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Residents press council on homelessness, ADU standards and a proposed RTIC surveillance grant
Summary
Public speakers urged the council to strengthen homeless services, require design standards for accessory dwelling units in neighborhoods, and reject federal grant support for a Real Time Information Center (RTIC) over privacy and ICE-collaboration concerns.
During the public-comment portion of the evening session, several residents raised different concerns.
Tracy Duckworth ("Mama T"), founder of Mama T—s Butterflies, criticized the local homeless-response system and urged more wraparound supports, saying the system is "hurting more people than helping" and calling for greater inclusion of homeless residents in planning.
Dana Zoltner asked the council to amend the accessory-dwelling-unit (ADU) ordinance to require ADUs to match architectural design elements such as roof pitch and materials so new ADUs better fit established neighborhoods. A council member said staff and members were open to revisiting ADU criteria.
Chance Harrington urged the council to reject any grant ordinance that would allow Denton Police to build a Real Time Information Center (RTIC), arguing the technology would expand surveillance and could require collaboration with federal agencies including immigration enforcement; he said the grant material on the DOJ website raised those concerns.
Council members responded: some acknowledged willingness to revisit ADU criteria, and one council member questioned whether the RTIC grant had been brought to council previously (it was discussed on a consent agenda in December per the speaker), prompting follow-up questions about transparency and future oversight.
