OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Fort Worth City Council Work Session - March 3, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, March 3, 2026
BodyFort Worth, Texas
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, March 3, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:05:35

Transcript — Verbatim
2:39

Good afternoon, everybody.

2:40

We have a quorum now, and I called to order the March 3rd City Council work session.

2:45

Now turn it over to Jay Choppin.

2:48

Jay, let's hear your report, sir.

2:50

Good afternoon.

2:51

Uh sorry we were not outside, and it's beautiful weather out there.

2:57

Uh under upcoming and recent events, I wanted to remind everyone of the twenty twenty-five mayor's community engagement workshops and neighborhood awards luncheon this Saturday from uh at Doxology Church.

3:12

So if you don't have it on your calendars, you might want to add that.

3:21

So we'll move on to informal reports.

3:23

The first one is twenty-six-three five Choctaw Code Talkers Historical Marker at Veterans Memorial Park.

3:30

Joel McKnight with Park and Rec is here to answer any questions.

3:35

Are there any questions on this uh informal report?

3:40

None.

3:40

The next Zero Zero Three Six Citations issued in the East Lancaster corridor related to the new public safety initiative.

3:47

Robert Stewart, police commanders here.

3:50

Answer any questions.

3:58

Go ahead, Chris.

3:59

Well, um, come on, if you can just give um an overview of the IR.

4:04

I know we talked yesterday, and I have one or two questions I'll put on the record.

4:08

Yeah.

4:09

Um, so we began an initiative in the corridor at uh around January twenty-third.

4:16

It's been going on today.

4:19

So we had seen an uptick in violent crime over the over the fall.

4:24

So we were tracking these numbers.

4:26

We saw that we needed to address the violent crime.

4:28

So we began uh with an SOF detail.

4:33

We also incorporated the Hope Unit Environmental Services and Patrol all working together to address some of the issues of uh illegal camping, blocking the roadway, blocking the sidewalks, trying to get traffic offenses for people that are possibly bringing drugs into the area.

4:52

So it's been a coordinated effort.

4:54

We the IR basically had all the citations that were written to that date of the request.

5:00

It also had it separated the citations that were issued during the time of the cold weather freeze.

5:06

Now on the IR, it says the there was 12 citations issued during that time frame of January 23rd to January 27th.

5:15

That was a you know the cold weather event was Friday, Saturday, Sunday really bad, started getting a little better on Monday and Tuesday.

5:22

One citation was written on Monday, and all the rest of the citations were written on Tuesday.

5:27

So during that time frame where we were dealing with that catastrophe, we were merely driving people to shelters, giving out bus passes, making sure that everybody was safe.

5:39

I have a lot more I could go over with the with the initiative.

5:42

If you have any questions specifically, well, as it relates to the illegal camping, because I think that was kind of a lot of the issues.

5:50

Which one articulates that on this violent crime, or is it not listed here?

5:56

So a lot of the violent crime what we've noticed, so in just looking at it and looking at the violent crime that we're seeing, a lot of it is unhoused person on unhoused person.

6:06

So and we look at kind of what's happening.

6:09

So a lot of it's disputes over property.

6:11

So this person, whether they stole the property or they believe they stole the property, turns into an assault, turns into an aggravated assault, somebody gets hit with something, stabbed or something.

6:21

So we are starting to see a lot of these offenses.

6:24

Well, we go in there to go try to look at things.

6:27

Well, there's camps all over the place, big large tents.

6:31

We can't really see what's going on in the tents, and they're obstructing the passageways for anybody going through there.

6:38

So we're forcing all the people that work there and all the people go into the resources to walk in the middle of the roadway, which is also a safety issue.

6:47

So we begin with asking people that's our obvious right in front of us, illegal illegal uh action that's we're observing, is that they're illegally camping.

6:58

So we go over there and we've had major success with people just cooperating with us.

7:02

Hey, you can't camp here, it's against city ordinance, you need to pick up your camp and go.

7:06

And as you can see on the uh, well, in our broader presentation, there's something like 734 warnings we've given out in comparison to 74 citations over the total time.

7:18

So only about one in ten times are we issuing a citation for the illegal camping or blocking the roadway, obstructing a sidewalk.

7:28

All issues that are creating an unsafe environment for everybody and creating small little environments where these assaults are occurring.

7:39

So our numbers overall, we've dropped significantly in major violent crime.

7:45

So we still are seeing around the same amount of minor assaults, which is like uh something that doesn't result in serious bodily injury, but all the ones that result in serious bodily injury, sexual assaults, robberies, all those things have dropped significantly.

8:03

My last question.

