Charter

The Mayor's Southern Dallas Task Force was commissioned by Mayor Tom Leppert and Councilmember Tennell Tom Leppert, Mayor City of Dallas Atkins in 2008. The goal of the task force is to identify, qualify, prioritize and recommend to the Mayor, City Council and the City Manager a range of implementable deliverables that support the achievement of redeveloping and repositioning Southern Dallas in the near term (2 years), mid term, (2 – 5 years) and long term (> than 5 years). The expected results are:

Investment for Economic Development and Growth (Jobs / Retail)
Academic Excellence (K – 12)/ Increase in Higher Education
Mixed Income Housing
Quality Recreation, Arts and Culture
Sustainable Communities

History

The first meeting of the Mayor's Southern Dallas Task Force was held on August 21, 2008 in City Council Chambers. Over 275 people attended the meeting.

Organization

The task force is lead by a steering team that is comprised of the chairperson of each committee. The task force is divided into ten working teams by unique sub geographies. Sub geographies are determined by natural boundaries like streets and highways, water and historic communities. Additionally, three teams focus on pervasive issues that impact all of Southern Dallas:

Ongoing key economic development priorities
Small business
Funding/financing

Approximately twenty task force members are assigned to each committee based on their interest, skills and experience as determined by an online survey. Task Force volunteers are asked to commit 18 to 24 months to the project.