Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson has called a new special Dallas City Council meeting for June 17 to put the City Hall relocation debate back before council days after a judge blocked key votes over public-notice concerns.

Relocation Plans

The council will consider two voting items that would authorize City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert to negotiate and execute pre-acquisition agreements tied to possible relocation sites for city operations housed at Dallas City Hall.

The resolutions would not finalize a move, sale, or redevelopment of the 1500 Marilla Street property. Instead, they would allow the city to spend up to $3 million on due diligence work before bringing the results back to the council for consideration.

The first agenda item would authorize due diligence for no more than four property locations in the Dallas Central Business District for the purpose of assessing relocation options for City Hall staff and functions.

The second item would authorize due diligence for no more than four property locations in Dallas for the possible relocation of 911 and emergency operations staff and functions from 1500 Marilla Street.

Financing and Previous Vote

Both items list the financing source as the ARPA Redevelopment Fund, which refers to local funds, not federal American Rescue Plan Act funds.

The new agenda comes after the Dallas City Council voted 9-6 on June 10 against moving forward with repairs to Dallas City Hall after a judge blocked broader votes to relocate city operations and redevelop the 1500 Marilla Street site.

State District Judge Eric Moyé granted a temporary restraining order on June 9 that blocked the council from voting on several relocation and redevelopment items because the posted agenda language was too vague.

Original reporting: The Dallas Express — read the source article.