Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Municipal Budgeting topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Speaker criticizes new city hall budget and panhandling signage as wasteful and legally risky
Summary
A speaker at the Fort Worth public comment meeting criticized the newly constructed city hall as over-budget, raised concerns about spending on anti-panhandling signs and cited a court case she said protects panhandling as free speech.
Carolina Rodriguez criticized the construction and operating costs of Fort Worth’s new city hall and called recent expenditures — including panhandling signage — wasteful and potentially subject to litigation.
Rodriguez told the council she believes the project is over budget and cited figures she said showed $50,000,000 over budget. She also said the building’s electric bill was large, stating “the electric bill alone cost $75,000. I didn't say 7,000, I said $7,500 just for the electric bill,” and questioned whether the city had adequately consulted residents about the facility.
Rodriguez also criticized city-funded signage that reads “just say no to panhandling,” saying the signs could invite lawsuits because, she said, U.S. Supreme Court precedent recognizes panhandling as a form of protected speech. She referenced a case she named as “Schoenberg versus Citizens for a Better Environment” in making that point. Rodriguez said measures targeting panhandling do not, by themselves, address homelessness and urged broader solutions.
Her comments were delivered during public comment and were presented as her views and interpretations of legal and budgetary matters; the transcript does not record a city response or any formal council action on the claims she raised.
