6 days Ago
DALLAS — Dallas voters appear to have passed two of three so-called "HERO amendments" on the November ballot -- and the implication could be wide-reaching for City Hall. Amendments S and U passed with 55% and 51% of the vote, respectively. The first will waive the city's "sovereign immunity" and allow people to sue Dallas more easily.
The second would force the city to hire 900 additional police officers and devote at least half of new tax dollars collected by the city to the police and fire pension fund A third amendment, Proposition T, that would have tied the city manager's pay and employment to a survey of at least 1,400 residents, did not pass. Proponents of the propositions argue they will increase accountability for city government and improve public safety in Dallas. Opponents, however, have warned of multiple problems implementing the propositions.
Current and former leaders of Dallas and the city's largest police and fire associations were united in their opposition to all three amendments. Now-former Police Chief Eddie Garcia warned the department would struggle to find enough qualified applicants to fill 900 new positions -- and the city would not have the capacity to train them all, even if they could hire them. "I do not believe this would be right for the city at this time," he told council members in August.
In a recent Public Safety committee meeting, the Dallas Police Department discussed lowering hiring standards to attract additional applicants. Hiring 900 new police officers would be a six-figure annual investment for the city, Interim City Manager Kim Tolbert said at the same August 7 Council meeting. She warned of "drastic cuts" to city parks, libraries, street repair, animal services and more if the measure passes.
"Every single city department would be impacted," she said. "There would be no sacred cows because we would have to look at all the departments in order to bring that type of funding to the table." "While we wait for the final, certified results of the election, we will continue to review our options," Tolbert said in a statement Wednesday.
City leaders have previously suggested they were willing to sue if any of the HERO measures passed. "It would have a long battle in court if it does pass," Councilman Adam Bazaldua told Inside Texas Politics in September. But a coalition of former and current elected officials opposed to the measures conceded "We lost.
" "The results of the ballot initiatives suggest citizens of Dallas are not happy with City Hall," the statement from Together for Dallas said. "They sent that message with their votes on City Charter amendments, including the passage of Propositions S and U, which were sold on the false promises of more accountability and more police." The Dallas HERO initiative tweeted "The people have spoken.
Now it's time for accountability in Dallas!".