8:04

So when uh the officers approaching the illegal camping, are they asking for IDs and checking the IDs and then I think yesterday you may have mentioned that through some of the processes you was able to do.

8:15

Yeah, so it's standard police procedure that any time that we engage with someone in the public and they've committed a criminal offense that we're going to ask for their identification and we're going to run them in our databases.

8:27

So illegal illegal camping is the criminal offense.

8:30

Yes.

8:31

Okay.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Fiscal Sustainability████████████████████20%
Economic Development███████████████████19%
Historic Preservation████████████12%
Public Safety███████████11%
Public Engagement█████████9%
Homelessness████████8%
Community Engagement████████8%
Procedural██████6%
Water And Wastewater Management█████5%
Summary of Proceedings

Fort Worth City Council Work Session – March 3, 2026

The Fort Worth City Council held a work session on March 3, 2026, beginning at 2:01 p.m. and adjourning at 3:03 p.m. Mayor Pro Tem Carlos Flores presided. Mayor Mattie Parker, Council Member Macy Hill (District 7), and Council Member Alan Blaylock (District 10) were absent. The meeting covered informal reports, the annual financial report, a proposed economic development agreement, and updates on the Main Street America pilot program. Council members also requested several future reports.

Discussion Items

  • Informal Reports (City Manager)
    • Choctaw Code Talkers Historical Marker – Joel McKnight presented; no questions from council.
    • East Lancaster Corridor Public Safety Initiative – Police Commander Robert Stewart provided an overview. Since January 23, 2026, a coordinated effort involving the HOPE Unit, Environmental Services, and Patrol has addressed violent crime linked to illegal camping. A total of 74 citations were issued compared to 734 warnings (about 1 in 10 incidents resulting in a citation). Chief Garcia noted that two grids in the corridor ranked among the top 10 in the city for violent crime (aggravated assault, robbery, murder) out of over 95,000 grids citywide, emphasizing that the initiative is part of a broader crime prevention strategy. Council Member Nettles expressed concern that resources (especially the HOPE Team) were being diverted from other districts and requested a future assessment.
    • Support for Veteran-Owned Small Businesses – Ori Fernandez, Economic Development Assistant Director, reported that one dedicated staff member plus six team members support veteran-owned businesses. The city is expanding programming, including a May and November session. Council Member Nettles asked about registration and procurement set-asides; Fernandez confirmed that businesses certified through the SBA or other recognized agencies qualify for a 5% bid preference on contracts between $3,000 and $100,000, and that larger set-asides (over $100,000) are also available.
    • Water Service Disconnections and Winter Weather Practices – Water Director Chris Harder gave a brief overview, confirming no changes since 2023 when disconnection days were shifted from Friday to Thursday. No questions from council.
  • Annual Comprehensive Financial Report and Audit Results – Chief Financial Officer Reginald Zeno and Assistant Director Kate Perry presented the FY2025 financial report. Key highlights: the city received an unmodified (clean) audit opinion with no findings for the third consecutive year, allowing the city to be classified as a low-risk auditee. The first Popular Annual Financial Report (PAFR) was produced. The general fund ended with a fund balance of approximately 22% (policy target is 25%). The group health fund posted a $21 million operating loss, leaving a $10.3 million fund balance; significant changes to premiums or benefits may be needed. The pension liability remains 44% unfunded (awaiting annual valuation). Reserve compliance was met for most funds, except the Gulf Fund (with a two-year remediation plan) and the Information Technology internal service fund (with a five-year plan).
  • Proposed Economic Development Agreement with EDC Fort Worth LLC (Edge Data Center) – Cherie Gordon presented a 10-year tax abatement on 50% of business personal property (BPP) for a data center at Veal Ranch. The project represents a minimum $1.1 billion capital investment and 50 new full-time jobs averaging $73,000/year. Over the abatement period, total taxes generated are estimated at $68 million, with $18.2 million abated and $49.3 million in net new taxes. Of the real property tax ($31 million), 65% ($20 million) flows into the Veal Ranch TIF. Council members expressed support, calling it a good value proposition.
  • Main Street America Project Updates – Economic Development Coordinator Phillip Michael Smart gave an overall update on the pilot program started in 2023, funded by the LDC. Two districts participated: Historic Northside and Polytechnic Heights. Dr. DeWela Chandler (Texas Westland University) reported that Polytechnic Heights has moved into the implementation phase, including a community-based project management course, logo voting, and bylaws drafting. The district was selected as a 2025 American Express Neighborhood Champion. D. Lair O'Neill (Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce) reported Historic Northside accomplishments: 24,000+ visitors to events, $84 million in capital investment (14 projects), 302 new jobs projected, and $535,000 in independent funds raised, including a $250,000 multi-year commitment from the North Texas Communities Foundation. The LDC authorized a two-year extension (2026–2027) with up to $300,000 combined for both districts. Council Member Hall questioned why Polytechnic Heights received only $70,000 in project implementation funds for the extension while Historic Northside received $150,000 (including $150,000 in unused rollover funds). Staff clarified that the unused funds from the pilot were carried over, effectively reducing the new allocation for Poly. Council recognized both teams' work and took a group photo.

