Arlington City Council Special Meeting – May 19, 2026: World Cup, Fire Report, Cultural District, Workers' Comp, Committees
Arlington City Council Special Meeting – May 19, 2026: World Cup Preparations, Fire Department Report, Cultural District, Workers' Comp, and Committee Updates
The Arlington City Council met in special session on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, from 1:32 PM to 5:10 PM, following a one-hour executive session. The meeting covered preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the annual Fire Department report, a proposed cultural district application, the workers' compensation program, financial stability updates, and reports from three council committees. No formal votes were taken; the session was devoted to discussion and information gathering.
Executive Session (1:30 PM – 2:32 PM)
- The council convened in closed session under Texas Government Code Sections 551.071 (attorney consultation), 551.072 (real property), and 551.087 (economic development negotiations). Items discussed included four property acquisitions for the Division Street TxDOT Sidewalk project (totaling approximately 2,869 square feet across four parcels) and offers of incentives to business prospects.
Discussion of Work Session Items
3.1 2026 World Cup Update (Presented by Deputy City Manager Jennifer Wichmann and Brent DeRaad, President/CEO of Arlington Convention & Visitors Bureau)
- Arlington's AT&T Stadium will host nine matches (48 teams, 104 matches total across three countries). 700,000 tickets available; 35–50% sold. Matches include Netherlands vs. Japan (June 14), Argentina (two matches), England vs. Croatia, and a semifinal on July 14.
- The city will continue its Fourth of July parade (July 4) and fireworks/drone show (July 5 at a different location). No changes to short-term rental regulations; 310 permits issued, 13 citations for illegal rentals.
- Public safety funding: Reimbursed through federal, state event trust fund, and host committee fundraising. No general fund impact.
- Transportation: Bus bridge from CenterPort station to Lot H; rideshare drop-off at eSports stadium. No tailgating allowed in stadium lots.
- Ambassador Row: Ten countries have consular representatives at Spark Arlington (open June 12–July 15, 9 AM–8 PM).
- Legacy projects: Golden Boot sculpture (dedication May 28) and a soccer mini-pitch at George Stevens Park (completion by end of May).
- Councilmember Galante raised concerns about I-30 westbound congestion; staff will discuss with TxDOT.
- Councilmember Odom-Wesley inquired about stadium signage; answer pending.
3.2 Arlington Fire Department 2025 Annual Report (Fire Chief Bret Stidham)
- Total responses decreased by 8% (over 4,000 calls). Turnout time reduced by 8% via new station alerting system.
- Communications answered 360,000+ calls (93% answered within 10 seconds, above national 90% average).
- Whole blood program treated 50+ patients; less than 2% of EMS systems nationwide have such a program.
- New nurse navigation line launching May 27 to reduce non‑emergency calls.
- Peer support team expanded; REDCHIP program funded over 360 counseling hours.
- 22 new operations members added; 12,000 hours operations training, 10,000 hours EMS training.
- Special operations deployed 300+ days with 53 members to statewide emergencies (e.g., Hill Country flash floods).
- AISD Fire Academy: 39 students, 100% pass rate for senior class.
- Office of Emergency Management reaccredited by EMAP (only 8 in Texas).
- Over 270 special event deployments, 24,000 hours worked; set gold standard for IndyCar Grand Prix.
- Arson investigations: 10 arrests in last six months.
- Councilmembers praised leadership and mental health support.
3.3 Texas Commission on the Arts Proposed Cultural District Application (Gary Packan, Director of Parks, Recreation & Culture)
- Proposed second cultural district for the Arlington Entertainment District (boundaries: I‑30 to Collins to Division to SH 360). First district (Downtown Arlington) designated 2016.
- 57 cultural districts in Texas; Arlington seeks TCA designation to access grant funding (statewide $7.6 M awarded this fiscal year).
- Application draft submitted to TCA; final due June 15. Council resolution to support application will be on June 9 agenda.
- Stakeholder support confirmed; goal to enhance tourism, property values, and arts programming.
- Councilmember Hogg encouraged pursuing grants; City Manager noted potential to increase grant submissions.
3.4 Workers' Compensation Program & Administration (Lemuel Randolph, Deputy City Manager; Lacee Stewart, Risk Manager)
- City is self-insured since 1989, using third‑party administrator ASNG (Houston). Total claims decreased from 505 (2021) to 279 (2025), but cost per claim increased.
- Average annual cost ~$1.3 M; $500,000 reserve. Salary continuation: 100% of wages for first 90 days, then 70% for up to 104 weeks.
- Cancer claims: 18 since 2019, 15 compensable, total compensation ~$600,000.
- Dispute resolution: less than 25% go to appeals.
- City manager noted policy updates on off‑duty assignments and one‑year statute for public safety.
- Councilmember Hogg requested internal audit (last audit 1996); City Manager asked internal audit to consider adding workers' comp.
- Councilmember Pham inquired about TPA fees (flat rate, not per claim). Average claim open 6–7 months.
- Staff developing interactive tools and process guides to demystify workers' comp; meetings with police and fire associations scheduled later that week.
3.5 Council Priority – Preserve Financial Stability and Resilience (Spencer Slider, CFO)
- Quarterly update on 43 business plan projects. Highlights: North District police substation on track for early 2027; traffic management center ready for World Cup; new benefits administrator for 401k/457 transition ongoing.
- Water department saving ~$1 M/year by using internal services for pipe replacements.
- Grants team submitted 17 applications in Q2, securing $235,000 additional funding.
- Fleet maintenance: 90% of vehicles repaired within 3 days.
- Upcoming: e‑Builder integration with Workday; AI initiative for Action Center; new budget software to replace GovMax.
