Dallas City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert Releases
7800 N. Stemmons Freeway After-Action Report
DALLAS -Today, Dallas City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert released an After-Action Report on the City of Dallas’ August 2022 purchase of a property located at 7800 N. Stemmons Freeway. The building was intended to serve as a one-stop permitting location. While it was still undergoing renovations, in December 2023, a limited number of City of Dallas staff moved into it. Shortly thereafter, it became clear that the staff occupancy was not compliant with City of Dallas permitting requirements.
When the issues became public in early 2024, the City of Dallas was undergoing a management transition, which included Ms. Tolbert’s appointment as Interim City Manager. While her effective start date as Interim was not until May 2024, she immediately took charge of the situation, ordering staff to vacate the building, and return to the Oak Cliff Municipal Center, leaving one outside tenant in the building.
In Tolbert’s 100-Day Transition Plan, she identified 7800 N. Stemmons Freeway as a priority deliverable and moved to enlist the Dallas Economic Development Corporation (DEDC) to conduct a full assessment of the building. Additionally, at the request of the Ad Hoc Committee on Investigating and Ethics, the City of Dallas Auditor launched an audit into the building.
City Manager Tolbert’s report is a combination of her own deep dive into the project once she became aware of it, expert assessment by real estate leaders engaged by the Dallas Economic Development Corporation, and the City Auditor’s findings. The Auditor’s findings are expected to be released next week.
She is publicly releasing the report in advance of the City Auditor to be proactive and transparent about the mistakes that were made leading up to the purchase of 7800 Stemmons Freeway, and to outline corrective steps that will be implemented before the end of this fiscal year.
City Manager’s Tolbert’s After-Action Report is located here.
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