February 9, 2026 Newsletter
February 9, 2026 – Volume 20 Number 6
Highlights:
* AISD Board decides to have Bond election this May, projected to raise the tax rate by a penny. https://www.aisd.net/bond-2026
* Council meets Tuesday; includes anti-discrimantion ordinance and resolution.
* This is the final week of filing to get your name on ballot. So far there are 13 city candidates for five positions and three candidates for the two AISD positions.
Teachers' Salaries
http://arlspectator.mysite.com/rich_text_97.html
Taxpayers' Funds at Risk:
http://arlspectator.mysite.com/rich_text_83.html
City Council grades:
http://arlspectator.mysite.com/rich_text_39.html
AISD Board grades:
http://arlspectator.mysite.com/blank_1.html
Citizens Defending Freedom vs. AISD
http://arlspectator.mysite.com/rich_text_14.html
Open Letter to AISD Taxpayers
http://arlspectator.mysite.com/blank_11.html
Arlington is a city where citizens are relegated to being spectators, rather than players on the field. The SPECTATOR helps citizens know what is happening on the field. Only a few of the in-house team members are allowed to play ball in Arlington. The SPECTATOR helps citizens understand the game.
GAME SCHEDULE:
Monday, February 9: Filing for municipal councils and ISD boards continue.
Tuesday, February 10: City Council meetings, 101 W. Abram Street, 9:00am, 4:00pm, 6:30pm. (You must preregister online by 5:00pm to speak during citizen participation.)
Friday, February 13: Filing for municipal councils and ISD boards [with name on the ballot] ends.
Saturday, February 14: Valentine’s Day.
Monday, February 16: President’s Day.
Tuesday, February 17: Start of Early Voting for Primaries, 8:00am– 500pm.
Wednesday, February 18: P&Z meeting, 101 W. Abram Street, 5:30pm. (Work session at x:xxpm.)
Wednesday, February 18: Ash Wednesday.
Thursday, February 19: AISD Board meeting, AISD Administration Building, 690 E. Lamar Boulevard, 6:30pm. (You must be signed up online by 3:00pm if you wish to speak.)
Tuesday, February 24: City Council meetings, 101 W. Abram Street, 6:30pm. (You must preregister online by 5:00pm to speak during citizen participation.)
Friday, February 27: End of Early Voting for Primaries 7:00am7:00 pm.
Tuesday, March 3: Primaries Voting Day, 7:00am-7:00pm.
Wednesday, March 4: P&Z meeting, 101 W. Abram Street, 5:30pm. (Work session at x:xxpm.)
Tuesday, March 10: City Council meetings, 101 W. Abram Street, 6:30pm. (You must preregister online by 5:00pm to speak during citizen participation.)
From THE LOCKER ROOM
Arlington City Council Update
The Arlington City Council will meet this Tuesday, February 10 for a full slate of meetings. The first of three committee meetings is at 9:00am. The afternoon session begins at 2:00pm in executive session. The open portion of the meeting will begin no sooner than 4:00pm. The evening meeting is at 6:30pm.
Committee Meetings
The Community and Neighborhood Development Committee is expected to meet at 9:00am and discuss multi-family code enforcement tools (presentation , 20 minutes), introduction to PY2026 Action Plan and CDBG review (presentation , applications , 30 minutes), 9% housing tax credits applications wanting resolutions of support (presentation , 20 minutes) and a 4% housing tax credit application wanting a resolution of no objection (presentation , 10 minutes).
They have three applicants for the 9% housing tax credit, The Knox Senior Living (1421 S. Watson Road, 69 units), Campbell Place (6700 US 287 Highway, 90 units), and Heritage at Sublett (2120 W. Sublett Road, 71 units). None of the three of any market-rate units. All three scored 170 out of a possible 188 points.
The 4% housing tax credit property is 1801 E. Arkansas Lane. They wish to build 291 apartment units. The company, Dominion, already has 652 units in Arlington.
The Finance and Audit Committee is to meet at 10:45am and spend about 30 minutes on the FY2025 Year-end Budget Analysis Report (presentation , BAR report).
There is to be a quasi-committee Arlington Housing Finance Corporation meeting at 11:30am (agenda). They are to receive an update on the proposed development at 1801 E. Arkansas Lane, and a resolution regarding the purchase of the “city deal” at 1220 W. Division Street.
The Municipal Policy Committee is expected to meet at 12:15pm. They are to discuss an ACTIV Center sponsorship opportunity (presentation) for 30 minutes [the potential deal appears to be with Texas Health Resources for ten years for $1.1+ million.] and spend an hour on form-based code updates (presentation). [Some of the presentation will consist of discussing increased density. Some of the presentation also discusses parking, which in my opinion is always the problem with form-based code.]
