Grand Prairie council directs staff to obtain Housing Finance Corporation records after questions over property purchases

Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Curt Johnson read a statement at the Grand Prairie City Council meeting and moved that the city manager99s office immediately obtain and review all permanent documents, records and communications from the Housing Finance Corporation related to the recent purchase of Prairie Gates Community Apartment Complex Phases 1 and 2. The council approved the motion.

Johnson told the council the issue centers on trust and fiscal stewardship, saying the housing finance committee99s recent purchases raised "serious questions about whether that trust has been honored." He said the committee purchased two properties for a man identified in the meeting as Rodney DeBond even though, Johnson said, DeBond "still owes the city about a hundred thousand in unpaid water bills currently in litigation." Johnson pressed for an open review of all HFC materials and asked that HFC members sign an attestation to the completeness and accuracy of submitted materials.

The motion directs staff to collect and examine permanent HFC documents, meeting minutes and communications and to present the findings publicly. Johnson said that after staff99s review the council and the public would decide whether a further forensic investigation is warranted.

Resident Harold Willis spoke during public comment, asking whether the requested HFC documents would be made available immediately; the mayor and staff said the materials were not ready that night but would be provided after collection. Willis later told the council he wanted full transparency so the public could "see the facts in full light."

Not all council members endorsed the tone of the public statement read by Johnson. One council member, identified in the record as Council member Adams, said he had "a problem with a lot of the things that Kurt wants to be read into the record" and cautioned against implying illegality without evidence, while also saying he would be "interested in hearing what your actual motion is." The council nevertheless approved Johnson99s motion directing staff to collect and review the HFC records.

Johnson requested that members of the HFC sign a cover letter attesting to the validity and completeness of materials, including written documents, electronic transmissions, telephone calls and text messages. He emphasized that the review was intended to restore public confidence and to let council and residents determine whether additional investigation is necessary.

The council did not vote on or order a forensic audit that night; Johnson99s motion required staff review and public reporting of HFC records. No timetable for staff99s review or public presentation was specified during the meeting.

Proper names and key details in this report are drawn from statements and public comment at the meeting: the Housing Finance Corporation, Prairie Gates Community Apartment Complex Phases 1 and 2, Rodney DeBond and HFC chair Greg Geissner were referenced in council remarks and public comment.

The council99s directive to the city manager99s office begins a staff-level review; any recommendation for outside investigation, discipline or legal action would require further council action and was not taken at the meeting.