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Record of Proceedings

Fort Worth CDC Meeting: Animal Shelter, Housing Strategy, Literacy Updates - September 15, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, September 15, 2026
BodyFort Worth, Texas
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, September 15, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:06:38

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it
5:02

But like if I did float in here.

5:04

That would be a hard time.

5:09

You would win every argument.

5:20

Well, I would just win my eyes till we grow.

5:34

That would be bad if you want to make your other thing.

6:00

Yeah, that's a pretty good idea.

6:11

So I want to find it.

6:46

Oh, I would draw it.

6:55

So it wasn't my big day.

7:25

Yeah, but I can draw it.

7:50

I'm not saying we're not going to have a second.

8:09

Oh no, we might have to do it.

8:28

We went in with that there.

8:31

But it would be smaller one.

8:33

Just for a second, like one marker.

8:49

Although I think it's quite a small.

8:53

I mean, it's a good thing.

8:59

Well, that's the second one.

9:18

We've had a lot of science.

9:23

Yeah, we can have a lot of things.

9:42

I need to make it.

9:46

Yeah.

9:54

Like stun on the pressing.

10:05

Well you're like, it's good.

10:22

Oh, so you don't remember.

10:35

I didn't do that.

10:47

Yeah, like you know, this is more sound like that.

11:01

Yeah, you give more minutes on the clean like the same thing.

11:17

They have to do it.

11:23

You can send the turn on the other.

12:38

Oh.

12:38

This guy apparently is fine.

12:49

Yeah.

12:57

Yeah, no, no.

13:00

The one that's not in Arlington became a problem, but it was not there.

13:04

They have a terrible relationship with your daughter.

13:08

When I say this, they were in their eighties, she was in later sixties.

13:14

Like when the first time we talked to her, like oh, a couple of months ago.

13:16

And I was like, how can you normally talk?

13:18

And they're like, maybe we clear in the hallway and we'd say something.

13:22

When I say there was a path to their house about this, why have our staff and uh she had been dead in that bed for uh she stopped doing her keyboard treatment, she'd been dead in that bed.

13:32

And when I went in the house, I was like, what?

13:35

Is that smell?

13:36

I've got a lot of boarding modes.

14:01

Unless you remove them and demolish the house, not anything you can do.

14:07

And within a month, they were back the way they were.

14:10

If they have a they have a sense of value they can't turn off, and every single thing they see, they're like, Well, no, no, and you're like, no.

14:16

No, let's put some nihilism in here, you don't need any of this stuff.

14:19

You just let's go to the line.

14:21

Yeah, no, it's there was one guy there that we went to.

14:24

And I don't know why a fall beers drink in real amount of buttons.

14:30

Right.

14:33

Did that stay out?

18:52

What time is it?

18:53

All right.

18:54

Yeah.

18:56

All right.

18:57

I think we're ready to get started, right?

18:59

Okay, everybody settle in.

19:02

And welcome.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Affordable Housing█████████████████████████████29%
Miscellaneous██████████████████████22%
Animal Welfare██████████████████18%
Literacy Programs███████████████15%
Procedural████4%
Community Engagement██2%
Parks and Recreation██2%
Public Safety██2%
Engineering And Infrastructure██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Fort Worth CDC Meeting: Animal Shelter, Housing Strategy, Literacy Updates - September 15, 2026

The Fort Worth Community Development Commission (CDC) convened on September 15, 2026, at 3:19 PM. The meeting included approval of prior minutes, a presentation on the new animal shelter site selection, an update on the Neighborhood Conservation Plan and Housing Affordability Strategy, and a report on library literacy efforts. No public comments were heard.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of August 11, 2026 Meeting Minutes: A motion and second were made; without discussion or corrections, the minutes were approved unanimously.

Discussion Items

  • New Animal Shelter Presentation (Brian Doherty, Director of Code Compliance):

    • Voters approved a $59.8 million bond for a new facility to replace the Chuck and Brenda Silcox Animal Care and Adoption Center. The design budget is $5.9 million, utilities/site prep $1.4 million, and construction $52.5 million. Capacity will be approximately 600, similar to current 540–550, but with room for expansion via pod design for better disease mitigation.
    • Four sites were evaluated. The recommended site is 6300 Willard Road, a five-acre city-owned property. It eliminates land acquisition costs, has existing water/wastewater infrastructure, and connects to green space/trails. Other sites were rejected due to unwillingness to subdivide, elevation challenges, proximity to schools/daycares, or utility easements.
    • Next Steps: Confirm Willard Road as the site; advertise for an architectural firm; in January 2027 begin facility programming; in April 2027 issue an RFQ for construction. Stakeholders (humane society, Operation Kindness, Best Friends) will be involved.
  • Neighborhood Conservation Plan & Housing Affordability Strategy Update (Casey Thomas):

