January 5, 2026 Newsletter
January 5, 2026 – Volume 20 Number 1
Highlights:
* The city council meets on Tuesday. The agenda includes executive session discussion of anti-discrimination ordinance and Handi-tran and On-Demand fare increase public hearing.
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:
Tuesday, January 6: City Council meetings, 101 W. Abram Street, 6:30pm. (You must preregister online by 5:00pm to speak during citizen participation.)
Thursday, January 8: 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.)
Wednesday, January 14: P&Z meeting, 101 W. Abram Street, 5:30pm. (Work session at x:xxpm.)
Monday, January 19: MLK Holiday.
Thursday, January 22: 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, January 27: City Council meetings, 101 W. Abram Street, 6:30pm. (You must preregister online by 5:00pm to speak during citizen participation.)
Wednesday, January 28: P&Z meeting, 101 W. Abram Street, 5:30pm. (Work session at x:xxpm.)
From THE LOCKER ROOM
Arlington City Council Update
The city council will meet this Tuesday, January 6. The only committee meeting is at 11:30am. The afternoon meeting starts at 12:15pm and will go into executive session. The open portion of the meeting will start no sooner than 2:30pm. The evening meeting is at 6:30pm.
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Committee Meeting
The Community and Neighborhood Development Committee will meet at 11:30am for about 30 minutes to discuss the 2026 Neighborhood Matching Grant application summary (presentation). There were seven applications submitted, five are eligible, while the other two were incomplete and not eligible. The highest rated project is a pickleball court in the Wildwood Estates, where they are requesting a grant of $24,530 and will put up $11,456 cash match.
Afternoon Meetings
The afternoon meeting (agenda: https://www.arlingtontx.gov/files/e687417d-312a-4e7e-9cf7-637469b0697c/2026%E2%80%9401%E2%80%9406-Afternoon.pdf ) begins at 12:15pm and will go into executive session. That portion of the agenda includes five items:
Legal discussion regarding federal grant – [commentary: This is all about the LGBTQ community having their feelings hurt… and probably some Mayor Ross arm twisting.]
Discussion regarding the purchase of property described as Lot 4-A-1, Forum 303 Addition
Discussion regarding Division Street Sidewalk Project
Discussion of Entertainment District Sidewalk Phase 3 - JCP-1, LTD. - Necessity Resolution; Project No. PWST24016
Offers of Incentives to Business Prospects.
The open portion of the afternoon meeting will begin no sooner than 2:30pm. That portion of the agenda includes three work session items, one informal staff report, and council members’ reports on external committees.
The three work session items:
- Form-based code update (presentation).
- Council Priority - Enhance Mobility (presentation).
- Street Maintenance Sales Tax Update (presentation). This is up for voter reapproval in May 2026.
The informal staff report is on recycling at multi-family developments and city buildings (staff report).
Evening Meeting
The agenda for the 6:30pm evening meeting can be found at: https://www.arlingtontx.gov/files/67ba2796-a1db-4438-8d66-5a793510c099/2026%E2%80%9401%E2%80%9406-Evening.pdf . That agenda includes one executive session item, twelve consent agenda items, two public hearings, two ordinances, a consideration of calling a public hearing for a zoning case P&Z denied, and citizen participation.
Consent agenda item 8.6 is settling the Leonor Artega lawsuit for $79,000 (staff report).
Consent agenda item 8.9 is for the fifth amendment to the contract regarding the redevelopment of the old Lincoln Square (staff report). The city council is extending another developer deadline, this time for an incentive agreement, from January 31 to April 30.
Consent agenda item 8.12 is for a $50,000 with Sister Cities Arlington (staff report).
The first public hearing is required for changing the fares for Handi-tran and On-Demand Shared Ride Services, both of which receive federal funding (staff report). Price increases are to take effect on March 2, 2026.
The second public hearing is for zoning case PD24-27 (301 East Randol Mill Road) where they wish to build three townhomes (staff report). There are seven deviations.
The two ordinances on the agenda are in regard to school zones and one-way travel (staff report) and fees in the fire chapter (staff report).
The consideration of calling for a public hearing has to do with the apartment case on Highway 287 that P&Z denied in December (staff report). The developer is attempting to get their way by threatening SB840 against the city. [commentary: Chris Turner is awful… He loves his special interest buddies more than the citizenry. These apartments should go up in his backyard.]
* * * * * * *
Council Leftovers
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 when the next EDC Board meeting will be.
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Upcoming Public Hearings
On Tuesday, January 6, the city council will hold a public hearing for fare adjustments for Handitran and On-Demand public rideshare services. They wish to increase Handitran fees from $2 to $3 per person per trip. They wish to increase On-Demand fees from $3-$5 to $3-$8 per person per trip, based on distance traveled. Details at: www.arlingtontx.gov/handitran and www.arlingtontx.gov/ondemand .
On Tuesday, January 6, the city council will hold a public hearing on PD24-27, 301 E Randol Mill Road. They wish to change the 0.233 acres from single family residential to RM-12 (usually townhomes).
On Wednesday, January 14, P&Z 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. If approved, it will go to the city council on February 10.
On Wednesday, January 14, P&Z will hold a public hearing on PD25-20, 2201 N. Collins Street. They wish to change the current CC (community commercial) to a PD-RMF-22 multi-family for a senior independent living facility on 3.35 acres. If approved, it will go to the city council on February 10.
On Wednesday, January 14, P&Z 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. If approved, it will go to the city council on February 10.
On Tuesday, January 27, the city council will hold a public hearing on PD24-28, 5920 S. Matlock Road on 3.165 acres. They wish to change from office commercial (OC) to a PD-RMF-12 (usually townhomes).
On Tuesday, January 27, the city council will hold a public hearing on PD25-19, 2504 S. Cooper Street on 1.177 acres. They wish to change from community commercial (CC) to a PD-CC plus auto repair, major
On Tuesday, January 27, 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.
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P&Z Commission
The next P&Z meeting should be Wednesday, January 14.
AISD School Board
The next AISD School Board meeting is Thursday, January 8. That agenda should be posted on Monday.
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/ .
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/ .
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
- Arlington ISD $0.802200
- Birdville ISD $0.786900
- Fort Worth ISD $0.786900
- Lewisville ISD $0.786900
- 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/ ].
Other News
Running for Election – May 2026
Mayor Ross, Ms. Hunter (District 3) and Ms. Boxall (District 5) have also announced they are running for reelection.
Andrew Piel (District 4) and Barbara Odom-Wesley (District 8) have term-limited out and are NOT eligible to run for a city council district [they are eligible to run for mayor].
Chris Moss of the Arlington Report has an article of those who have announced on planning to run for city council and school board at: https://fortworthreport.org/2025/12/03/heres-who-has-announced-for-arlington-city-school-elections/ .
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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