Fort Worth City Council Work Session - March 31, 2026
Fort Worth City Council Work Session - March 31, 2026
The Fort Worth City Council held a work session on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, starting at 9:05 AM and adjourning at 10:31 AM. The meeting featured employee recognitions, multiple informal reports, and presentations on DFW Airport bonds, greenspace initiatives, and property management. Council members also made several requests for future reports.
Employee Recognitions
- TPW Team (Smart Weather Sensor Project): Recognized as a recipient of the SMART 20 Award by Smart Cities Connect for the Smarter Weather and Safer Mobility Initiative, which uses a microweather sensor network to improve safety for autonomous vehicles, drones, and roadway users.
- Don Guy (Development Services): Received the Real Estate Council Excellence Award for exceptional dedication and leadership in fostering urban and regional development.
Informal Reports (City Manager's Report)
- Annual Development Activity Report for 2025 (26-0039): D.J. Harrell, Development Services Director, presented. No questions from council.
- Third Party Building Plan Review and Inspection Program (26-0040): Evan Roberts, Assistant Director, provided a summary. Council Member Beck asked about the program's overview, certification of third-party companies, spot checks (goal of 10% review), and potential penalties for errors. Roberts noted that the city is working to codify a fine structure for third-party companies that fail to meet standards. He also mentioned a state bill that would allow anyone with an ICC certification to perform inspections, which the city opposed due to lack of oversight.
- City Preparation for FIFA World Cup (26-0041): Sonny Saxton, Emergency Management Director, provided an update. Council Member Peoples asked about federal reimbursement funds flowing through the state and the North Texas host committee; Saxton confirmed communication and that no specific award amount had been given yet. Council Member Flores asked about takeaways from a March 10 meeting; Saxton highlighted 1.5 million projected visitors, $1.5–2.1 billion economic impact, and coordination across five work groups. The ambassador program (via Visit Fort Worth and Leadership Fort Worth) was noted with over 400 sign-ups.
- Enforcement Responsibility for Front/Side Yard Parking Violations (26-0042): Commander Antione Williams (Police) and Brian Daugherty (Code Compliance) presented. The police had primary responsibility in 2025, responding to 12,631 parking calls (8% involving front/side yard parking) and issuing 402 citations. The new approach shifts primary enforcement to Code Compliance, with a sticker-based notice of violation first, then citations. Implementation begins in May. Council Member Crain and others expressed support. Daugherty also noted the animal care team achieved a 90% live release rate.
- Financial Achievements Update (26-0043): Reggie Zeno, CFO, announced the city received its fifth transparency star (for procurement transparency) out of six possible. Council Member Blaylock thanked the team.
- Fluoride in Drinking Water (26-0044): Chris Harder, Water Director, provided an overview. Fort Worth has fluoridated water since 1965, following CDC guidelines. The EPA is conducting a toxicity assessment, which may inform future HHS recommendations. Council Member Hill asked about a state bill (SB 2653) that would prohibit fluoridation; Harder noted Utah banned it. The city provides water to 1.5 million people and 33 wholesale customers. No warnings are currently provided to pregnant women or infants.
- Update on Fiscal Year 2026 Mid-Year Adjustments for Operating PIDs and Tourism PID (26-0045): Brady Kirk, FWLab Finance Assistant Director, presented. No questions.
Questions Regarding Boards and Commissions / M&C Log
- No changes were announced.
Dallas Fort Worth International Airport - Bond Documents and Code Amendments
- Brian Butler, DFW Airport EVP and CFO, introduced the presentation. The airport is seeking authorization to borrow up to $3 billion in debt over the next year as part of a $9 billion capital plan for the Central Terminal Area expansion ($3 billion) and Terminal F ($4 billion, 31 gates for American Airlines). Russell Selkirk, VP of Treasury Management, detailed the bond ordinance updates (master and supplemental) to modernize language and allow new financing instruments. The 72nd–75th supplemental bond ordinances include authorization for up to $3 billion in debt, commercial paper refunding, and increasing commercial paper program limits from $750M to $1.5B (Series 1) and $600M to $1B (Series 2). The airport expects to maintain its A1/A-/AA ratings. Omar Elbagalati, AVP of Code, Construction and Survey, presented code amendments to allow the airport to have third-party special inspections funded by the contractor rather than the airport, to reduce duplication and increase capacity. Council Member Peoples asked about quality assurance; Elbagalati noted a $60 million QA budget for the bond program.
Overview of Greenspace Initiatives
- Allison Docker, Greenspace Initiatives Manager, presented on the city's green space strategy. The goal is to conserve 10,000 acres; 3,400 acres have been added (34% of goal) through acquisitions, partnerships, and policy. The city's open space program has preserved over 600 acres since 2019. Video shown. Docker highlighted ecosystem services (flood mitigation, water quality, temperature regulation). A proposed natural land management policy will be brought forward. A goat program for invasive removal and prescribed burns were noted. Council asked no questions.
