Fort Worth City Council Worksession Summary – June 2, 2026

The Fort Worth City Council held a worksession on June 2, 2026, from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM at City Hall, with Mayor Mattie Parker presiding and 10 council members present (Council Member Lauersdorf absent). The session featured updates and presentations on debt financing, development services, floodplain mapping, and several major policy items including the management transition of Will Rogers Memorial Center, a proposed economic development agreement with Seco Enterprises, downtown library and community arts plans, and proposed regulations for data center development.

Presentation on Will Rogers Memorial Center Management Transition

Assistant City Manager Jesica McEachern presented a recommendation to outsource the day-to-day operations of the 90-year-old facility to Gindy Street Management Corporation, a joint venture of the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo and Trail Drive Management Corporation (operator of Dickies Arena). Key points include:

• The city has managed Will Rogers since 1936; rising deficits and capital needs, combined with competing demands from the Convention Center expansion, drove the push for third-party management.
• Under the proposed Qualified Management Agreement (QMA), Gindy Street would handle operations; the city retains budget approval and covers any operating deficit. Any financial improvements must be reinvested into the facility.
• Transition funding of up to $2 million and an annual management fee of $120,000 are included.
• All current employees will be offered comparable positions with Gindy Street, and those within five years of retirement can remain city employees until eligibility.
• Council members expressed broad support, particularly highlighting the partnership history and employee protections. The M&C is scheduled for June 9 council meeting.

Presentation of Proposed Economic Development Agreement with Seco Enterprises

Economic Development Manager Michael Hennig presented a 10-year Economic Development Program Agreement for a mixed-use project on Panther Island. Highlights:

• Seco Enterprises proposes a 12-story, 290-unit apartment building with ground-floor retail, totaling 250,000 sq. ft. and a minimum $100 million investment.
• To address a financial gap, the city would provide annual grants based on 80% of incremental property taxes (capped at $1M/year) to achieve a 6.5% yield on cost. Additionally, 5% of incremental taxes would go to the Housing Finance Corporation for affordable housing.
• The project includes public improvements such as pedestrian access to the canal and utility relocation.
• Council Member Flores voiced support, noting it as a catalyst for Panther Island. The M&C will be considered on June 9.

Update on Downtown Library and Community Arts

Assistant City Manager Dana Burghdoff reported on plans for a new downtown library and a community arts incubator. After determining that renovating the former Center for Transforming Lives building at 512 W 4th Street would cost $30.5 million—without yielding a modern library—staff pivoted to:

• Repurposing the 4th Street building as a city-managed community arts incubator, with spaces for artist studios, performance, and galleries. A working group chaired by Bob Jameson and including Council Members Peoples, Hill, Beck, and Martinez will gather public input.
• Constructing a new downtown library (estimated $36 million) funded through debt capacity from defeasance and certificates of obligation, with potential fundraising by the Fort Worth Library Foundation.
• A feasibility study for the future of 1300 Gendy Street (former convention center) will begin in July, funded by foundations and Visit Fort Worth.
• Council members commended staff for creative solutions and stressed the need to honor the commitment for a downtown library.

Data Center Development Regulations

Jesica McEachern delivered an extensive presentation on proposals to regulate data center development across four areas:

• Zoning: Define cryptocurrency mining separately and prohibit it; require 250-foot building setbacks from residential areas; establish new development standards (screening, landscaping, lighting).
• Noise: Require pre-development ambient noise studies and cap sound levels at 5 dB above baseline within 250 feet of residential property; limit standby generator testing to weekdays 8 AM–5 PM.
• Water & Wastewater: Mandate closed-loop cooling systems (reducing water use significantly) and require a wastewater pre-treatment permit for all data centers.
• Economic Development Incentives: Increase minimum investment threshold to $500 million; require identified end-user, maintain business personal property value, cap incentives at 50% of tax revenue.
• Implementation timeline aims for adoption by August 11, 2026, with a public open house in late June.
• Council discussion raised concerns about noise enforcement feasibility (Council Member Beck), the inability to cap building sizes (Council Member Martinez), and the appropriateness of offering incentives (Council Member Beck opposed). Council Member Hill requested a fiscal impact analysis comparing residential vs. data center costs. Council Member Nettles and others emphasized robust public engagement. Overall, council expressed support for moving forward with regulations while refining details.

Other Informal Reports and City Council Requests

• Several informal reports were presented but received limited discussion, including the 2026 Debt Financing Plan, Development Services Inspection Response Times, Master Transportation Plan Update, NFIP Repetitive Loss Area Update, FEMA Floodplain Mapping Updates, Neighborhood WiFi Program, Opportunity Zone 2.0 Nominations, EMS Billing RFP, Rainwater Charitable Foundation Literacy Grant, Mobile Food Vendor Inspections, Selection Process for Capital Project Contractors, and Project Safe Neighborhoods Update.
• Council members requested additional information on several topics: models comparing residential vs. data center service costs (Hill); community engagement options for data centers (Martinez); ability to cap data center sizes (Beck); enforcement options for noise and prohibition of bitcoin mining (Beck); impact on small data centers (Martinez); details on compensation study funding (Nettles); cost of weight loss programs and dependent verification audit (Beck); and identification of council districts impacted by NFIP repetitive loss areas (Beck).

Key Outcomes

• Staff will proceed with developing regulatory amendments for data centers, targeting public engagement in late June and council adoption on August 11, 2026. No moratorium was enacted; the timeline obviates the need.
• The Will Rogers Memorial Center management transition and the Seco Enterprises economic development agreement will be presented for formal approval at the June 9, 2026 council meeting.
• The downtown library and community arts working group will convene over the summer to refine plans.
• Various staff reports were noted and accepted; future agenda items will include requested follow-up analyses.