Afternoon Meeting
The afternoon meeting begins at 2:00pm and will go into executive session. That portion of the agenda had legal discussions on:
* Discussion Regarding a Proposed Grant of Rights for the Use of City Interests in Connection with a Private Development on W. Green Oaks Boulevard
* Discussion of Deployment and Implementation of Security Personnel or Devices
* Offers of incentives to business prospects
The open portion of the meeting will begin no sooner than 4:00pm. That portion of the agenda includes three work session items and council external committee reports.
The three work session items are:
1. Arlington Economic Development Annual Report (presentation)
2. Grow our Economy (no presentation available)
3. Preserve Financial Stability and Resilience (presentation).
Evening Meeting
The agenda for the 6:30pm evening meeting includes 28 consent agenda items, three zoning public hearings (one of three is requesting a continuance), an anti-discrimination ordinance, and an anti-discrimination resolution.
For over a month now, I've been telling you of a $24,000,000 project going on at 1220 W. Division Street. Things appear to be going forward. The consent agenda includes three items regarding that project. Consent agenda item 7.25 is an Arlington Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC) acquisition agreement (staff report) where AHFC will be paying $2.85 million of it for the purchase. Consent agenda item 7.26 is a cash sale contract for the property (staff report). Consent agenda item 7.27 is a contract not to exceed $24,000 regarding the relocation of current residents (staff report) [this appears to be CDBG funds].
Public hearing #1 is for SUP25-09 (1012 Gaye Lane) for a secondary living unit (staff report).
Public hearing #2 is for PD25-14 (1112 N. Collins Street) and they wish for a continuance until March 10 (staff report).
Public hearing #3 is for SUP25-08 (3409 Shorewood Ct) for a secondary living unit (staff report).
The anti-discrimination ordinance (ordinance) repealing the action of last September and stating a new ordinance wording (staff report).
The anti-discrimination resolution (resolution) condemns discrimination, bias and hatred (staff report).
Council Leftovers
Filing for the May election has begun. This year we will see the election for Mayor, District 3, District 4, District 5, and District 8.
Election Filings:
Mayor
(i) Jim Ross
Hunter Crow
Steve Cavender
District 3
(i) Nikkie Hunter
Kelly Burke
District 4
Tom Ware
Rojo Meixueiro
Lisa Ventura
District 5
(i) Rebecca Boxall
Brittney Garcia-Dumas
District 8
Jason Shelton
Corey Harris
Melody Fowler
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The City of Arlington proposes to use approximately $3,850,000 in federal HOME-ARP funds toward the acquisition and demolition of an existing two-story, 81,205-square-foot dilapidated motel structure at 1220 W. Division Street built in 1965 and comprised of 72 rooms. Following demolition, the city intends to construct a newly built permanent supportive housing community consisting of a minimum of 70 units. The new development will provide safe, service-enriched housing for chronically homeless individuals, veterans and their families, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable populations. The total project investment is estimated at $24,000,000, combining federal, state, local, and private resources. The primary objective is to expand the supply of affordable, supportive housing and promote long-term housing stability for residents experiencing or at risk of homelessness. This project directly supports the City's strategic goals to reduce homelessness and enhance community well-being.] There are too many executive session discussions going on and I have NOT been able to get many of the details... This would mean at minimum that $3.8 million of CDBG-HOME federal funds will be used on this rather than on something else. HOME funds, generally speaking, give discounts to residents in need, paying portions of their rents.
Economic Development Corporation (EDC)
We do not know the date of the next EDC Board meeting.
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Upcoming Public Hearings
On Tuesday, February 10, the city council will hold a public hearing on SUP25-9, 1012 Gaye Lane. They wish to obtain a Specific Use Permit on the RF-7.2 property.
On Tuesday, February 10, the city council will hold a public hearing on SUP25-8, 3409 Shorewood Court on 3.165 acres. They wish to obtain a Specific Use Permit on the RF-7.2 property.
On Wednesday, February 18, P&Z will hold a public hearing on PD25-8, at 2100 S.E. Green Oaks Boulevard. They wish to change the CC (community commercial) to a planned development plus a car wash. If approved, it will go to the city council on March 24.
On Wednesday, February 18, P&Z will hold a public hearing on PD25-23, at 2301 N. Collins Street (at Brown Trail). They wish to change the CC (community commercial) to a planned development plus a billiard parlor and package liquor store. If approved, it will go to the city council on March 24.