Key Outcomes

  • No votes were taken at the work session; items are set to proceed to formal council action on March 10, 2026.
  • The Annual Comprehensive Financial Report and audit results were presented and accepted for filing.
  • The proposed economic development agreement with EDC Fort Worth LLC will be considered under the March 10 M&C log.
  • The Main Street America program extension (two years, up to $300,000 combined) was noted as authorized by the LDC.
  • Council members requested three future reports:
    1. Council Member Nettles – A report on the impact of the East Lancaster corridor public safety initiative on HOPE Team resources citywide.
    2. Council Member Peoples – A report on city efforts regarding unhoused residents, including mitigation of encampments across all districts.
    3. Council Member Lauersdorf – A report on the fiscal impact of offering deeply discounted gym memberships at community centers for retired city employees, noting potential health benefit savings.

Meeting Transcript

Good afternoon, everybody. We have a quorum now, and I called to order the March 3rd City Council work session. Now turn it over to Jay Choppin. Jay, let's hear your report, sir. Good afternoon. Uh sorry we were not outside, and it's beautiful weather out there. Uh under upcoming and recent events, I wanted to remind everyone of the twenty twenty-five mayor's community engagement workshops and neighborhood awards luncheon this Saturday from uh at Doxology Church. So if you don't have it on your calendars, you might want to add that. So we'll move on to informal reports. The first one is twenty-six-three five Choctaw Code Talkers Historical Marker at Veterans Memorial Park. Joel McKnight with Park and Rec is here to answer any questions. Are there any questions on this uh informal report? None. The next Zero Zero Three Six Citations issued in the East Lancaster corridor related to the new public safety initiative. Robert Stewart, police commanders here. Answer any questions. Go ahead, Chris. Well, um, come on, if you can just give um an overview of the IR. I know we talked yesterday, and I have one or two questions I'll put on the record. Yeah. Um, so we began an initiative in the corridor at uh around January twenty-third. It's been going on today. So we had seen an uptick in violent crime over the over the fall. So we were tracking these numbers. We saw that we needed to address the violent crime. So we began uh with an SOF detail. We also incorporated the Hope Unit Environmental Services and Patrol all working together to address some of the issues of uh illegal camping, blocking the roadway, blocking the sidewalks, trying to get traffic offenses for people that are possibly bringing drugs into the area. So it's been a coordinated effort. We the IR basically had all the citations that were written to that date of the request. It also had it separated the citations that were issued during the time of the cold weather freeze. Now on the IR, it says the there was 12 citations issued during that time frame of January 23rd to January 27th. That was a you know the cold weather event was Friday, Saturday, Sunday really bad, started getting a little better on Monday and Tuesday. One citation was written on Monday, and all the rest of the citations were written on Tuesday. So during that time frame where we were dealing with that catastrophe, we were merely driving people to shelters, giving out bus passes, making sure that everybody was safe. I have a lot more I could go over with the with the initiative. If you have any questions specifically, well, as it relates to the illegal camping, because I think that was kind of a lot of the issues. Which one articulates that on this violent crime, or is it not listed here? So a lot of the violent crime what we've noticed, so in just looking at it and looking at the violent crime that we're seeing, a lot of it is unhoused person on unhoused person. So and we look at kind of what's happening. So a lot of it's disputes over property. So this person, whether they stole the property or they believe they stole the property, turns into an assault, turns into an aggravated assault, somebody gets hit with something, stabbed or something. So we are starting to see a lot of these offenses. Well, we go in there to go try to look at things. Well, there's camps all over the place, big large tents. We can't really see what's going on in the tents, and they're obstructing the passageways for anybody going through there. So we're forcing all the people that work there and all the people go into the resources to walk in the middle of the roadway, which is also a safety issue. So we begin with asking people that's our obvious right in front of us, illegal illegal uh action that's we're observing, is that they're illegally camping. So we go over there and we've had major success with people just cooperating with us. Hey, you can't camp here, it's against city ordinance, you need to pick up your camp and go. And as you can see on the uh, well, in our broader presentation, there's something like 734 warnings we've given out in comparison to 74 citations over the total time.

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