Arlington City Council Regular Meeting - September 8, 2026
Arlington City Council Regular Meeting - September 8, 2026
The Arlington City Council convened on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, at 6:30 PM at City Hall Council Chamber. The meeting covered approval of a large consent agenda, public hearings on zoning and improvement districts, adoption of the FY2027 operating budget and tax rate, and several first-reading ordinances. Key votes included approval of the Shops at Viridian development plan over some objections and adoption of a lower-than-proposed tax rate.
Consent Calendar
The Council approved the consent agenda (items 8.1–8.20 and 8.22–8.25) in a single vote, with items 8.21 and 8.24 pulled for separate discussion. The consent agenda included contracts for auto body repair, LED lighting, soft body armor, overhead door repair, traffic markings, athletic equipment, traffic parts, fleet tracking, fire department testing, federal lobbying, supplemental vehicle services, sidewalk/ADA ramps, demolition for a parks building, payment processing, library software, a bucket truck, replacement vehicles, and fitness equipment. Also approved were ordinance amendments to the Elections and Health & Sanitation chapters, and resolutions for a development plan (Shops at Viridian was pulled), truth-in-taxation designation, airport rates, a Canales Furniture agreement (pulled), and downtown redevelopment. After the consent vote, a citizen spoke in support of the soft body armor contract (item 8.3).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Jimmy Burke (Citizen Participation): Spoke about homelessness and referenced the 1900 Galveston hurricane, urging community collaboration.
- Jamisha Homer (Citizen Participation): Expressed concerns about a police interaction, alleging undercover racism and lack of follow-up by Internal Affairs. She stated she would seek legal representation.
- Larry McFarland (Citizen Participation): Criticized an ambulance response at his home, describing unprofessional behavior, and referenced a previous house fire incident.
- Craig Smith (opposing 11.1): Speaking on behalf of his mother Patricia Smith, neighbor of the applicant, argued that the proposed building expansion would hurt her property value. He criticized the city for not addressing her concerns and stated that the retaining wall issue was never resolved.
- Jeff Cassell (opposing 11.4): Expressed disappointment with the Lamar Boulevard Public Improvement District after four years, stating that the park is primarily used by dog walkers and homeless individuals and not improving the area as promised.
Discussion Items
- 8.21 – Shops at Viridian Development Plan: Applicant Howard Portias and Vibhor presented revisions to the retail center at the Viridian community, addressing concerns about aesthetics and landscaping. Some council members expressed hesitation about diverging from the original master plan, but ultimately supported the project given the difficulty of attracting retail. The plan was approved 6–3.
- 8.24 – Canales Furniture Agreement Amendment: Staff explained that the change from taxable sales to total sales was needed to capture sales through a financing company. The council approved the first amendment to the Chapter 380 agreement.
Public Hearings
- 11.1 – Zoning Case PD91-09R1 (300/330 Loch N Green Trail): Ben Armstrong, owner of Armstrong Forensic Laboratory, requested a setback reduction for a building expansion. The Planning and Zoning Commission had recommended approval with conditions. A neighbor, Craig Smith, opposed. The council approved the request.
- 11.2 – Downtown Business Improvement District: Approved the updated Service and Assessment Plan for FY27 with a budget of $678,775.45. No public comment.
- 11.3 – Anthem Public Improvement District: Approved year two of the PID with a zero assessment rate for the first three years. No public comment.
- 11.4 – Lamar Boulevard Public Improvement District: Approved the updated plan despite one public comment in opposition. The district supports landscaping and pedestrian improvements.
- 11.5 – Arlington Tourism Public Improvement District: Approved year one of a 12-year PID, assessing hotel properties with 75+ rooms at 2%. No public comment.
- 11.6 – Adoption of FY2027 Operating Budget: The budget, revised from the proposed version with a $195,000 increase in hotel occupancy tax revenues and expenses, was approved on first reading (final reading set for September 15, 2026).