On Wednesday, February 18, P&Z will hold a public hearing on ZA26-01, at 300 W. Park Row Drive. They wish for a straight zoning change from CC (community commercial) to residential medium density (RM-12), usually townhomes. If approved, it will go to the city council on March 24.
On Tuesday, February 24, the city council will hold a public hearing on SUP25-11, 536 W. Randol Mill Road. They wish to obtain a Specific Use Permit for a Tattoo Parlor or Piercing Studio on a property zoned Community Commercial (CC).
On Tuesday, March 10, the city council will hold a public hearing on SUP10-23R4, 408 113th Street. They wish for high impact IM (Industrial Manufacturing) on 2.379 acres.
On Tuesday, March 10, the city council will hold a public hearing on SUP25-10, 2102 Prestonwood Drive. They wish for a secondary living unit on 0.749 acres.
On Tuesday, March 10, the city council will hold a public hearing on PD25-14, 1112 N. Collins Street. They wish to change the current CC (community commercial) to a PD-CC use plus a package liquor store.
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P&Z Commission
P&Z will meet this Wednesday, February 4. There will be three public hearings on the agenda (the fourth was withdrawn). The agenda is at: https://www.arlingtontx.gov/files/assets/city/v/1/planning-and-development-services/documents/planning-amp-development-boards-amp-commissions/planning-and-zoning-commission/posted-agenda/planning-and-zoning-commission-regular-session-agenda-02-04-2026.pdf .
PD25-20 (2201 N. Collins Street) for an independent senior living facility has been withdrawn.
The meeting may be viewed at: https://arlingtontx.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=10&clip_id=5358 .
(3:34) Public hearing #1 was for SUP10-23R (Liquitek, 408 113th Street). They are requesting a specific use permit for high impact use (staff report). This was approved, 9-0.
(14:37) Public hearing #2 was for SUP25-10 (2102 Prestonwood Drive). They are requesting a specific use permit for a secondary living unit (staff report). There were five speakers in opposition. This was approved, 9-0.
(1:27:10) Public hearing #3 was for ZA25-6 (4232 Kelly Elliot Road, northwest corner of I-20 and Kelly Elliot Road). They wish to change the zoning to neighborhood commercial (staff report). There were five speakers in opposition. The motion to approve failed, 4-4.
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AISD School Board
The AISD Board met this Thursday, February 5. The agenda can be found at: https://meetings.boardbook.org/Public/Agenda/2978?meeting=724920 . The meeting may be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbM_MwGV64k . All board members were present.
The meeting started with a workshop on budget development parameters (presentation). That workshop may be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7zWrmV7UmE&pp=ygUNQXJsaW5ndG9uIGlzZA%3D%3D .
That will be followed by an executive session with legal discussions on:
* personnel
* potential and pending litigation
* intruder detection audit findings
* student safety with personally identifiable information
(0:01) The start of the meeting and recognition items.
(22:06) There were no speakers for open forum for agenda items.
There were three committee and staff reports:
(22:24) 1. Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) report (presentation). About 30:07 it was opened to board members for questions/comments.
(39:08) 2. Mid-Year District Priorities report (presentation). About 48:58 it was opened to board members for questions/comments.
(52:15) 3. Community Sentiment report – potential bond election (presentation). About 1:09:52 it was opened to board members for questions/comments.
(1:32:56) Public Hearing – Texas Academic Progress report (TAPR) (presentation , details). There were no speakers at the public hearing.
There were two action items:
(1:49:07) Approve a school board election for Place 6 and Place 7 (order of election). This was approved, 7-0.
(1:49:53) Approve a bond election (presentation). About 2:00:56 they talk of a second 2028 bond, totaling $1.1 billion. About 2:03:58 the board starts discussing. About 2:20:00 they discuss, then approve, 7-0, starting at option 2, then adjust. The big item in option 2 was a second elementary school #5 rebuild (in addition to South Davis). They then add in turf for baseball fields (softball fields were already included), 7-0. They approved 7-0 to add storage buildings for outside equipment. They removed junior high field lighting and expedited out of 2019 bond interest, 7-0. Total projects are $501,264,910 on the three propositions. They voted 7-0 to approve option 2 as amended. They then have a discussion regarding the May 2 date, or later. About 3:14:34 they vote 7-0 for the May 2, $501 million bond election.
The school district has supplied a web page about the bond at: https://www.aisd.net/bond-2026 .
(3:14:50) Consent agenda saw one item needing more work and was removed. It was approved, 7-0.
(3:16:01) There were one speaker for open forum for non-agenda items.
