Fort Worth City Council Work Session - February 3, 2026
Fort Worth City Council Work Session - February 3, 2026
The Fort Worth City Council held a work session on Tuesday, February 3, 2026, from 1:00 PM to 3:52 PM (with a brief recess from 1:02 PM to 1:56 PM). The meeting included staff reports, employee recognitions, presentations on the Convention Center expansion and naming rights, an economic development agreement, a proposed charter election, and requests for future agenda items. No public comments were heard.
Organizational Updates and Employee Recognitions
- City Manager Jay Chapa announced organizational updates: Economic Development will now report to Dana Burghdoff and Public Events to Dianna Giordano, effective after a transition period.
- Development Services was recognized as number one in the nation for permitting efficiency. Staff presented a video highlighting streamlined processes and customer focus. Council praised the department's leadership and collaboration with the development community.
- Fort Worth Public Library was recognized for being in the top 20% of all Texas public libraries, receiving the Texas Municipal League 2025 Achievement of Excellence in Libraries Award. Midori Clark accepted the award.
Informal Reports (Discussion Items)
- 2026 Recommendations for 9% Housing Tax Credit Applications: Kacey Thomas presented resolutions of support for applicants that comply with city policy. Councilmember Hall expressed concern about community engagement for one project (View at Alta Mesa) in District 6, noting a virtual meeting had no attendees and occurred during an ice storm. Staff agreed to ask the developer to hold another meeting. Councilmember Lauersdorf emphasized the seven-day notice requirement. Councilmember Nettles clarified that the resolution only indicates support per ordinance; zoning changes will be considered separately.
- Next Steps on Council Priorities: Christianne Simmons presented; no questions from council.
- Collegiate and Vocational Student Internship Placement: HR Director Kristen Smith outlined a new framework for citywide internships, standardizing hourly pay ($15/hour), minimum age (16), and maximum hours (240 hours per fiscal year per intern, with specific guidelines for council interns). Council discussed supplementing with district funds, flexibility for part-time arrangements, and alignment with the Next Gen program. Councilmember Nettles requested flexibility for longer part-time internships. City Manager Chapa noted the need to follow IRS guidelines.
- Floodplain Management Plan 5-Year Update: No questions.
- Panther Island Public Improvement District: Brady Kirk explained that the petition is led by property holder Seiko, not city staff. Councilmember Martinez asked about the process; Kirk clarified staff supports but does not lead.
- Proposed Council-Initiated Zoning Change for 5329 and 5335 East 1st Street: LaShondra Stringfellow presented. Councilmembers Peoples and Martinez thanked staff for quick work to protect floodplain areas in Districts 5 and 11.
- Proposed Subdivision Ordinance Amendments to Promote Infill Development: D.J. Harrell presented amendments to ease infill development inside the loop by reducing bureaucratic steps. Councilmember Hill asked about the relationship with the Planning Commission; Harrell confirmed no change in authority and noted the ordinance was presented to the commission three times.
Presentations
- Fort Worth Convention Center Phase II Expansion Schematic Design: Michael Crum, Bob Jameson, and Michael Bennett presented. Phase II will add 359,000 square feet of space, including a 40,000-square-foot ballroom, expanded exhibit halls, and new meeting rooms. Construction completion is targeted for December 2029. The design features a transparent facade and an iconic tower. Council expressed excitement. City Manager Chapa announced a leadership transition: Michael Crum will become deputy director, and Cynthia Sir Sanchez Serrano will become director of Public Events, with Crum consulting part-time.
- Convention Center Naming Rights: Michael Crum proposed seeking a naming rights partner, with an estimated initial value of $450,000–$500,000 per year. The process will take multiple years, with a goal to have a partner by the 2030 reopening. Councilmember Blaylock asked for comparison; Crum noted Huntington Place in Detroit gets $1.5M annually. No potential partners have been approached yet.
- Weir Minerals Economic Development Program Agreement: Josh Giles presented a retention agreement for Weir Minerals, a global mining technology company. The company will expand its lease at 777 Main from 11,000 to 15,000 square feet with a minimum $3.4 million capital investment. The city proposes a three-year grant capped at $185,000 (5% participation rate), retaining 67 full-time jobs with an average salary of $160,000. The project supports downtown office occupancy and hotel stays. Council had no questions.
- Charter Election: Assistant City Attorney Gavin Midgley presented nine propositions (G–O) for the May 2026 ballot, to be combined with a bond election. Key items include: council pay increase to $60,000 for mayor and $50,000 for council (effective October 1, 2026); removal of public hearing requirements for department directors and council appointees; allowance for budget adoption at the same meeting as a budget hearing; and other cleanups. After discussion, council agreed to remove proposition H (changing the quorum requirement from two-thirds to a simple majority). Propositions I and J will remain but with simplified language. The effective date for pay increases was set to the start of the next fiscal year.
