Gay Donnell Willis also tells us she’s still in “listening mode” as it relates to a controversial housing project within her district

DALLAS — It will be the first Republican Midterm Convention in modern history.

But is the city of Dallas ready?

The security tab for Dallas police, barricades, cones and the like could run upwards of $2 million. And that doesn’t even include the bill for Dallas Fire-Rescue.

It was discovered during a recent meeting of the Finance Committee that the city has yet to receive a down payment from convention organizers for the security bill. So, there have been some worries that the city might not get paid in the middle of a budget mess.



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District 13 Council Member Gay Donnell Willis tells us she checked with the city’s special events department before our conversation and learned the city doesn’t normally receive that type of deposit beforehand.

We asked her if she expects Dallas to get reimbursed.

“Well, I don’t want the Dallas taxpayer to get stiffed, and I hope the organizers stay true to their word,” Willis answered on Inside Texas Politics. “But the important thing is we’ve got the President of the United States coming to Dallas. We’ve got legislators. We’ve got attendees. We’ve got protestors. But the important thing is that residents of Dallas and any visitor to Dallas stay safe. So, we’ve got to step up and fulfill our duty.”

The Council Member says she’s been told to expect around 20,000 visitors. So, the economic benefit over just a two day period could be substantial.

And that’s why she couldn’t care less about the optics of a Republican event being held in a city that leans Democrat.

“I know that we’ve got a convention center under construction. And we need heads and beds. We need HOT tax, that’s hotel occupancy tax. And we need sales tax. So, I would say that regardless of how you may feel any other way, we need visitors to Dallas to help fuel our coffers,” explained Willis.

And the city could use the help.

Dallas leaders are considering a $5.6 billion budget proposal that closed a $51 million hole by eliminating nearly 300 positions, including more than 100 that are currently filled. It also slightly lowers the property tax rate by 0.10 cents.

Council Member Willis advocates that the city must continue to investigate its spending and streamline city government to save money wherever possible.

And she warns residents not to expect anything different in the near future.

“Times have changed. And so, this is our new normal. It’s not going to be different next year. It’s just going to keep evolving this way,” she said. “I mean, our two main sources of revenue are property tax and sales tax. And there has been a slowing of that growth everywhere. And so, that’s something we have to look at. But is looking at government efficiency and effectiveness and performance of programs ever a bad idea? No. We need to be doing that all the time.”

We asked Willis if she would support raising taxes to avoid some cuts and she told us she doesn’t think it’s necessary. The Council Member argues that managing growth, maximizing the workforce with slight changes such as moving some from full time to part time, and leveraging technology such as AI makes raising taxes unnecessary.

Council Members are scheduled to vote on the budget plan Sept. 16.

We also spoke to Willis about a planned $800 million mixed-use facility that would be built inside her District 13 at Preston and Royal. The project would also include a hotel and condo towers. Those two towers could be 240 feet tall. Current zoning allows for up to 54 feet.

The city plan commission approved the project. And the full council could vote on it as soon as Oct. 14.

*Editor’s Note: After this interview was published, a neighborhood group informed WFAA that the council vote originally scheduled for Sept. 9 had been rescheduled for Oct. 14.

But residents opposed to the project have threatened a recall effort against Willis if she supports the project.

We asked Willis if she’s decided how she will vote.

“We are still working with the applicant. I’m still having meetings with residents. So, we are still in a listening mode as that moves closer to council,” answered the Council Member. “I am focused on the long term stability of not only the district I represent, but the city of Dallas. And so, especially in the situation we’re in with our new normal of the budget, you got to focus on long term stability and not short term pressure.”