- Councilmember Gonzalez requested separate fleet metrics for police and fire; CFO will include in next quarterly report.
Discussion of Committee Meetings
4.1 Municipal Policy Committee (Councilmember Odom‑Wesley, Chair)
- Honorary Naming: Supported naming a facility at Martin Luther King Sports Complex for Brett Smith (little league work). Background check required.
- Presidents Corner: Supported renaming Parkway Central Park to "Presidents Park" (area with streets named after presidents). To go to Parks Board.
- Construction Code Update (SB 2835): State law allows single‑stair residential buildings up to 4 stories (Arlington defines high‑rise at 5 stories). Committee requested additional safety research from Fire Department before recommendation.
- 2023 National Electrical Code Adoption: Committee directed staff to move forward with adoption.
- 2027‑2028 Federal and State Legislative Agendas: Drafts approved with refinements; final agendas to committee June 9 and full council June 23.
4.2 Community and Neighborhood Development Committee (Councilmember Hogg, Chair)
- Alisa Lane Perimeter Fence: Long‑standing issue at a townhome development (approved 2016, 5 units completed, developer defunct). Bank recently gained control and submitted fence permit; application under review. 180 days to build once issued. Committee hopeful for resolution.
4.3 Transportation and Municipal Infrastructure Committee (Councilmember Gonzalez, Chair)
- Handitran Update: Service area includes 1.5 miles outside city limits (additional 88 sq. mi., 5,000+ trips from outside areas Dec 2024–Nov 2025). Two options under consideration: (1) eliminate service outside city limits, or (2) continue with increased trip price ($8/ride) and charge neighboring cities per trip. Decision expected at June 8 committee meeting.
Council External Committee Reports
- Regional Transportation Council (RTC) Subcommittee (Councilmember Gonzalez): Discussed regional transit governance models; 60‑day progress report from DART, Trinity Metro, DCTA. Next RTC meeting June 11.
- North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) Executive Board (Mayor Ross): Approved criminal justice funding recommendations; 18.5 M in grants for hazard mitigation, broadband, FIFA World Cup. New strategic planning process launched.
Future Agenda Items
- Mayor Ross: Process for council representation on external boards/commissions.
- Councilmember Gonzalez: Raise candidate filing fee or increase signature requirement.
- Councilmember Hogg: Nomination/appointment process for external boards; downtown parking strategy.
- Councilmember Pham: Towing of illegally parked vehicles (24‑hour vs. 72‑hour rule clarification).
- Councilmember Odom‑Wesley: Signage during elections at ACTIV Center.
- Councilmember Ware: Replacement appointment to Planning and Zoning Commission.
- Councilmember Galante: Illegal truck parking.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 5:10 PM.
Meeting Transcript
For Juan Carlos and his family celebrating Mexican traditions is part of their culture as an immigrant family. We emigrated to this country more than 20 years ago. Welcome back to Arlington Eats. I'm Jeremy Thomas with My Arlington TV. And on this episode, we are at an anglo restaurant and bar where your palate can experience two authentic cuisines from around the world. Those are dumplings that you can find pretty much every corner of the country in Nepal. Human. Okay, we'll go ahead and call the afternoon session of the Arlington City Council meeting to order. And perceivant to aurusio. I'm gonna move today. L'autre l'autre. Hold on, so L'humanumanseo, oochio, and L'humour,anseo, I'm not sure. Humanseo, oochenseo, and so L'humanity L'autre, L'humour. L'humour, Okay, we're gonna go ahead and call the afternoon session back to order. We're gonna move on down to 3.1. Deputy City Manager Jennifer Wickman on a World Cup update. Thank you, Mayor. Jennifer Wickman, Deputy City Manager. Um, I'm here with your um the last World Cup update that we'll give to you all before the World Cup. So um, a lot a lot to to tell, and I've uh broadened this. Um, I also have Brent Gerard here, our president and CEO of the Arlington Convention and Visitors Bureau to help me with part of the presentation. We're really taking a broad look at everything that's going on. So we're gonna talk about the scope and the schedule, some ticket sales and preparation, transportation, as well as Arlington welcomes the world and all the things that are happening around that. Talk about some of the legacy projects and then some key dates. So just to look broadly, we've got a number of this World Cup is larger than anyone we've ever had before. So you can see there are 48 participating teams. That's increased significantly from before. A total of 104 matches. So that's massive. It'll happen over three, three countries, six and a half million tickets. You can see that it's really very vast, very broad. So we're we're excited about to host many of these teams here. You can see all the different locations where these are happening. It is through Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Um so you can see all of that. Uh ATT Stadium here in Arlington will be the site of nine matches, which is also very significant. This is our schedule. We're very excited about the draw that we've gotten. Um we have um nations from Jordan, for example, which is a smaller nation, but this is the first time they've ever qualified for the World Cup. So they are super excited, and we're hoping to see a lot of excitement around that team and that nation here in Arlington. Argentina, a powerhouse, consistently in the World Cup. They're coming for two matches, which is which is terrific. And the England Croatia match, which is the third second match that'll be here. Um that's also a very good matchup, and a lot of folks are watching that. So we're excited about that. When you look at our uh schedule, uh, World Cup soccer is not the only thing happening in the entertainment district. You all can see we've got baseball season is still happening, so you can see that a lot of times the highlights in yellow are the World Cup matches, but there are a lot of Rangers Rangers games which are in between. We really appreciate the Rangers working with Major League Baseball to ensure that we don't have two of those events on the same day. So that is a huge help. You can see around the July 4th weekend and through that next week, we have about 12 days that are gonna be really um jam-packed with a lot going on.
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