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.
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.