Ordinances - First Reading
- 12.1 – Levying Taxes for FY2027: The Council adopted a substitute ordinance setting the combined tax rate at $0.6298 per $100 valuation (maintenance & operations $0.4446, interest & sinking $0.1852). This rate is lower than the no-new-revenue rate of $0.636334 that was published. The motion passed unanimously.
- 12.2 – Construction, Electrical, and Fire Prevention Chapter Amendments: Approved amendments related to single-stairwell building codes and adoption of the National Electrical Code.
- 12.3 – One-Way Street Revisions: Approved reversing the direction of Coke Drive to facilitate school traffic for Crow Leadership Academy.
- 12.4 – Water and Wastewater Rates Adjustment: Approved the first reading of rate adjustments.
Key Outcomes
- Consent agenda approved (excluding pulled items).
- Shops at Viridian development plan approved (6–3).
- Canales Furniture agreement amendment approved.
- Zoning case PD91-09R1 approved.
- All four Public Improvement District service/assessment plans approved (Downtown BID, Anthem PID, Lamar Boulevard PID, Tourism PID).
- FY2027 Operating Budget approved on first reading.
- FY2027 tax rate set at $0.6298 per $100 valuation (unanimous).
- Amendments to construction, electrical, fire, traffic, and water/sewer chapters approved on first reading.
- Citizen participation comments noted; no council action taken.
Meeting Transcript
Hey my carrying me and moved it in. Well, good evening, everybody. Welcome to the Arlington City Council Chamber. It is September 8th, 2026, 630 p.m. We're going to get started right away. I'm going to invite Matt Hart from Mission Arlington to come up and give us an invocation, please. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for this evening. We thank you for this gathering of people that love this community and care very deeply about it. And so we pray, God, that that love and that care would always be translated to gratitude to you for what you've done and the way you have blessed this community and carried us through. We pray for unity. We pray for protection and for blessedness, God. We pray and ask that above all that you you would be honored, you would be pleased in who we are as a people and the way that we care for those that you care for, Lord. And so we pray as we care for those that need help that we would keep our eyes open for our neighbors around us, that we would love you with heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Lord, we pray, and we ask all of these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Please join us in the pledge of belief. I pledge the leaders to the flag of the United States of America. Honor the Texas flag. I pledge allegiance to the Texas on state under God. One and divisible. Thank you. You may be seated. Ms. Garcia, speaker guidelines and general decorum, please. Thank you, Mayor. We ask that the citizens and other visitors in 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 any other actions that disturb or are calculated to disturb the meeting, or who becomes disruptive while addressing the mayor and 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. Speakers may not use music, videos, or other forms of media, signs, or props. During the public hearings for zoning cases, the applicant will be asked to speak first and will be given five minutes to make a presentation. Speakers and supporter opposition of the item will be given three minutes each to make their statements. The applicant will then be given three minutes for any rebuttal. For all other items on the agenda, speakers will be given three minutes to speak. If multiple speakers plan to provide the same or similar comments, those speakers may, if they so desire, designate one or more individuals to provide public comments on behalf of the group. A bell will signal the end of each speaker's time. In consideration of other speakers, please conclude your comments promptly when you hear the bell. We ask that you address your comments to the mayor and council. Thank you, Ms. Garcia. Do we have any appointments to boards and commissions this evening? Mayor, we have no appointments to boards and commissions. Thank you. We'll move on down to 6.1 consideration of items from the executive session. 6.1 a resolution authorizing the city manager or his designee to execute all cash contract of cell with convivium investments LLC for the purchase of fee simple property rights and land with the physical address being five 505 West Abram Street, Arlington, Texas, Tarrant County, and authorizing acceptance of the conveyance of fee simple property rights. I'm going to recognize Councilmember Pham. Do you have something you wanted to talk about on this? Or did you hit the wrong button? You hit the wrong button. Perfect.
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