our members. If you find this reporting valuable, consider making a tax-deductible gift today. Thank you!
