Fort Worth Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee Meeting – August 4, 2026
Fort Worth Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee Meeting – August 4, 2026
The Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee of the Fort Worth City Council met on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, at 10:00 AM in the City Council Work Session Room. Committee members present: Michael D. Crain (Chair), Carlos E. Flores, Macy Hill, Elizabeth M. Beck, and Deborah Peoples. City staff included Jesus “Jay” Chapa, Leann Guzman, and Jannette S. Goodall. The meeting was called to order, and the minutes from May 5, 2026, were approved unanimously.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of May 5, 2026, minutes – motion passed; no opposition noted.
Public Comments & Testimony
- None.
Discussion Items
- Railroad Grade Separation Projects – Kelly Porter, Assistant Director, Transportation & Public Works, presented on the city’s 200+ at-grade railroad crossings, affecting over 100,000 vehicles daily. Safety and economic development are top priorities. The top project is at 23rd and Decatur Street, with seven at-grade tracks within 300 feet; estimated cost ~$98 million. Applications have been submitted for state (TxDOT SB 1555) and federal funding. A pilot of TrainFlow sensor technology (already used in Arlington and Frisco) will be deployed at North Main Street (District 2) and West 7th Street (District 9) to monitor crossing blockages. Porter also noted partnerships with Tarrant County and TxDOT on other grade-separation projects (Bonds Ranch West, Blue Mound Road West, FM 2871). No action was taken.
- Overview of the 21st Century Road to Housing Act – Senior Assistant City Attorney Leslie Hunt provided a high-level briefing on the federal act signed into law July 11, 2026. The act authorizes various grant programs and pilot initiatives (e.g., single-stair multifamily buildings, small-dollar mortgages, temperature sensors, home repairs, pre-approved housing designs, conversion of vacant buildings). Most programs lack dedicated funding and require future appropriations. Notably, the act restricts large corporate buyers from owning more than 350 single-family homes. It also requires cities receiving CDBG funds to maintain a searchable database of undeveloped city-owned land. A review of BABA requirements is due by January 7, 2027. No action was taken.
- Proposed Changes to Chapter 10 of City Code (Courts) – Municipal Court Director William Rumuly presented recommended amendments, including: removing the ad hoc municipal court advisory committee; sending all judicial appointments directly to city council; requiring the chief judge to provide annual performance reports to council; adding a $5 civil security fee and a $5 civil technology fee for parking violations; increasing the boot fee from $50 to $75 (first increase since 1988); and eliminating a $10 non-refundable administrative appeal fee for parking cases. Councilmember Peoples inquired about budget impact; estimated $150,000 annually from the two $5 fees and ~$5,000–$6,000 from the boot fee increase. Councilmember Hill questioned the transparency of the judicial appointment process if it bypasses the committee, suggesting formalization of the selection panel. A motion to recommend approval to the full city council passed (voice vote, no opposition noted).
- Appointment of Two New Substitute Judges – Chief Judge Simón C. González recommended appointing Brittany McAfee and Lisa Sofos as substitute part-time judges for a term ending March 31, 2027, at a pay rate of $64 per hour (consistent with existing substitute judges). Both are licensed attorneys with backgrounds in solo practice. The overage positions have no budget impact. A motion to approve the appointments and salary passed.
Key Outcomes
- Approval of May 5, 2026, minutes – Unanimous.
- Recommendation on changes to Chapter 10 (Courts) – Motion passed; will be forwarded to city council for final action (effective dates vary; fees effective October 1, 2026, via budget ordinance; other changes effective immediately).
- Appointment of substitute judges – Motion passed; Brittany McAfee and Lisa Sofos appointed effective August 11, 2026, at $64/hour.
The meeting adjourned without further business.
Meeting Transcript
All right, I would call this meeting of the government affairs committee to order. First order of business is approval of the May 5th minutes. Do I hear a motion? Yeah, all those in favor? Any opposed? Motion passes. All right. We've got some briefings today. First is from Kelly Porter. Railroad grade separation projects. Good morning. Can you try to can you hear me? All right. I'm gonna try to stay on track. So let me know if I derail us. Oh starting August Fresh there. All right. All right. All right. So back last D, this June, I'll adopt an Australian tradition team in a very robust. Six days in that plan. Safety was number one. Economic development competitiveness. All classes of this program. So I'm gonna talk not just about hard infrastructure like bridge and success. The accurate proposal crosses are also gonna talk about today about how we're incorporating some of those roles into what we do. We've got over 200 accurate crossings citywide. So one of the highest numbers in the city of Texas, we have over a hundred thousand vehicles impacted by these accurate crossings in the city. We've had quite a few uh injuries and fatalities at these costs. So we know that as our population grows, there continues to be additional conflicts in here since before the civil war. And uh they also have major impacts and quality of life from just the ability to be able to get to and fro. And then part of safety isn't just conflicts between the uh rail vehicles, it's also public uh first responders and the public safety element too. And so you'll see some of that pepper down here as well. So our railroad uh crossing um priorities are really thought through based on federal, state uh programs and the goals of those programs, and then also of course our local uh priorities here. But our number one focus, of course, is safety with upgrading these casings. Um, and then of course, we want to make sure that people want their Amazon packages and other things delivered to them and car or whatnot, that they can the trains can bring those things to you. We want to integrate those into our overall network and really create a coordinated effort in allowing for uh safe and efficient movement of people and goods. And that's that's really uh a hallmark of what a lot of these federal and state programs want to look at and how these projects are prioritized. So I'm gonna talk to you specifically about one project that's like the number one on the list uh that you might have gotten. It's on the next slide. I'll talk to you about 26 projects that we've identified, but I'll talk to you about the the number one on the list. Uh that's 23rd indicator. We have seven at grade railroad tracks in one place in a span of maybe 300 feet. Generally, our federal and state programs are going to uh prioritize projects that uh they want to see number one conversions of existing at grade crossings are gonna be the number one priority. So you got seven there. So that's one reason why this crossing does rate really highly. And if you've ever been up there, which I've taken some of our Congress folks up there and and others, it is a sight to see because you wait for one train, another one's coming through, and so it's just like that in that area. But we've had quite a few issues there. It's a big project. Um, it's almost a hundred million dollars, but we do have applications in uh with TechSot for the state bill 1555 funding.
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