Over the next eight months, Arlington residents will have a chance to have their voices heard on the city’s hot-button issues.
The first in a series of 12 town hall events focused on the city’s future — with six topics for residents to weigh in — will take place at the Bob Duncan Center on Oct. 1.
Mayor Jim Ross, who created the town halls, said he hopes anyone who is somewhat interested in Arlington issues will attend the events.
“We are coming for the purpose of a great exchange of dialogue, so that we can educate each other from our different perspectives and then do those things to make our community better,” Ross said.
Ross announced the series in a social media post on Sept. 14, inviting residents to the events he wrote would give them a “direct voice on the issues that matter most to our community.”
The events will address six topics, each with two town halls devoted to the theme and spaced a few months apart:
Ordinance changes, including the antidiscrimination ordinance and vaping rule changes.
Environmental issues such as gas wells and data centers.
Transportation issues, including the current Arlington On-Demand system and the use of Flock cameras in the city.
Public and private responsibility, including discussions of private roadways, creek erosion and dams.
Housing and homelessness issues, including Texas Senate Bill 840, short-term rentals, multifamily housing and homeless accommodations.
Beautification and nuisance issues, including homeless encampments, panhandling, trash pickup, graffiti removal and beautification efforts.
Ross said the topics were chosen based on the amount of feedback city staff and council members received on each subject. He acknowledged that not every issue made it onto the list for the events, but said there could be changes made to topics or even additional town halls in the future, if needed.
For the scheduled town halls, Ross said the city will bring in outside representatives and city staff to speak on the subjects.
Town hall schedule
For example, a representative from TotalEnergies, a French energy company that operates gas wells in the city, will attend the environmental issues town halls, Ross said. During the transportation town hall, Arlington Police Chief Alexander Jones will discuss Flock cameras, he added.
“We’ll bring in staff members, whether it is parks and rec, the police department, fire department, city attorney’s office, anybody who’d had a role in doing some of these things we’re doing,” Ross said.
To register for any of the town halls, click here. It is not required for entry, but is encouraged. Residents can also submit their concerns or questions on the topic beforehand, but it is not required, Ross said.
When asked if the conversations during the town hall will lead to effective change, Ross said he hopes the conversations can inform him of the different perspectives of residents and increase trust in local government.
“My goal on this is to nurture the relationship between city hall and the community,” Ross said. “There’s so much distrust in all forms of government nowadays. … People have a distrust of community leaders or politicians — I want to bridge that gap. I want to create an environment where they’re saying to themselves and others, ‘Arlington will face you face to face, and they’ll tell you here’s the good, the bad, what we can do, what we can’t do, and why we can do it and why we can’t.’”
“You’re gonna hear honest, open dialogue in Arlington, and (the city) is going to include its community in how we shape the governing of Arlington,” Ross said.
Chris Moss is a reporter for the Arlington Report. Contact him at chris.moss@arlingtonreport.org.
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