Mayor Eric Johnson announces plans for 2022 State of the City address at Fair Park
DALLAS — Mayor Eric Johnson announced Monday that he will host his annual State of the City address on Tuesday, November 15, 2022, at Fair Park.
This will be the fourth time that Mayor Johnson has delivered a State of the City address, which is required by the City Charter. The address comes as the city’s violent crime rate continues to decline, as tax rates hit their lowest level since 2007, as major ethics reforms are being implemented, and as numerous economic development and parks projects are in progress.
“Dallas is the place to be right now,” Mayor Johnson said. “There is a reason the U.S. Travel Association called Dallas the ‘Comeback City’ after the pandemic. I look forward to discussing our accomplishments, our challenges, and how we can continue to build on the Big Dallas Energy we have created in the past year.”
Although the Dallas City Charter vests executive authority in a city manager, who is selected by the majority of the City Council, the City Charter requires that the mayor of Dallas “ensure that annual reports are made as to the state of the city, its financial condition, its accomplishments, and its plan and needs for the future.”
In last year’s address, Mayor Johnson heralded the collaborative effort to reduce violent crime; advocated for historic ethics reforms; pushed for policies to help Dallas families; and called for the city to assert itself more aggressively as it competes regionally, nationally, and internationally for business relocations, tourism, and increased economic activity.
Numerous plans and initiatives that the mayor touted and backed in his speech became reality in the last year.
- The City Council approved the largest single-year tax-rate decrease in four decades.
- The City Council passed the mayor’s historic ethics reform proposal and funded the new Office of Inspector General.
- The City Council continued its commitment to hiring more police officers and public safety programs recommended by the Mayor’s Task Force on Safe Communities.
- Mayor Johnson began a Summer of Safety campaign to further promote successful summer programs that could keep kids safe while they were out of school.
- The City Council approved the formation of an Economic Development Corporation and continued to implement a new economic development policy.
- The City Council approved a new convention center master plan and voted to put a measure on the ballot to expand the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center and improve certain Fair Park facilities — the Automobile Building; Centennial Building; Band Shell; Music Hall; Cotton Bowl; and the Coliseum — and to increase the hotel occupancy tax by 2% to assist with financing these projects.
- Mayor Johnson named a new Workforce Development Czar to oversee new efforts to improve the city’s workforce.
- The City Council approved numerous economic development projects to increase density and development in southern Dallas and downtown Dallas.
- The City Council voted to ease regulations on food trucks.
- The City Council began a sunset review process of city departments, programs, and regulations.
- The City Council voted to restart a micro-mobility (electric scooter) program.
- The mayor released a legislative program of priority items for the eight standing committees of the Dallas City Council.
- Dallas won its bid to become a host city for the 2026 World Cup.
The State of the City program will begin at 11 a.m. on Nov. 15 in the Briscoe-Carpenter building at Fair Park. This is the second time that the mayor has delivered his remarks from historic 277-acre park in South Dallas. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the mayor spoke from the Hall of State in a virtual address.
The history of the State of the City address dates back to at least 1875 in Dallas, according to the city archivist.
Mayor Johnson, who took office in 2019, is the 60th mayor of Dallas.
