Arlington City Council Regular Meeting - April 21, 2026: Cowboys Lease Extension, Form-Based Code, Gas Well Permit, and More
Arlington City Council Regular Meeting - April 21, 2026
The Arlington City Council convened on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. for a regular meeting covering a broad agenda. Key actions included approval of a Dallas Cowboys lease extension (with a $273 million city commitment for improvements), adoption of form-based code provisions, issuance of a gas well permit, and numerous routine consent items. The meeting lasted until 8:35 p.m.
Consent Calendar
- Appointments: Scott Miller appointed to the Arlington Economic Development Corporation (Resolution 26-124), term expiring 12/15/2026.
- Items from Executive Session: Approved settlement of negotiations for fee simple ownership (1,434 sq ft at 505 E. Division St.) for sidewalk improvements, and settlement of condemnation for street right-of-way easements (421 sq ft plus temporary easements) at 1400 Debbie Lane (Resolutions 26-125, 26-126).
- Minute Orders (8.1–8.12): Approved contracts and purchases including: generator maintenance renewal ($115,500), chiller maintenance ($200,000), fire bunker gear ($470,048), three fire apparatus ($4,977,235), a hydro-excavation trailer ($127,500), two fairway mowers ($161,972), two autonomous golf ball-picking robots ($118,150), traffic management software (5-year, $1,642,780.14), engineering for Johnson Creek dredging ($184,940), stormwater CIP services ($110,000), Glasgow and Paisley drainage improvements ($1,521,865.10), and the "Touched by Time" sculpture contract ($264,800).
- Ordinances – Final Reading (8.13–8.18): Adopted form-based code provisions (Ordinance 26-019), established Downtown Form-Based Zoning District on ~681.63 acres (Ordinance 26-020), rezoned 2401 W. Green Oaks Blvd. to Neighborhood Commercial (Ordinance 26-021), amended Planned Development at 109 W. Rogers St. (Ordinance 26-022), approved Specific Use Permit SUP08-2R1 for gas drilling at 8380 Glenn Day Dr. (Ordinance 26-023, with a separate roll-call vote of 8-1, Councilmember Hunter opposed), and amended smoking regulations to include electronic smoking devices, raise age minimums to 21 (Ordinance 26-024).
- Resolutions (8.19–8.24): Approved acceptance of $128,586 in JAG grant funds; retroactive nomination for Lowe’s $200,000 grant for police gym; amendments to CDBG Consolidated Plan and reprogramming funds (two resolutions); five-year renewal of pipeline license agreement with Texas Midstream Gas Services at Village Creek Linear Park; authorization of RFP procurement for Handitran replacement vehicles; and a Resolution of No Objection for April Housing’s 4% Housing Tax Credit application for Mayfield Park Apartments (Resolution 26-133, pulled for separate consideration and passed unanimously).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Smoking Ordinance (Item 8.18): Jimmy Burke (Arlington) spoke in support of stricter smoking regulations, including a potential ban on smoking in all public places to protect against secondhand smoke. Two additional non-speakers registered in support.
- Dallas Cowboys Lease Extension (Item 11.1): Eight speakers in support and five in opposition were heard. Supporters included Brent DeRaad (CEO, Arlington CVB), Costa Dimas (Lowe’s Hotels), Maggie Campbell (Downtown Arlington Organization), Georgie Zang, Michael Jacobson (Chamber of Commerce), Randy Ford, Aziz Kobty (Jake Elligans), and Ricky Booker (Breakfast Brothers/Prince Lebanese Grill). They cited the economic impact ($324 million annually, 16.3 million visitors, $3.1 billion in spending), job creation, and the importance of the Cowboys to Arlington’s identity and tourism. Opponents – C. Phillip Dobson, Hal Hickerson, Warren Norred, Etta Ashley, and Pepper Crary – argued that the $273 million commitment should be put to a public vote, that the original voter-approved terms (bonds paid off by 2048) were being circumvented, and that the money could be used for roads, schools, and tax relief. They expressed distrust of the process and said taxpayers were not being respected.
- Gas Well Permit (Item 12.2): Leslie Garvis (representing Totel ENP/Barnett USA) presented the permit request. One non-speaker in support and one non-speaker in opposition were registered.
- Citizen Participation: Nine individuals addressed the council on topics including the detention of a DACA recipient (Yaqub Iraviandre) by ICE, a police misconduct allegation against Officer Tabitha Brown, homelessness and barriers to employment, and concerns about the Tarrant Appraisal District’s valuation methods.
Discussion Items
- Dallas Cowboys Lease Extension (Item 11.1): City Manager Trey Yelverton presented a lengthy briefing. Key elements: The city will use $273 million in venue tax savings (from the existing voter-approved taxes that expire in 2048) to reimburse the Cowboys for improvements to AT&T Stadium. The team will advance $750 million in investments, including safety hardening, pedestrian/vehicular separation improvements, and revenue-enhancing upgrades. The lease extension adds 15 years (from 2040 to 2055) under the same terms and taxes. The city will not issue new bonds; instead, the Cowboys will front the money and be repaid from venue fund savings. Yelverton noted that refinancing had been done three times previously without a new vote. He presented data showing economic impact ($324 million/year to Arlington), sales tax growth, hotel tax growth, mixed beverage tax growth, and ad valorem growth around the stadium. He also highlighted that 53% of sales tax comes from non-Arlington addresses. Council discussion included questions from Councilmember Boxall (on past refinancing), Councilmember Gonzalez (on safety improvements), and Councilmember Hogg (on police/fire funding and reporting). Councilmember Hogg expressed difficulty with the lack of a public vote, while Councilmember Galante and Mayor Ross argued the voters had already authorized the taxes and this was a refinancing within existing parameters. The motion passed 7-2 (Mayor Ross, Galante, Gonzalez, Piel, Boxall, Pham, Odom-Wesley in favor; Hunter and Hogg opposed).
