Arlington City Council

More than 30 Arlington residents met at the police South District Service Center to learn more and ask questions about the proposed tax rate increase Thursday. Another town hall will be held Aug. 21.

The 3-cent increase would be enough for the city to close a projected deficit and brace for more property tax challenges in 2027.

Increasing the tax rate by about 3 cents per $100 of valuation would prevent the need to terminate employees, eliminate cost of living wages and reduce employee benefits.

The cemetery, with headstones bearing significant names like Collins and Ditto, will begin selling plots for the first time in 3 decades. Anybody who already owns a plot will need to claim it by August 31 or they will be declared abandoned.

Arlington City Council showed signs of support for a change to the health ordinance that would require restaurants to post a health inspection grade certificate. Recent studies show the requirement could improve the health safety of restaurants in the city.

City of Arlington officials have suggested the city adopt a formal plan to attract media production studios. The suggestion comes after the Texas Legislature approved a $1.5 billion investment in the Texas film industry.

The city needs to either find or cut at least $2.3 million more to fully close the gap. Even then, the city council would need to pull millions from the reserve fund.

The city has designated areas for rideshare pickup and drop off.

The council says it will have to make changes to its naming and policies to avoid confrontation with federal and state governments hostile to DEI initiatives.

The resolution raises concerns about possible Voting Rights Act violations, outdated census data and a lack of transparency and community involvement.

Mayor Jim Ross said the city has a responsibility to protect residents from "unnecessary redistricting" and will ask the council to take action if an attorney identifies legal or ethical problems with the county's attempt.

City leaders are working on a new ordinance to govern how the cemetery is operated so it can begin selling new plots for the first time since 1995.