You. Us.

Dallas has not made this decision yet. The city council works for us, and they need to hear from you before leaving City Hall becomes a fact instead of a proposal.

Two things to do.

Sign the petition to put City Hall on the May 2027 ballot, starting October 2. And tell your council member not to commit Dallas to a move before that vote.

Sign the petition

The Save Dallas City Hall Coalition is circulating a citizen petition to amend the city charter. As the coalition describes it, the amendment would keep 1500 Marilla as the seat of city government unless Dallas voters decide otherwise.

The mechanics, as reported: the coalition files a notice of intent with the City Secretary on October 2, 2026. From that day it has 60 days to collect 20,000 signatures from registered Dallas voters. Signatures are given in person, on paper; there is no online version. If the petition qualifies, the city must hold the election, and the coalition is aiming for May 2027.

This site has asked for one thing: price every option and debate it in public before Dallas commits to leave. Ten months in, that case has not been made. A vote is the way to make the city make it.

The petition does not pause the council. Paul Ridley, one of the four council members at the announcement, told KERA he does not expect the pressure to move out to stop while signatures are gathered. That is why the second ask still matters.

The amendment's text has not been filed yet; this page will link it when it is. The coalition posts signing events on its site and social channels.

Write your council member

You do not need to brief the whole case. Say that you live in the district, say what you want, and ask for an answer.

  1. Find the person. Use the district finder and council roster.
  2. Make the ask. Tell them not to commit Dallas to leaving before the voters have spoken, and not until every option has been priced on equal terms.
  3. Make it personal. Add one reason this matters to you. A message in your own words is more useful than a script with your name on it.
  4. Ask where they stand. A direct question invites a reply and gives you something to follow up on.

A starting point: I live in District __. Please do not approve a move out of City Hall until the cost of every option — staying, leaving, demolishing, selling — has been published and debated in public. A petition to put this on the May ballot is underway; please do not approve a move before that vote. I want Dallas to take care of the things it owns. Will you support that?

Put it in the public record

City Council meetings include opportunities for the public to speak. You must register with the City Secretary by 5:00 PM on the last regular business day before the meeting. Registration opens at 8:15 AM on the next regular business day after the previous council meeting.

Register online to speak, visit the City Secretary in Room 5D South at City Hall, or call 214-670-3738. You may participate in person or by videoconference.

The open-microphone period is available only once in any 30-day period. If City Hall appears as an item on the meeting agenda, register for that item instead. Check the agenda before choosing.

Those rules and deadlines come from the City Secretary's speaker-registration instructions and Rule 6.3 of the council's Rules of Procedure. Meeting schedules change; confirm the date and agenda on Legistar.

Show up

The next meetings where an open microphone has been confirmed are listed on the front page. The full council schedule and the record of earlier votes are under When.

You can attend without speaking. Bring someone who has never watched the council work. Listen for the promises, the numbers, and the unanswered questions — then write your council member again.

This is still a decision, not a done deal.