City departments report progress under Dallas racial equity plan; indoor air upgrades, hiring initiatives highlighted

City department leaders briefed the Workforce, Education and Equity Committee of the Dallas City Council on April 14 on progress toward department-level measures in the city's racial equity plan, reporting completed indoor-air upgrades in targeted facilities, new training and recruitment steps and continued work on digital accessibility and procurement for historically underused businesses.

The committee heard from the Office of Equity and Inclusion interim director Hai Tran and leaders from Facilities and Real Estate Management, Equipment and Fleet Management, Information and Technology Services, Procurement Services and Civil Service on accomplishments through the end of 2024 and priorities for 2025.

The updates showed a mix of completed projects and ongoing work tied to equity performance measures. Brian Thompson, assistant director of Facilities and Real Estate Management, said the department exceeded its goals for improving indoor air quality in facilities located in historically impacted neighborhoods. Thompson described a two-pronged approach: replacing or upgrading HVAC systems where feasible and installing higher-rated filters or standalone HEPA units where systems could not accept improved filtration. The department had a target to replace equipment in 30 facilities and to deploy 15 standalone HEPA purifiers across fiscal years 2023 and 2024; Thompson reported 35 upgraded facilities and 21 standalone HEPA units installed in the targeted neighborhoods. He estimated the indoor-air work for the equity measure at about $1.2 million and said a broader citywide push had…