Chamber Urges a ‘No’ Vote on Propositions 1 and 2 for May 9 Election

Propositions 1 and 2 will be on the ballot for Dallas voters May 9. Voting No will move the Dallas Convention Center Hotel forward as well as allow the City of Dallas to continue to offer incentives to private developers for hotels, condominiums and retail facilities.

Proposition 1 seeks to prohibit the City of Dallas from not only owning a convention center hotel but from ever buying, leasing or offering important financial incentives to any hotel or lodging facility.

The Dallas Regional Chamber believes that the Convention Center Hotel is critical for the city. Each year, Dallas misses out on about $800 million in direct spending and an additional $2.6 billion in economic impact because Dallas lacks a convention center hotel to adequately attract and handle the largest conventions that attract 20,000 to 50,000 visitors. More than 80 groups have already reported they will not bring future meetings to Dallas due to the lack of a convention center hotel and adequate meeting space. Without a hotel adjacent to the city's $1 billion convention facilities, Dallas would continue to lose business to other cities.

Proposition 2 requires that with just 500 signatures, the City of Dallas must conduct a citywide vote each time it wants to offer $1 million or more in key financial incentives to private developers of hotels, condominiums and retail facilities.

If Proposition 2 passes, it would permanently change the Dallas City Charter. This change would not only have devastating consequences on the city's ability to attract new business, but it could also force the City of Dallas to call an election every time it wants to extend $1 million or more in tax incentives toward a new development for Dallas. Currently, these decisions are routinely handled by the elected City Council members. Proposition 2 would make Dallas a much more difficult place in which to do business and would drive business to neighboring suburbs and other U.S. cities. The City has made significant strides in recent years to regain its status as city supportive of business, but this proposition threatens the progress that has been made.

The Dallas Regional Chamber believes that it is critical to defeat Propositions 1 and 2. If passed, Props 1 and 2 would create an anti-business environment, cause job losses, increase the tax burden on homeowners and destroy Dallas’ economic vitality.

We encourage our members to distribute this information to their employees and to VOTE NO on Propositions 1 and 2 on May 9.

To sign up for the email newsletter, request a yard sign or obtain more information, please go to the Vote No! Keep Dallas Working website at www.votenodallas.com/home.html.

For more information, please contact Meredith Armstrong, Manager, Government Relations, at marmstrong@dallaschamber.org.