Key Outcomes
- Staff directed to request an additional community meeting for the View at Alta Mesa housing tax credit project.
- Charter election propositions were finalized: propositions G and K–O will appear on the May 2026 ballot; proposition H was removed; propositions I and J will have simplified language. Council pay increases will take effect October 1, 2026.
- Multiple requests for future agenda items were accepted: Councilmember Hill requested a report on fluoride removal impact; Councilmember Beck requested reports on fee/fine structures for development violations and third-party inspector operations; Councilmember Martinez requested an ordinance to ban hourly hotel rates and a report on yard parking citation enforcement; Councilmember Lauersdorf requested an update on the Veteran Owned Small Business Contracts Program; Councilmember Nettles requested a report on citations issued to homeless individuals; Councilmember Peoples requested an update on water disconnection policies during inclement weather; Mayor Parker requested monthly breakdowns of water disconnections by council district and notification options.
- The work session concluded at 3:52 PM.
Meeting Transcript
Council, I think we can get started. Welcome to our city council work session. Today is Tuesday, February 3rd, all day. I will call us to order. And turn it over to Jay Chopa, I think, for staff announcements. Good afternoon. Um, I do would like to start off by uh calling up DJ Harrell uh to recognize his department for this current uh recent uh accolades that they received, and in fact he's got a little video he'd like to show. So DJ being number one in permitting really embodies our one city one team mentality. Leadership has had this vision for years of streamlining development in the city of Fort Worth, being innovative, forward-thinking, and propelling Fort Word to the top spot in permitting efficiency, energizing our community with smart growth concepts as well as orderly development. The addition of the customer center on the fifth floor of City Hall is just more evidence of our commitment as a city of Fort Worth to bring all development services under one umbrella. We've streamlined the whole process by having the fifth floor designated to customers to come directly. So with the new consolidation, we're very customer focused. I think that shows from our kiosk to our information desk to our walk-in area. So this just shows that our team can keep up with continued growth and still process permits effectively and efficiently. We work really hard to foster a get to yes mentality, ownership in every project. But it's taken getting the right people to come and work for us to realize the success. We are here for the customers. We wouldn't have this ranking, we wouldn't be the 10th largest city if it wasn't for customers coming in and needing our assistance and just having a great team who works well together. This recognition serves to energizes even more. We have a great core team of individuals that are empowered to make decisions as well as they have a sense of community and a sense of pride in the city of Fort Worth and what we're building here. Because we're working to build the best city in the country. One city, one team. Good afternoon, Mayor. Good afternoon, Honorable Mayor Matty Parker, Council, City Manager Choppa. I thank you for this opportunity to stand before you represent an amazing group of individuals that work extremely hard every day to realize your collective vision and set the you know and work on the policies that you guys have set for the city of Fort Worth. I brought a gang of them with me. I'm gonna ask them to make their way closer and potentially get a photograph with you all. Um but you know, the important thing that I wanted to leave you guys with, it's it's a one-city, one-team concept. You know, for years you guys have set the vision and invested in um development in the city of Fort Worth, and we've realized a lot of the gains year over year because of that investment. Uh in fact, on last year we were here celebrating um uh we were ranked number one in Texas for permitting and zoning. And this year we're here celebrating rank one number one in the nation, right? So who knows what's next, right? So thank you. So again, it's uh the work of multiple departments, multiple stakeholders, our development community has been a huge support, but most of all your vision is set um you know the path for our success. Thank you so much. Thank you. I think we are gonna take a picture, council, but everyone on this diocese is probably guilty of calling you, DJ or someone else on your staff when there's a problem. We probably don't do a good enough job calling you when we get praise and thanks from the city of Fort Worth and people in it. They've seen a difference, and your leadership is incredible. Your entire team should be commended. You work tirelessly. We are one of the fastest growing cities, so as a result, your staff has to try to keep up with that amount of growth and progress that's happening. And I know that you're not done yet. Again, you mentioned the development community. They're also really proud to work with you. Um, the development advisory committee, real estate council, and others um have all been collaborative, which we appreciate. I don't think we'd be here without that. And also the continuity of leadership between David Cook and now to Jay and all the management team really focused on this to support you and your service and your team, and also the other departments that you interface with, whether it's TPW or water. So this is a big deal. We recognize that, and I think this entire council is incredibly proud to work with all of you.
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