"At Dallas County Commissioner's District 2 we listen. Our mission is to serve with integrity, transparency and efficiency. We aim to make Dallas County better."
COMMISSIONER J.J. KOCH
DALLAS COUNTY, DISTRICT 2
From the Commissioner....
Friends,
Commissioners Court on June 21st saw the increase of the homestead exemption from $69,000 to $100,000 for those homeowners who are disabled or are 65 and over. The estimated annual foregone revenue would amount to $11 million based on last year’s tax levy. Policy decisions like this are only prudent when you have an organization that is committed to continually improving the efficiency with which we deliver critical services to our constituents. I believe we are committed to spending less every year on the operation of our government through constant, incremental improvement. The members of this Commissioners Court have been exceptionally open to automation and process improvement, which will hopefully allow us to provide even greater property tax relief, primarily to our most vulnerable homeowners.
We also recently completed a round of agreements with our cities here in District 2 for road repairs totaling $5.1 million for fiscal year 2022. These projects are targeted at maintaining the major thoroughfares in each city and save each city 50 percent of the cost of those road repairs. The two largest outlays were for Richardson and Carrollton, with project totals of $2.1 million and $981,000 respectively. Addison and Coppell had projects that totaled around the $500,000 mark and Dallas had roughly $700,000 in matching funds allocated. Highland Park came in with the smallest match at $275,000. University Park and Farmers Branch did not have any qualifying projects this time, but it is expected they will in the next two fiscal years. We keep a keen eye on the amount of funding given to each city to ensure equitable distribution. Right now, Richardson is in the middle of deploying funds in accordance with their bond program, and thus, is very engaged in the types of projects needing our assistance. We anticipate the other cities in District 2 will endeavor to do the same with their infrastructure in the near future and will be ready to assist them when they are ready to take on the necessary, but messy, task of concrete panel replacement and other necessary road repair functions.
As we prepare for our Independence Day celebrations, it is critical to remember that fireworks shows are best left to the professionals. Nationally, 18 people died from fireworks accidents on and around the Fourth of July. Locally, over the past five years, 43 patients were hospitalized in Parkland Memorial Hospital’s Burn Center due to burn injuries sustained from fireworks. A few were young children who were accidentally struck by a firework when an adult lost control or it went off unexpectedly. Some of the injuries were severe enough to require hospitalization, skin grafting and rehabilitation. So please, enjoy Independence Day safely and please encourage others to do so too.
God Bless!
Commissioner J.J. Koch
District 2 May/June Elections Turnout
Since May 7th, there have been three elections in Dallas County.
The first was a Constitutional Amendment and Joint Municipal election held on May 7th. In this election, 91,957 people voted in Dallas County with District 2 making up 40.7 percent of total votes.
The second election was a run-off for the March Primary races held on May 24th. In this election, a total of 104,933 people voted with D2 voters making up 20.9 percent.
The third election was the ISD Municipal runoff on June 18th. The county-wide total number of votes in this run off was 14,189. Specifics by precinct / district were not yet available for this newsletter distribution deadline.
The next election in Dallas County will be the 2022 General Election on November 8th. Please visit this linkDallas County, TX Elections (dallascountyvotes.org)for more information if you are interested in getting involved with the next election.
Transportation News: Road & Bridge District 2
At the June 7, 2022 Commissioners Court meeting, the Road & Bridge 2 funding agreements for the City of Dallas and the City of Carrollton for thoroughfare maintenance projects were approved, which completes the funding process for all projects in District 2 for FY 2022. These projects will soon move to construction. The City of Richardson and the City of Dallas also have a few existing projects that were approved last fiscal year (FY 2021) and are currently underway.