- Mayfield Park Apartments – Housing Finance (Items 8.24, 11.2, 12.1): Mindy Cochran (Executive Director, Arlington Housing Works) explained that a public hearing was required under HB 21 before the Housing Finance Corporation could issue bonds for the acquisition and rehabilitation of the Mayfield Park Apartments (2104 Worth St., Arlington). The HFC will own the land, making it property tax-exempt, but the developer will make a payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) equal to what the city’s taxes would have been, increasing 3% annually. The council voted unanimously on the Resolution of No Objection (8.24) and the General and No Litigation Certificate (11.2). The public hearing (12.1) had no speakers and was closed.
- Bond Issuances (Items 13.1, 13.2): Treasurer Ethan Klos presented two bond ordinances: $142,544,000 in Permanent Improvement and Refunding Bonds (GO) and $103,850,000 in Water and Wastewater Revenue Bonds. Both passed unanimously on first and final reading.
- Major Sports Complex Chapter Amendment (Item 13.3): First reading of an ordinance allowing replacement of a nonconforming static billboard with a digital billboard along SH 180 in the entertainment district. Passed unanimously on first reading.
Key Outcomes
- Dallas Cowboys Lease Extension (Resolution 26-134): Approved 7-2. The City Manager is authorized to execute the Master Agreement extending the lease through 2055, with up to $273 million in venue tax savings used for stadium improvements and a $750 million team investment commitment.
- Gas Well Permit (Resolution 26-136): Approved 8-1 (Hunter opposed) for the Day 2H well at 8380 Glenn Day Dr., subject to all permit conditions.
- Form-Based Code and Zoning: Final adoption of UDC text amendment and Downtown Form-Based Zoning District (unanimous). Rezoning and SUP approvals all passed unanimously except as noted.
- Smoking Ordinance (Ordinance 26-024): Final reading approved unanimously; updates definitions, adds electronic smoking devices and hookah, raises signage age minimum to 21.
- Bond Issuances (Ordinances 26-025, 26-026): Approved – general obligation bonds up to $142.544 million and water/wastewater revenue bonds up to $103.85 million.
- Mayfield Park Apartments: Council gave a Resolution of No Objection for 4% Housing Tax Credits and authorized the General and No Litigation Certificate for bond issuance, both unanimously.
- Police Grant: Approved acceptance of $128,586 JAG grant and retroactive nomination for Lowe’s $200,000 gym renovation grant.
- Upcoming: The council will hold a future meeting on the refinancing plan (target early 2028 close). Citizens were reminded that the deadline to protest property appraisals with Tarrant Appraisal District is May 15.
Meeting Transcript
Check mic check. Mic check for mobs. Check, check, check one, two. Oh, okay. One, two, three, four, check, mic check one, two, three, four. Check, check. All right. I don't know if the rest of the room is good. No, I just have to see that. There we go. Good evening, everybody. Well, you say we get this show on the road and call the Arlington City Council meeting to order. Um if I can get my stuff together. I'm going to ask Reverend Kate McGee from the Westminster Presbyterian Church to please come forward for an invocation. Please stand if you can. Thank you, Mayor Ross. Before my invocation, I'm also going to mention that I am a summit high school mom. And I am so proud of our basketball team. That's all. We plan this perfectly. Perfectly. Perfectly. All right, let's pray. Creator God, we humbly come before you asking for your blessing on our city and its leaders. We give thanks for our mayor, city council members, city manager, and other city staff members who serve our community with energy, intelligence, imagination, and love. We ask your blessing on those who serve on city boards and commissions as well. Continue to sustain and uplift them in their leadership of our wonderfully diverse city. As we kick off early voting, we give thanks for all of those willing to engage in public service in its variety of forms. We pray for thoughtful, forward-thinking conversations that focus on the public good and the possibilities for our people here. Football team lease extensions, housing developments, and gas wells may not seem at first glance to be things you're concerned with. God on high, but you desire the welfare of the city, the welfare of its people, the peace and wholeness and justice, not just for some but for all. So may your wisdom guide all the decisions that are made tonight, especially those concerning the poor, the hungry, the lost, and the least of these. Loving God, you know that these are uncertain times for many of our city residents. Fears and doubts lurk around every corner. Help us stay focused on the differences we can make, on the good we can create, on the light we can share in the work that lies before us. May we continue to lift up the American dream of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all of your beloved children. We pray all this in the name of Jesus. Amen. One nation under God, an individual with liberty and justice for all. And whereas in the Arlington area, high priority areas, including downtown Arlington and the entertainment district, represent some of the highest concentrations of children in need of advocacy. And whereas court appointed special advocates, CASA of Tarrant County serves nearly 900 children annually, yet approximately 400 children in our community are still waiting for a volunteer advocate. And whereas a CASA volunteer often becomes the most consistent adult present in a child's life, focusing on one child at a time to ensure their voice is heard when critical decisions are made. Whereas this consistent advocacy is transformative, helping to create a new normal defined by stability and hope in making children less likely to reenter the foster care system. And whereas the City of Arlington recognizes the critical work of CASA volunteers in protecting our community's most precious resources, our children. Now, therefore, I, Jim Ross, mayor of the City of Arlington, do hereby proclaim April 2026 as Child Abuse Prevention Month, which I'll eat to get aware. Thank you. I'm Natalie Stalmach. I'm with CASA of Tarrant County. Thank you, Mayor, Council, City Staff, and concerned citizens that are here. CASA is a volunteer powered organization that advocates for children in foster care.
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