He also announced that Banana Ball is coming to Arlington next September.<\/p>\n
The Savannah Bananas<\/a>\u00a0team\u2019s barnstorming baseball exhibition based out of Georgia, with dances and stunts (like stepping up to the plate on stilts or acrobatic plays in the outfield) and good-natured taunting between the teams, regularly sells out stadiums when visiting.<\/p>\n But what took center stage at Thursday\u2019s address was Arlington\u2019s economic growth and the city\u2019s work to balance the 2026 budget, which had a\u00a0projected $26 million shortfall<\/a>.<\/p>\n Ross said that since 2021, the year he first took office, Arlington has seen $1.1 billion in private capital investment in business in the city and has either attracted or retained 13 national, North American or world headquarters.<\/p>\n Those include companies like OverAir, an air taxi producer, and E-Space, a commercial space company that is setting up shop at the city\u2019s airport including manufacturing facilities for satellites.<\/p>\n \u201cSince 2021, we have created more than 27,000 jobs in our city. Folks, that is unbelievable,\u201d Ross said. \u201cAnd the average wage has increased twenty percent.\u201d<\/p>\n The theme, Arlington Works, was repeated several times as Ross talked about the economic growth, events in the entertainment district and road repairs \u2014 the city \u201cimproved over 27 lane miles of roadway\u201d and filled more than 7,000 potholes, Ross shared.<\/p>\n In his discussion of roadwork, Ross noted that Arlington is landlocked and nearly built out but that neighboring cities are expected to grow in population by anywhere from 25% to 300% in the next three decades. That, he said, means that Arlington\u2019s roads will have more traffic, even if its population growth ends up limited by space.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s critically important that with that growth, that we in Tarrant County ensure that we get the necessary monies to take care of our roadways and what\u2019s going on here,\u201d Ross said.<\/p>\n He said that to that end, he and Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker have both joined the Texas Department of Transportation Fort Worth District\u2019s planning committee.<\/p>\n New technology is playing an increasingly important role in Arlington, too, Ross said.<\/p>\n Last year, Arlington police used advances in forensic genealogy to identify the man who killed Terri McAdams, a case that had been cold since the \u201880s. This year, the department was certified to fly drones over the city without having a line of sight, allowing police to get a drone to scenes before officers can arrive and feed real-time information to cops responding to 911 calls or other emergencies.<\/p>\n Also this year, the city installed AI systems in traffic lights in the entertainment district \u2014 technology the city said will help\u00a0manage traffic flow during the World Cup<\/a>\u00a0and is expected to be implemented throughout the rest of the city incrementally.<\/p>\n \n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n Fort Worth Report is certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative<\/a> for adhering to standards for ethical journalism.<\/p>\n Republish This Story<\/p>\n
![\"Creative](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/cc-by-nd-4.0.png\"\/)
<\/a><\/p>\n