The mayor of Dallas says, as the city has grown, it also needs to keep up with "challenges" related to that growth. Eric Johnson delivered his "State of the City" address Wednesday.
"I am proud to say the state of our city is stronger than ever," Johnson said.
Johnson credited Police Chief Eddie Garcia with spearheading a drop in violent crime, saying Garcia has used a "data-driven, community-based and resource conscious" crime reduction plan.
"It's still early, but the turnaround has been nothing short of remarkable," he says. "All of us up here are committed to ensuring you live in the safest large city in America."
From 2010 to 2020, the U.S. Census says Dallas grew about nine percent, adding 106,563 residents to a total of 1.3 million. Johnson says that growth has been encouraging, but he says Dallas has been slow to recognize "challenges." He listed a drop in the number of police officers and also says other cities in North Texas have caught Dallas "napping" by attracting more business with lower taxes and better schools.
He says cities in the area succeed when they work together, but cities in Collin County have left Dallas "in the dust" of new construction and economic development.
"It's time to assert ourselves more aggressively," Johnson says. "Dallas is the economic engine for this entire region and, my friends, we need to start acting like it."
Johnson laid out a six-point plan to draw economic development. He says Dallas has reduced the property tax rate six straight years, but the city must do more to relieve pressure on homeowners and business owners dealing with rising valuations.
Second, Johnson says Dallas needs to move "thoughtfully but swiftly" to create an economic development corporation that encourages growth in southern Dallas.
Third, Johnson says Dallas needs to create a "culture of innovation and entrepreneurship" to put the city on a path toward becoming a national "tech hub." Johnson has appointed an entrepreneur-in-residence to "ensure Dallas attracts new capital and earns the attention befitting the city that brought the world the microchip and helped usher in the tech revolution."
Fourth, Johnson says Dallas "needs to put our city on the international stage." He says Dallas should do more to enhance international business ties and international tourism. Johnson says he is working to bring additional foreign trade offices to Dallas. North Texas is also bidding for the 2026 World Cup, working with FC Dallas.
Fifth, Johnson says the city should renovate and modernize Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center. He says that would help attract businesses from around the world, but Dallas should also focus on additional development nearby to create a more "walkable" environment, similar the area around the Cedars and AT&T Discovery District along Main Street.
Sixth, Johnson says Dallas should focus on economic development "to empower our residents." He says Dallas has judged the health of its economy by the number of jobs created or business deals. Johnson says those are important to grow the tax base, but "to truly build for our city's future and specifically, for the future of southern Dallas, we have to start thinking about the people who can fill those jobs, the people who already call our city home."
Johnson says to encourage that growth, he will release results of a workforce development report Thursday and name a "workforce czar" early next year.
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