Dallas officials are a day away from deciding City Hall’s future, and they still haven’t said how many votes would be required to move out.
The question was triggered in March after some council members flagged a section in Dallas’ Financial Management Performance Criteria (FMPC) that says the council must approve “each new or reopened facility/building by supermajority vote.”
But there’s no clarity on whether the rule applies to leased properties, nor is there consensus about whether a supermajority means 10 or 12 votes among the mayor and 14-member council.
The confusion has lingered over one of Dallas’ biggest civic debates: whether to spend hundreds of millions repairing the I.M. Pei-designed City Hall or relocate all government operations and redevelop a prime stretch of downtown.
The city attorney declined to comment when asked by The Dallas Morning News.
Attorneys for the Save Dallas City Hall coalition, which opposes relocation plans, said it was poised to sue if the city violates its rules on real estate transactions.
“Replacing or abandoning City Hall without full cost transparency and a supermajority vote would violate the City’s policy and its financial integrity,” said Chris Bowers, a former interim city attorney and coalition spokesperson.
At the same time, redevelopment supporters have amped up pressure, saying delays could undermine efforts to keep the Dallas Stars and Mavericks tied to downtown, even as both franchises pursue moves away from the American Airlines Center.
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