The Fort Worth City Council approved a flurry of contracts, resolutions and zoning changes during the final council meeting before its July break.
The council will resume meeting on Aug. 2. City services will not be interrupted during the July break, and the mayor and council’s office will be fully staffed. Residents may still direct complaints or concerns to their council member and the mayor’s office, or:
- Call 817-392-1234
- Submit comments through the MyFW app
- Text HELLO to 817-835-MYFW (6939)
- Or use the built-in chat on the city website.
The City Council has scheduled a month-long break in July since 2016.
Boards and commissions can choose to continue meeting through the month of July. Council committees, like the audit committee and Neighborhood Quality and Revitalization Committee, will not meet during July, communications coordinator for the mayor and council said.
Residents may view a full list of meetings and events on the city’s calendar.
The final meeting before the July break was interrupted several times when council members clashed with meeting attendees. Mayor Mattie Parker cut off speaker Thomas Torlincasi during his comments, saying he was continuously off topic from the agenda item up for discussion.
“This is not a performance at Casa Manana,” Parker said.
Another attendee, Manuel Mata, was kicked out of the building after standing in a media staging area and narrating a video.
Here’s what the council approved:
Sidewalks are coming to Randol Mill Road from Woodhaven Boulevard to Interstate 820 and from Shady Lane Drive to Randol Mill Road. The $4.2 million project will use Tax Increment Financing district funds. The project will be included in the city’s 2022 through 2026 capital improvement fund.
The city will purchase a project management system from e-Builder, Inc. for the Transportation and Public Works, Water, Park and Recreation, and Property Management Departments. The agreement will span across five years and cost the city about $3.3 million.
Code Compliance will contract with Goodwill Industries of Fort Worth and Presbyterian Night Shelter of Tarrant County to provide shelter technicians to Fort Worth animal shelters. The contract will authorize four one-year renewal periods for a total cost of $2.3 million.
City Council approved a motion making sewer improvements in Gateway Park. The city’s Wastewater Master Plan identified the need for a parallel sanitary sewer relief main. The project will extend across the northside of Gateway Park Drive, which is a highly visible part of the park.
The project requires the removal of 55 trees. After feedback from neighbors, the city agreed to plant 36 trees to replace a portion of the trees lost to the project.
“I thank everyone for coming together with a plan to save trees,” council member Alan Blaylock, who represents the area including Gateway Park, said.
The council approved major changes to downtown Fort Worth through improvements to Heritage Park and Paddock Park. The city accepted federal and state funds and approved an advance funding agreement with the Texas Department of Transportation. The projects will also make improvements to roads between the two parks, adding pedestrian safety improvements to intersections in downtown.
Harmon Field and Rolling Hills Park will receive lighting for its athletic fields. The $2.2 million project was approved through the 2018 bond program. The contract with Groves Electrical Service Inc. will light all six fields at Rolling Hills Park.
The council also approved over $2 million for boardwalk improvements at the Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge.
When council members meet again in August, they will have a long docket leading up to the end of the year, including finalizing the city’s budget and approving the remaining federal funds available to the city through the American Rescue Plan Act.
Rachel Behrndt is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at rachel.behrndt@fortworthreport.org or via Twitter. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
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