What it’s all about

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This Administration has been laser-focused on putting public safety first.

But keeping Dallas residents safe is not only the responsibility of this Administration and the Dallas Police Department. Community leaders, faith leaders, business leaders, and philanthropists are among those who have a role to play in building a safer city.

And last week, Dallas received a major philanthropic boost in its efforts to keep residents safe in the years ahead when the Communities Foundation of Texas announced a $10 million grant for a planned state-of-the-art Law Enforcement Training Center at the University of North Texas at Dallas. This generous donation is in addition to a $20 million allocation from the Texas Legislature that we advocated for last year.

This new training center will become the home of the Dallas Police Academy, which currently operates out of a severely outdated facility a few miles away in the Red Bird area.

A new academy — and the higher-education partnership it creates with UNT — will help Dallas become a bona fide national leader in law enforcement training. And, frankly, Dallas should have the best-trained police officers in the nation. Better training will mean better outcomes, a safer city, and improved morale for police officers.

This is what this job is all about — putting public safety first and moving this city forward.

Bond Proposal

As you know, the Dallas City Council for months has been discussing a potential 2024 bond program.

On Wednesday, those discussions at City Hall came to an end when the Dallas City Council voted 14–1 to call an election on a $1.25 billion bond program — which is broken down into 10 propositions.

Now it will be up to voters to decide. Early voting begins April 22 and runs through April 30. Election Day is May 4.

The Dallas City Council approved the following allocations to go on the ballot:

A new bond with Ukraine

As you likely remember, in 2022, the Dallas City Council unanimously supported my resolution condemning the Russian Federation’s unlawful invasion of Ukraine and suspending Dallas’s Sister City relationship with Saratov, Russia.

Earlier this month, Dallas formed a new bond with the City of Kharkiv, Ukraine. Mayor Igor Terekov and I signed a Friendship Agreement between the cities of Dallas and Kharkiv.

Kharkiv is the second-largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1.4 million — about the same size as the City of Dallas. This Friendship Agreement is fitting — both Dallas and Kharkiv residents have demonstrated great resilience during challenging times.

This Agreement is a direct result of conversations with a Ukrainian official that started during my visit to the World Economic Forum. The two cities are committing to creating a productive partnership in areas of mutual benefit, including economic, educational, and cultural exchanges.

In addition, Dallas will display the Kharkiv, Ukraine city flag in Dallas City Hall’s Flag Room until the war ends as a show of solidarity and support for Ukraine. After the war, the Kharkiv City Flag will then be placed in the permanent Sister City display case.

Dallas continues to stand with the people of Ukraine against this unlawful aggression by the Russian Federation. This agreement can make Dallas stronger while also helping Kharkiv rebuild and thrive in the years to come.

That’s all for now. More updates soon.

Hope you had a peaceful Presidents Day Weekend, and please, take care of yourselves and others.