Arlington City Council Regular Meeting – May 12, 2026: Election Canvassing and Oaths of Office
Arlington City Council Regular Meeting – May 12, 2026
The Arlington City Council convened in regular session at 6:30 p.m. on May 12, 2026, in the City Hall Council Chamber. The meeting focused on canvassing the May 2, 2026 general and special election results, administering oaths of office to elected officials, and recognizing outgoing councilmembers. The meeting adjourned at 7:03 p.m.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Saida Saeed (Arlington resident) criticized the Tarrant Appraisal District (TAD) for its controversial reappraisal plan. She stated that nearly 204,000 properties received valuation reductions in 2025 after protests, and that an additional 190,000 residential properties remain overvalued. She argued that this pattern shifts the burden of proof to taxpayers, forcing them to spend time and resources correcting errors, and raised concerns about unequal treatment in colored neighborhoods. She called for transparency and accountability from TAD.
Key Outcomes
- Resolution 26-158 – Canvassing general election results for Mayor and Council Districts 3, 4, 5, and 8. Approved unanimously (7 ayes, 0 nays). The elected officials are: Mayor Jim Ross (13,316 votes, defeating Hunter Crow, Shaun Mallory, Steve Cavender, and write-in C. Phillip Dobson); District 3 – Nikkie Hunter (2,635 votes, defeating Kelly R. Burke); District 4 – Tom Ware (3,969 votes, defeating Rojo Meixueiro and Lisa J. Ventura); District 5 – Brittney Garcia-Dumas (1,665 votes, defeating incumbent Rebecca Boxall); District 8 – Melody Fowler (11,743 votes, defeating Jason Shelton and Corey Harris).
- Resolution 26-159 – Canvassing the special election results for reauthorization of a municipal sales and use tax for street maintenance (Chapter 327). Approved unanimously (7 ayes, 0 nays). The measure passed with 20,879 votes for and 5,844 against.
- Oaths of Office were administered by Judge Kenneth Sanders (Precinct 7) to re-elected Councilmember Nikkie Hunter (District 3), and by Judge Leticia Evans (Presiding Judge, Arlington Municipal Courts) to newly elected Councilmembers Tom Ware (District 4) and Brittney Garcia-Dumas (District 5), as well as to re-elected Mayor Jim Ross.
- The Council expressed gratitude to outgoing Councilmember Andrew Piel (District 4), who was absent due to illness, and to outgoing Councilmember Rebecca Boxall (District 5), who thanked the citizens and praised the city.
Announcements
- No additional announcements were made. The meeting was adjourned at 7:03 p.m.
Meeting Transcript
Tech neighborhoods. Ready to get started? Visit Arlington Permits. Smells good in Arlington. Today's episode of What's Going There, Arlington, is all about food. From Tex Mex and Tide to Coffee, these places will give you new excuses to eat out. So I hope you brought your appetite. They're moving into the former Shakerton spot off North Collins and aiming to open up before the FIFA World Cup. And the perfect spot to watch a match, whichever version of football you prefer. But like, I like to design the hands and I remember that. I know. I don't know if I think it's a good one. So I can go to the other side. Well, good evening, everybody, and welcome to the Arlington City City Council session. I'll get it out here in just a minute. I've only been doing this five years now. Today is May the twelfth, and it is six thirty-one PM. We're going to go ahead and call the city council meeting to order. Um, I'm hoping this is going to be a very short night for all here. I know y'all don't plan to camp out here all night, so uh I'm gonna invite the Reverend Jim Bergen from Mission Arlington to come forward and lead us in an invocation. Please stand if you can. Let's pray together. Heavenly Father, how how much we have to be grateful for tonight. Um we're in your presence, you're here, and you have such great love for each of us and for all of us. And how uh I thank you for this group in front of me and for all the civil servants in this city who take care of your people and serve this city so well, and I pray for your blessings upon them. Lord, I do pray for your blessings on our city. Thank you for all that uh put their shoulders to the wheel to make a difference. And Lord, may you be glorified in all of it. In your name I pray. Amen. Amen. Indivisiblease join us with the pleasure of allegiance. Honor the Texas flag. I pledge allegiance to the Texas. One state under God. One and indivisible. Thank you all. You can be seated. Ms. Garcia, speaker guidelines and general decorum, please. Thank you, Mayor. We ask that the citizens and other visitors and attendance assist in preserving the order and decorum of this meeting and to provide for attendance at and participation in the meeting without fear of intimidation, threats, or hostility. Any person making personal, profane, hostile, slanderous or threatening remarks, who uses vulgar or obscene language, who engages in and other actions that disturb or are calculated to disturb the meeting, or who becomes disruptive while addressing the mayor in the city council, or while attending the city council meeting may be removed from the council chambers. All speakers shall address the city council and not the audience or city staff and shall not call out individually named members of city staff or the public. For speakers tonight, when your name is called, please come to the microphone at the podium and state your name and city of residence for the record. Speakers may not use music, videos, other forms of media, signs, or props. During public hearings for zoning cases, the applicant will be asked to speak first and will be given five minutes to make a presentation. Speakers in support or opposition of the item will be given three minutes each to make their statements. The applicant will then be given three minutes for and for any rebuttal. For all other items on the agenda, speakers will be given three minutes to speak.
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