The Dallas Charter Review Commission vetoed several proposed amendments aimed at changing the oversight structure that's given the city's Park and Recreation Board autonomy within City Hall for almost a century.
Park advocates, philanthropic donors, current and former park board members showed up to Monday evening’s charter meeting to oppose the amendments.
“I have worked with Dallas parks for almost 15 years and have gained the greatest respect for staff at every level,” said Garrett Boone, who Mayor Eric Johnson named Dallas' Greening Czar in 2023. “Putting parks in the cauldron of political instability is, in my mind, a bad idea.”
Opponents of the charter proposals say the system is working fine — and has been for the last century — and that changes to the structure of the parks department could could make it harder to attract philanthropic donations in the future.
“Would you like the park department to be more like permitting? Would you like it to be more like 911 response times? Would you like it to be more like streets?” former Park Board President Bobby Abtahi said during the meeting. “I can tell you, if these are put on the ballot, we will be organized...and we will fight them."
Speaker after speaker addressed the commission using the same adage to describe the park and recreation department: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
But not everyone agreed with that stance. Former Dallas City Council Member Chris Luna proposed an amendment that would place the entire park department under the city manager’s office. Luna did not attend Monday’s meeting but submitted a letter to the commission.
“Please do not take the bait from the alarmists that are saying that this will be ‘the end of the world as we know it’,” Luna said in the statement. “This amendment promotes efficiency, effectiveness and a more responsive city government.”
‘Mess with the parks…you mess with me’
Speaker after speaker addressed the commission about their concerns with upending the century long park department structure. Several amendments aimed at the park board suggest moving oversight to the city manager’s office and allowing the city council to pick the department’s director — rather than the board.
With the help of the parks department staff, the board controls over 20,000 acres of park land. That includes more than 400 parks, seven lakes and thousands of surface acres of water — plus an aquarium, the Dallas Zoo and a waterpark.
The Dallas Parks System was created in the late 1870s and the first commission to manage it was created by the council in 1905. Charter amendments — like those slated to be discussed by the commission — in 1927 and 1930 established an independent park board.
Bo Slaughter represents District 8, which covers parts of southern Dallas, on the park board. Slaughter said during the meeting that the park department makes possible ambitious projects like Klyde Warren Park and events like the annual University of Texas-University of Oklahoma football game at Fair Park.
“If you mess with the state fair...and if you mess with the parks department staff — you mess with me,” Slaughter told commissioners during the meeting.
And Slaughter’s comments were echoed by philanthropists, land conservancy experts and park board members.
Mills attended the meeting virtually. Medrano attended Monday’s meeting but left the horseshoe during public comments multiple times. Discussion over the commissioner’s amendments was postponed until a later meeting.
Dominique Alexander submitted an amendment to restructure the park department under the city manager’s oversight — similar to Luna’s recommendations.
"I hear all the time Lakewood and White Rock and all these people that have these voices in their parks," Alexander said during the meeting. "But when it comes south of [I-30]...it just lacks in so many different ways."
But ultimately the strong public opposition seemed to sway commissioners. After the first several hours of the meeting were dedicated to hearing that opposition — the commission voted quickly to veto the measures.
“I have seen park directors come and go, I have seen park board members come and go,” District 9 Commissioner Michael Jung said during the meeting. “But what I have seen throughout that time is a high degree of accountability…that accountability is on account of the fact that there is a direct conduit to our city council person through...that council member's park board appointee.”
What’s next?
Charter Commissioners Adam Medrano and Marshall Mills submitted one amendment that would leave appointing the park department director up to the city council. The director is currently appointed by the 15-member council-appointed park board.
The charter commission’s work is coming to an end. By the end of March, the group is slated to finish up a final recommendation on proposed amendments to the city council.
The amendments have included drastic changes — like Monday night’s park and recreation department reshuffling — including changing elections from May to November, increasing elected officials compensation and expanding who can serve on city boards and commissions.
Currently, most amendments that passed the commission’s votes have been administrative. Changes to technical language to the city’s charter to clarify some charter measures.
The approved amendments will be sent to the city council to decide what will make it on a ballot. Ultimately, Dallas voters will decide on the changes to the charter — and another chance won’t come for another decade.
Got a tip? Email Nathan Collins at ncollins@kera.org. You can follow Nathan on Twitter @nathannotforyou.
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