Dallas council discharges Park Board to accelerate Fair Park community‑park development amid donor, grant deadlines

The Dallas City Council voted on Jan. 28 to take direct jurisdiction over a proposed development agreement to build a long‑promised community park at Fair Park, a step backers said was needed to avoid losing roughly $13.6 million in public and philanthropic funding that requires a signed agreement by March 10.

Councilmember Basil Dua moved to discharge the Dallas Park and Recreation Board from further consideration of the funding and development agreement with Fair Park First, saying private donors and grantors were reassessing support because of delays. Dua told the council donors have pledged about $33,000,000 and warned that “continued inaction risks undermining years of trust and jeopardizing future philanthropic investment.”

Supporters — including State Representative Vinton Jones and multiple community speakers — urged the council to authorize the development agreement so fundraising and grant draws could proceed. “We just need to get this built,” Jones told the council during public testimony.

Opponents and Park Board members said additional due diligence remains needed. Park Board leaders and staff described a task force reviewing donor documentation and a multi‑part audit into prior financial controls after earlier problems with a third‑party manager (OVG). Park staff said the audit work required reconstructing incomplete records and that the task force was preparing a final report to the Park Board and city staff.

Council members were sharply divided on the timing. Several representatives from South Dallas urged immediate action to preserve donor confidence; others cautioned that approving a development agreement without finishing the task‑force review and staff due diligence risked repeating past problems. Councilmember Chair Mendelsohn said staff and the task force were cooperating and planned a special committee briefing.

The council ultimately approved a procedural motion to discharge the item from the Park Board’s consideration and committed the development agreement to the Parks, Trails and Environment Committee for an expedited briefing and vetting. City attorneys and staff advised that executing at least one grant instrument by the March deadline was legally possible while continuing other due diligence work, and the city attorney said the agreement could be executed if staff and counsel deemed it in order.

What’s next: Council asked staff to prioritize the PTE committee briefing and to work with the city attorney’s office to determine whether the pending state and federal grant documents could be executed in time without final Park Board action. The task force and Park Board will continue to review documents, and the committee review should determine the final path to a development agreement or alternative steps.

Sources: City Council proceedings and public testimony during the Jan. 28, 2026 Dallas City Council meeting.