Below is a list of all the planned Road & Bridge projects in District 2, including the status of each project by city:
Town of Addison
Addison Road (Arapaho Rd to Dallas County Line) – In progress
City of Carrollton
Keller Springs (Kelly Blvd to Marsh Ln) – Expected to begin in September 2022
Keller Springs (Old Denton Rd to Josey Ln) – Expected to begin September 2022
City of Coppell
Moore Road (Parkway Blvd to E. Belt Line Rd) – Expected to begin summer 2022
Sandy Lake (Denton Tap Rd to MacArthur Blvd) – Expected to begin summer 2022
City of Dallas
Arapaho Road (Meadowcreek Dr to Hillcrest Rd) – Not started
Arapaho Road (Moondust Dri to Overmead Circle) – Not started
Belt Line Road (Knollview Dr to Tangleglen Dr) – Not started
Belt Line Road (Spring Creek Rd to Coit Rd) – Not started
Greenville Avenue (Amberton Pkwy to Restland Rd) – Not started
Hillcrest Road (McKamy Blvd to Wester Way) – Not started
Inwood Road (Dallas North Tollway to Harvest Hill Ln) – Not started
Haskell Avenue* (Weldon St to IH 30) – In progress
Haskell Avenue* (IH 30 to East Grand Ave) – In progress
Skillman Avenue* (Northwest Hwy to Abrams Rd) – Complete
Gaston Avenue* (N. Peak St to Ridgeway St) – In progress
Wycliff Avenue* (Lemmon Ave to HP town limits) – In progress
Avondale Avenue* (Oak Lawn Ave to Turtle Creek Blvd) – In progress
Town of Highland Park
Abbott Avenue (Mockingbird to town limit) – In progress
Mockingbird Lane* (Hillcrest Rd to Airline) -- Complete
Airline Road* (Mockingbird to Katy Trail) -- Complete
City of Richardson
Arapaho Road (Bowser to US 75) – Not started
Campbell Road (US 75 to Plano Rd) – Expected to begin in August 2022
Collins Blvd (US 75 to Campbell Rd) – Expected to begin in July 2022
Coit Road (Roundrock Rd to Dumont Dr) – Not started
Belt Line Road (Waterview Dr to Weatherred Dr) – Not started
Belt Line Road (Walton St to Plano Rd) – Not started
Buckingham Road* (Sherman St to Greenville Ave) – Complete
Centennial Blvd* (Grove Rd to Railroad) – In progress
Polk Street* (Sherman St to Greenville Ave) – In progress
Polk Street* (Greenville Ave to Grove St) – In progress
Prestonwood Drive* (Floyd Rd to Sherman St) – Not started
* Carryover project from FY 2021
Resolutions
National Police Week
During Dallas County Commissioners Court on May 17th, we paid tribute to our law enforcement officers in a unanimous vote on a resolution put forth by Commissioner Koch in honor of National Police Week. Our officers make a personal sacrifice for our country and we appreciate all those who currently serve on the front lines of the battle against crime in our communities.
Max Glauben
It was a great honor to recognize Max Glauben on May 17th at Commissioners Court. Max devoted his life to sharing his testimony to ensure no one denied the Holocaust occurred. His story lives on through "Hologram Max" at the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum. Max died on April 28. As noted in the resolution submitted by Commissioner Koch, which passed unanimously, Max leaves behind his testimony about the horror and trauma of what he experienced during the Holocaust to teach others to eschew hatred and embrace all of God’s children.
City of Farmers Branch City Manager Charles Cox
It was a pleasure to recognize Farmers Branch City Manager Charles Cox in a resolution presented by Commissioner Koch in Commissioners Court on June 21st upon Charles' retirement after nearly 30 years serving the community of Farmers Branch. Charles dedicated himself to improving the lives of the residents and employees of Farmers Branch. He is a true embodiment of the old adage of “leave it better than you found it.”
Out and About in the District
Jolly Jolly Bakery Visit
In May, Commissioner Koch visited Jolly Jolly Bakery's first location in Dallas. Headquartered in Houston, Jolly Jolly expanded to Dallas during Covid. We are so thrilled to see small family-owned businesses thrive in District 2! And their bread is delicious. We highly recommend that you check them out in the Skillman and LBJ area.
Dallas Children's Advocacy Center Visit
Commissioner Koch met with Dallas Children's Advocacy Center President and CEO Irish Burch for a tour of their facility and to hear about the many services they provide for victims of abuse. It was a heart-warming experience and particularly insightful to see the preparation and planning for their annual Summer Safety Drive.
City of Richardson's Culture in the Core
What a great cultural experience right here in District 2! Commissioner Koch thoroughly enjoyed his time at Richardson's Culture in the Core in early June.
City of Carrollton Town Hall
Together with the Korean Society of Dallas, Commissioner Koch discussed the needs of the Korean Community in the Metrocrest area at a recent Town Hall in June. We are grateful for the partnerships with our Metrocrest cities that help us serve all members of the community. Many thanks to Carrollton Mayor Steve Babick, Carrollton Councilmember Young Sung, Farmers Branch Mayor Pro Tem David Merritt, Interim Carrollton Police Chief Rex Redden, Vice Consul Kim Donghuyn, and President of the Korean Society of Dallas Yejin Chong for their participation on the panel.
North Dallas Chamber of Commerce 68th Annual Meeting
In May, Commissioner Koch had the pleasure of attending the 68th Annual Meeting of the North Dallas Chamber of Commerce honoring Former Ambassador of the United States to NATO and U.S. Senator from Texas Kay Bailey Hutchison. He was in good company with North Dallas Chamber COO Jeff Kitner (on Left) and DEC North Texas Region Managing Director William Gladbach (on right).
Metrocrest Chamber Business Expo
There were so many great small businesses represented at the Metrocrest Chamber Business Expo presented by Truist Bank and The Town of Addison on June 9th. It was a great pleasure to hear how business is thriving in District 2.
Leadership Academy
Congratulations to our newest Dallas County Leadership and Management Academy graduate. District Director Mickey McGuire worked tirelessly for the last nine months to complete this curriculum. We are so proud of what he has achieved. (Shown L to R: Shanon Rust, Jenna Byers, Christina Torre, Mickey McGuire, and Aaron Ceder)
Our mailing address is: 500 Elm Street, Suite 7200, Dallas, TX 75202
Our District 2 office is: 6820 LBJ Freeway, Suite 3500 Dallas, TX 75240-6511