    • The five-year plan (2023–2028) includes 41 recommendations. Of 17 neighborhood conservation strategies, 16 have been started/completed; of 24 housing affordability strategies, 20 have been started/completed. Challenges include lack of dedicated staffing/funding and staff turnover.
    • Highlights:
      • Engaged Fort Worth Community Academy (resident training) postponed to spring 2027 due to budget; applications were paused.
      • Strategy 7/10: NetForce program (intensive code enforcement) launched December 2025, showing success in cleaning problem properties.
      • Strategy 19 (eviction diversion with Tarrant County): program ended when COVID funding expired; staff noted alternative rental assistance through Veterans Commission and HUD grants.
      • Strategy 1 (land bank): Housing Finance Corporation actively acquiring tax-foreclosed properties; six acquired in 2026, more planned in 2027.
      • Strategy 5 (neighborhood pattern book): RFP to be released for pre-approved designs including missing middle housing (duplexes, townhomes).
      • Strategy 8 (housing bond): $10 million approved; policy development underway for homeownership and rental opportunities.
      • Strategy 14 (priority repair program): $2.5 million in FY2026, up from previous years.
      • Strategy 17 (code enforcement at rentals): Police Department's crime-free multi-housing program shows reduced crime and maintenance costs at participating properties.
    • Council Member Requests:
      • Council Member Peoples requested a list of properties enrolled in the crime-free multi-housing program.
      • Council Member Peoples requested the number of veterans assisted through the Texas Veterans Commission rental/mortgage assistance.
      • Council Member O'Donnell asked about middle housing zoning; staff noted pattern book and possible zoning text amendment, and will consider council-initiated zoning for infill lots.
      • Council Member O'Donnell also requested stronger enforcement for housing voucher tenants causing neighborhood issues; staff will coordinate with Tarrant County and Fort Worth Housing Solutions.
  • Library Literacy Efforts Report (Janna):

    • Reported on the 2026 Mayor's Summer Reading Challenge and broader family literacy initiatives.
    • Results:
      • Kickoff at Trinity Park attracted nearly 1,400 attendees.
      • 57% of registrants were active participants (increase from 2025).
      • 33% increase in overall registration; 56% increase in Spanish-language children's program registration.
      • Record 5.8 million minutes read, a 32% increase over 2025. Minutes read by ages 0–5 doubled.
      • Preliminary survey: 90% want to use library more; 85% say kids maintained/increased reading skills; 80% say kids more confident readers.
      • 2,275 programs offered (reduced from 2025), but average attendance per program increased 12%. 40% increase at special summer programs. Over half of summer program attendees participated in literacy programs (story times, ESL, GED, etc.).
    • Fall Programs: Examples include a college/trade school fair at Le Grand Biblioteca (Sept. 19) and "Growing a Reader" parent workshop (virtual, twice).

Key Outcomes

  • Directives to Staff:
    • Provide Council Member Peoples with a list of properties in the crime-free multi-housing program and the number of veterans helped via Texas Veterans Commission funding.
    • Explore stronger enforcement for housing voucher tenants and coordinate with housing authorities.
  • Next Steps:
    • Animal shelter: Confirm Willard Road site; proceed with architectural firm search.
    • Housing strategy: Staff to prioritize remaining recommendations and propose modifications (e.g., drop eviction diversion) in a future update.
    • Library: Continue literacy programming; fall initiatives underway.
  • Adjournment: The regular meeting was adjourned, followed by an executive session (exact session) for council members.

Meeting Transcript

But like if I did float in here. That would be a hard time. You would win every argument. Well, I would just win my eyes till we grow. That would be bad if you want to make your other thing. Yeah, that's a pretty good idea. So I want to find it. Oh, I would draw it. So it wasn't my big day. Yeah, but I can draw it. I'm not saying we're not going to have a second. Oh no, we might have to do it. We went in with that there. But it would be smaller one. Just for a second, like one marker. Although I think it's quite a small. I mean, it's a good thing. Well, that's the second one. We've had a lot of science. Yeah, we can have a lot of things. I need to make it. Yeah. Like stun on the pressing. Well you're like, it's good. Oh, so you don't remember. I didn't do that. Yeah, like you know, this is more sound like that. Yeah, you give more minutes on the clean like the same thing. They have to do it. You can send the turn on the other. Oh. This guy apparently is fine. Yeah. Yeah, no, no. The one that's not in Arlington became a problem, but it was not there. They have a terrible relationship with your daughter. When I say this, they were in their eighties, she was in later sixties. Like when the first time we talked to her, like oh, a couple of months ago. And I was like, how can you normally talk? And they're like, maybe we clear in the hallway and we'd say something. When I say there was a path to their house about this, why have our staff and uh she had been dead in that bed for uh she stopped doing her keyboard treatment, she'd been dead in that bed. And when I went in the house, I was like, what? Is that smell? I've got a lot of boarding modes. Unless you remove them and demolish the house, not anything you can do. And within a month, they were back the way they were. If they have a they have a sense of value they can't turn off, and every single thing they see, they're like, Well, no, no, and you're like, no. No, let's put some nihilism in here, you don't need any of this stuff. You just let's go to the line. Yeah, no, it's there was one guy there that we went to.

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