(3:19:48) End-of-meeting reports.
The Board Brief by Mrs. Fowler can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eydcq6Wvclc .
AISD Election Filings:
Place 6
(i) Brooklyn Richardson
Jan Tyler
Place 7
(i) LeAnne Haynes
A Chris Moss article in the Arlington Report explores the possibility of the AISD joining the pay-for-performance teacher program offered by the state. That article can be found at: https://fortworthreport.org/2026/01/07/arlington-isd-considers-texas-pay-for-performance-teacher-program/ .
AISD saw a jump in their accountability scores because of their challenge of some of the STAAR testing results. Chris Moss of the Arlington Report has an article at: https://fortworthreport.org/2025/12/09/arlington-isd-sees-2025-academic-accountability-bump-after-staar-appeal/ . Also an AISD article may be found at: https://www.aisd.net/district-news/updated-district-and-campus-accountability-ratings/ .
There has been a recent Arlington Report article by Drew Shaw about the dismissed David Jarvis lawsuit against the AISD. It can be found at: https://fortworthreport.org/2025/12/31/federal-judge-dismisses-lawsuit-against-arlington-isd-about-first-amendment-retaliation/ .
The AISD enrollment is expected to fall below 50,000 students at some point, maybe as early as the 2026-2027 school year. Chris Moss of the Arlington Report has a story at: https://fortworthreport.org/2025/12/03/arlington-isds-enrollment-projected-to-drop-below-50000-next-year/ .
The AISD will NOT be posting the Ten Commandments for now. An article by Chris Moss of the Arlington Report: https://fortworthreport.org/2025/11/05/arlington-isd-agrees-not-to-post-ten-commandments-amid-lawsuit/ .
The AISD Board and Superintendent have established written goals, including student improvement on the STAAR testing. The Chris Moss article in the Arlington Report: https://fortworthreport.org/2025/10/01/arlington-isd-school-board-sets-goals-and-expectations-for-new-school-year/ .
TEA Accountability Data:
In 2020, the AISD was tied for the highest M&O rate of all the school districts in Tarrant County. Since then, there has been NO tie. The AISD HAS the highest M&O rate in Tarrant County. [school district tax rates]
Top 5 of Tarrant County's 21 ISDs M&O Rates
1. Arlington ISD $0.802200
2. Birdville ISD $0.786900
2. Fort Worth ISD $0.786900
2. Lewisville ISD $0.786900
2. Mansfield ISD $0.786900
Teacher Salaries
http://arlspectator.mysite.com/rich_text_97.html [Arlington ISD easily pays the highest salaries, thus creating ISD inflation.] An article by Jacob Sanchez in the Fort Worth Report confirms that the Arlington ISD pays the highest salaries in Tarrant County [ https://fortworthreport.org/2025/12/17/teachers-in-this-tarrant-county-school-district-earn-the-highest-salaries/ ].
HELPFUL CONTACTS
The Spectator: www.ArlSpectator.mysite.com
to be added/deleted to/from the mailing list e-mail: ArlSpectator@yahoo.com
We can be found on Facebook at ArlSpectator.
Teachers' Salaries
http://arlspectator.mysite.com/rich_text_97.html
Taxpayers' Funds at Risk
http://arlspectator.mysite.com/rich_text_83.html
City Council grades:
http://arlspectator.mysite.com/rich_text_39.html
AISD Board grades:
http://arlspectator.mysite.com/blank_1.html
City of Arlington website: www.arlingtontx.gov
e-mails of mayor and council:
.................... first.last@arlingtontx.gov
mayor = jim.ross
district 1 (north) = mauricio.galante
district 2 (sw) = raul.gonzalez
district 3 (se) = nikkie.hunter
district 4 (west) = andrew.piel
district 5 (central/east) = rebecca.boxall
district 6 (all) = long.pham
district 7 (all) = bowie.hogg
district 8 (all) = barbara.odom-wesley
AISD website ....................... www.aisd.net
McMurrough............ - sarahforaisd@gmail.com
Fowler ................... - fowler.aisd@gmail.com
Mike .................. - larrymike.aisd@gmail.com
Wilbanks .......... - dwilban.aisd@gmail.com
Chapa ...................... - chapa.aisd@gmail.com
Richardson ... - brooklyn.richardson.aisd@gmail.com
Haynes ................... - haynes.aisd@gmail.com
TEA Accountability Data:
ARC Political Watch Committee Reports
includes coverage of Mansfield ISD and national, state, county, & city
Texas Legislative Online:
http://www.legis.state.tx.us/Home.aspx
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