Property Management Facility Update
- Valerie Washington, Assistant City Manager, and Marilyn Marvin, Property Management Director, provided an update on 200 Texas Street (old city hall). The plan now includes moving police central division and bike patrol (Phase 1, $4.4M, CCPD-funded), Calvert and ITS help desk (Phase 2, CCPD-funded), system infrastructure (Phase 3, $5.5M, funding gap), and the library history center (Phase 4, contingent on bond, $1.7M gap). The Taylor Street garage will be retained. Council Member Crain asked about the history center location and cost; Midori (Library) noted the collection is currently stored off-site and that reconsolidation would improve access. Council Member Blaylock asked about the reverter clause on old city hall; Washington will follow up with GSA. Council Member Peoples asked about municipal court expansion; Washington noted current space is adequate but will keep options open.
City Council Requests for Future Agenda Items and/or Reports
- Mayor Pro Tem Flores: Requested an informal report on enhanced enforcement efforts for street takeovers.
- Council Member Hall: Requested an informal report on the impact of Senate Bill 1008 and House Bill 2844 on local jurisdiction authority to regulate mobile food vendor operations, prompted by a constituent case.
- Council Member Martinez: Requested two reports: (1) on contractor infrastructure projects (bond improvements in residential areas) to ensure adherence to timelines; (2) on response times from Development Services regarding inspections for unpermitted work.
- Council Member Peoples: Requested a report on the process for bidding out contracts to ensure small business participation.
Key Outcomes
- City Council received all presentations and reports; no formal votes were taken as this was a work session.
- Direction was given to staff to prepare requested informal reports for future council meetings.
- The city will proceed with funding Phases 1 and 2 of the 200 Texas Street project using CCPD funds, with an M&C to follow.
- The airport's bond ordinance amendments and code changes will be presented for formal approval at the April 28, 2026 council meeting.
Meeting Transcript
Good morning and welcome to your Fort City Council work session. I will call us to order. Jay, the meeting is all yours. Good morning. Um show me some grace. Allergies are really bad, so if I sneeze or something goes off. Um, for upcoming and recent events, we don't have anything specific to announce, but organizational updates and employee recognitions. I'd like to call Lauren Prieer to recognize TPW team as recipients of the Smart 20 Award. Good morning, Mayor and Council. Fort Worth has been recognized internationally for our leadership in emerging mobility technologies. Our Smart ER Weather and Safer Mobility Initiative was selected as one of this year's Smart 20 award recipients by Smart Cities Connect. So this project uses an intelligent microweather sensor network to provide highly localized real-time weather data, improving safety and reliability for autonomous vehicles, advance air mobility, drones, and everyday roadway users. So the award presented earlier this month at the Smart Cities Connect Conference in Raleigh highlights Fort Worth's commitment to innovation, strong cross-sector collaboration. So we're proud to see our work making a global impact and strengthening the future of mobility in our community. But traditional tools weren't built for our roads, skies, or emerging technologies. Through the Smarter Weather, Safer Mobility Initiative, we're capturing real-time weather from the street to the sky, helping the city protect people, strengthen operations, and advance our Vision Zero initiatives. The project is powered by a partnership with the City of Fort Worth, U.S. Department of Transportation Smart Grant Program, North Central Texas Council of Governments, Hillwood, two other solutions, Turk Robotics, regional innovators, and the city are working hard to develop this system of weather intelligence software and hardware that helps us keep traffic moving, supports freight, and also enhances safety across our city and the region. Small powerful sensors now line key routes, measuring temperature, wind visibility, precipitation in real time. That data flows into a shared platform that we monitor, helping our crews and residents stay safe during weather events, trucks and autonomous vehicles navigate hazards, and drones operate with precision. The results are already clear. Safer streets, strong supply chains, smarter maintenance, and more resilient economy. At this project's core, this initiative is about people, our families, our crews that work at the city, the drivers that use our roads, and the businesses that make Fort Worth thrive. As the network continues to grow, we're going to continue innovating and keeping Fort Worth safe, connected, and ready for a world-class future. The future mobility is taking shape, and it starts right here in Fort Worth. Thank you all. You're not going to give a speech, Kelly. Not today. Good morning, Mayor and Council. It is my privilege to introduce or recognize Don Guy, who is a plants exam supervisor here with us as the recipient of the real estate council's Excellence Award. The award is given for exceptional dedication, innovation, and leadership in fostering urban and regional development. And we have a video we'd like to share from the recognition ceremony. Excellence Award honors exceptional public servants who go above and beyond to foster urban and regional development. Those of you who don't know Don Guy, let me tell you why we're honoring Don today. So if you ever been to City Hall and you've had drama with your building permit, whether it's commercial, residential, you've gotten flagged by code enforcement, can't get through building inspections. Can we get your plans approved in the first place? Don is usually you're gonna end up talking to. I'm Don Guy, plans examiner with the city of Fort Worth. I've been with the city just under eight years now. I like working with the customers, helping them solve their problems. The best thing is to be able to see the customers project come to life in there, and helping them understand the whys in that customer service is understanding what the customer wants when they're not quite sure. Empathy and uh just seeing their project through to the end. We all have the same idea and goal in mind is that economic development and getting into a safe uh building. The 2026 Excellence Award is sponsored by Post L Group. Congratulations to Don Guy. Thank you, Don, for everything you do and for showing uh leadership and and how you do it. Thank you. It was an honor to receive this. Congratulations, Don. That was great.
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