Nuts & Bolts

Listed here are the component parts, the nuts and bolts if you will, that make up the ever-growing list of real results that Paula has worked hard to amass for East Dallas in just one term on the city council.* 

A.K.A. the “What Has Paula Done for East Dallas Lately?” page.

Public Safety:

·  Increased DPD budget by $10+ million. It remains nearly 60% of the General Fund Budget. 

·  Following 3 budget town halls where residents asked for more patrol officers on the streets to help with public safety efforts, added 95 sworn public safety personnel to patrol by hiring 95 non-sworn public safety personnel.

·  Ferguson/Woodmeadow – Took a comprehensive approach to public safety that involves multiple city departments and neighborhoods to drive crime down in a high crime area.

·  Starlight program – Partnered with Motorola to provide cameras at high crime areas at Ferguson/ Woodmeadow to provide live feeds of hot spots so police can deploy quicker and safer to 911 calls. 

·  Supported Northeast DPD Station by collaborating with crime watches, Volunteers in Patrol (VIPs), and supporting outreach events such as the Senior Wellness Drive and passing out holiday boxes to families in need with Services of Hope.

·  Support RIGHT Care expansion to Northeast Division. The RIGHT Care Program is a multidisciplinary team, made up of one DPD officer, DFR paramedic, Parkland Hospital Licensed Behavioral Health Specialist, and North Texas Behavioral Health Authority Clinician. The purpose of this team is to respond to members of the community experiencing mental health crisis, and to divert them from jail or hospitalization and to further provide them with a continuity of care through prevention and intervention services. The public can contact the Right Care Team by dialing 9-1-1 for a behavioral health crisis. The Right Care Program decriminalizes mental illness.

·  Funded a mobile crisis response team to support police officers when residents need direct services such as food, housing, transportation, or shelter in cases of domestic violence.

COVID 19 Assistance:

·  Small Business Townhall – As Co-Chair of the COVID 19 Economic Recovery Committee reached thousands of small businesses through a small business townhall to inform them of programs passed by the federal government to assist small businesses throughout the pandemic.

·  Small Business Continuity Fund - Approved $8M in small business continuity funds to assist small businesses through the COVID pandemic. 

·  Secured $50,000 in COVID Relief dollars to the Dallas Children’s Theater.

·  Spearheaded a District 9 PPE drive that Reached hundreds of residents in need of PPE in collaboration with the Dallas Police Department Northeast Division and Lake Pointe Church.

·  Assisted hundreds of East Dallas residents in need of assistance registering for the COVID-19 vaccine by providing in person registration in both English and Spanish at Harry Stone Recreation (following all CDC recommended COVID 19 guidelines).

Fiscal Responsibility:

·  Decreased the City of Dallas’ property tax rate in both years in office.

·  Voted against a proposed 8%  property tax increase.

·  Through proactive community outreach and collaboration with neighborhoods, District 9 had the best Census Response Rate which should lead to more funding from the federal government for the City of Dallas.

·  Began addressing drivers of poverty including piloting 2 Financial Empowerment Centers which will be community-based centers that offer financial coaching, employment referrals, mental health services, and housing support to assist low-income residents to navigate out of poverty and achieve financial stability.

·  Here’s a link to the city’s Financial Transparency website: https://dallascityhall.com/departments/budget/financialtransparency/Pages/Current-Budget.aspx

Transportation:

·  Completed long standing infrastructure projects including the Gus Thomasson and Ferguson Rd. intersection, Lakeland Bridge and E. and W. Lawther.

·  Highland & Ferguson + Lakeland & Ferguson collaboration with FRI – Collaborated with the Ferguson Road Initiative to use unspent bond dollars to fully fund complete street projects at both intersections.

·  KCS Quiet Zone – Supported funding for the construction of the Northeast Dallas “reduced train horn” area project commonly known as “quiet zone.” In a quiet zone, trains are no longer required by federal law to proactively sound their horns as they approach each crossing. By making improvements at nine local street crossings, this quiet zone will stretch along the KCS rail line from the City limits near Garland Road and IH 635 south through Reinhardt, Casa Linda, and Forest Hills to Tenison Park, and will include upgrades to the railroad signals and the construction of concrete medians and similar safety improvements at each of the railroad crossings. The nine local crossings are: Santa Ana Ave, Barnes Bridge Road, Centerville Road, Gus Thomasson (Easton) Road, Peavy Road, Mariposa Drive, Lakeland Drive, St Francis Avenue, and Highland Road. Easton  Rd. 

·  Worked closely with neighbors and city staff to fund and advocate for the restriping of Easton Road to make needed safety improvements including adding parking lanes and better-delineated lane lines. 

White Rock Lake:

·  Dredge Feasibility Study – Secured funding for WRL Dredge Feasibility Study which is complete.

·  Old Fish Hatchery – In response to Oncor’s clearing of the Old Fish Hatchery, Paula put together an advisory committee filled with environmentalists, members of the community and Oncor to protect the space and institutionalize that this will not occur again.

·  White Rock Maintenance Plan- Worked with the Parks Dept. and her Park board appointee to create the first ever comprehensive White Rock Lake Park Maintenance Plan to be a better steward of this green space. 

·  Initiated immediate and short-term actions identified in the Comprehensive Environmental and Climate Action Plan (CECAP) including forming a community advisory group, streamlining bulky trash collection to reduce emissions and improve air quality, and implementing recommendations from the Urban Forest Master Plan 

Quality of Life/ Neighborhood Support:

·  Batch Plant – Solicited feedback from neighbors and residents to kill a concrete batch plant in East Dallas that would have negatively impacted air quality in the area. 

·  Bath House- Completed a $1.5million bond project at the Bath House which included interior renovations to plumbing, ADA improvements to the restrooms, and water infiltration.

·  CECAP – Approved the City’s first Comprehensive Environmental & Climate Action Plan. 

·  Shingle Mountain – Approved the City’s contract that finally removed Shingle Mountain. 

·  Harry Stone Aquatic Center – Broke ground at a $5M new aquatic center at Harry Stone Recreation Center.

·  School supplies for East Dallas – collaborated with DISD Trustees & councilmembers for a back-to-school drive for east Dallas.

·  Casa View Heights – Secured funds to improve sidewalks in Casa View Heights that did not comply with ADA; also included improving all sidewalks of elderly neighbors in this area.

Severe Weather Event:

·  Setup warming stations throughout the district including Harry Stone Recreation Center & Ridgewood Recreation Center.

·  Held two water drives at Harry Stone Recreation Center which handed out thousands of cases of water to residents in need.

·  Coordinated and solicited donations for city-wide food/water distribution in collaboration with the SMU football team.  

·  Coordinated and solicited donations for a West Dallas needs drive with Northridge Presbyterian Church. 

Just think, what else Paula might accomplish if elected to a second term?

*This list is added to on a daily basis.