THE HOME BUILDER
November 2023
Page Two
David Lehde Director of Government Affairs Member Opportunity, Member Participation, Member Benefit The HomeFront Government Affairs News and Info It’s that time of year. When the our organization.
reason and the means for Dallas BA member engagement is right in front of us. The Fate City Council on Oct. 16 voted to approve updates to the city’s water, wastewater and roadway impact fees. The council was originally sched- uled to vote on the fees on Oct. 9, but the item was tabled after the Dallas BA continued to weigh in with concerns. Relaying the industry’s concerns about the proposed increases com- ing at a time of higher interest rates, material costs and other challenges to housing attainability, Dallas BA urged that the council consider amending the proposed roadway impact fees to lessen the impact. While water and wastewater impact fees were increased to $3,659 and $4,028 respectively, roadway impact fees were proposed to jump from $4,500 to $7,103 in the updated fee schedule. After further discussion with Dallas BA, Fate agreed to amend the proposed roadway impact fees to $5,000, with a phase-in to $5,400 in 2024 and $5,800 in 2025. As mentioned in previous Home Front columns, the City of Denton is preparing to bring back up their road- way impact fees for discussion, after taking a brief hiatus on the subject this past Spring. Council is tentatively on deck for Nov. 14 to receive and update on proposed fees. Dallas BA has been in communication with council members on the issue for almost a year. The Dallas Builders Association has long been the advocating voice for residential development and construc- tion. The drive for that comes from our member participation, but also from inspiration both inside and outside of
Members may remember former Dallas City Councilman Bill Blaydes, who served on city council in the early 2000s, and on the Dallas City Plan Commission before that. The council - man, who was known as a friend to our industry, recently passed away. We want to take this opportunity to recog- nize his service to the community, as well as his part in inspiring advocacy for our industry. Longtime Dallas BA Government Relations Committee and TAB com - mittee participant Sharon Reuler, as well as one of my predecessors, Paul Cauduro, recall an important experi - ence when delivering a HOMEPAC of Greater Dallas contribution to Blaydes during his run for city council. Dur- ing that meeting, Bill Blaydes made a point to strongly urge Dallas BA to engage more actively at Dallas City Hall, including testifying at Planning and Zoning and City Council hearings. It is a duty we still take very seriously, but we can always use more member participation, as that is what sends the clear message to decision makers. There are multiple ways, both upcoming and ongoing, that members can take the opportunity to get engaged. All Dallas Builders Association members who wish to participate or learn about our advocacy activities, or just get an update on local, state and federal regulatory movements that can impact our Dallas BA members, can join in on our Government Relations Committee meetings. Meetings are open to Association members only and information about dates and times can be found in Punch List or by contacting the Director of Government Affairs at David.Lehde@DallasBuilders.com. Our next GRC meeting will be Thurs -
Dallas BA member builders, developers and associates at Govern- ment Relations Committee meeting.
day, Dec. 14, at 9 a.m. There is not a November GRC meeting, as that will be covered by our State of the Industry Summit on Nov. 9 when Jim Tobin, president and CEO of the National As - sociation of Home Builders, will join past Dallas BA Executive Officer Phil Crone to talk about regulatory matters impacting housing. Another opportunity for Associa- tion members to participate in advo- cacy efforts is through HOMEPAC of Greater Dallas. Registration is now open for new member participation and member renewal for the 2023-24 cycle, which began in October. HOMEPAC of Greater Dallas is the political action committee for members of the Dallas BA. It is an essential part of the Association’s advocacy program. As we roll into 2024—with spring municipal, county and state legislative elections on the calendar—the government arena will only become more intense. It will be important that those
elected decision makers understand the need for a regulatory environment that does not negatively impact home building, as well as the boost it brings to the local and state economy. HOMEPAC of Greater Dallas helps support pro-housing candidates and incumbents for key city, county and selected state level offices. Members interested in partici - pating should contact the Director of Government Affairs or visit https:// dallasbuilders.org/advocacy/. We are always looking at new means to energize our advocacy and serve our members. So we appreciate our members’ participation and insight. “There’s nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true no - bility is being superior to your former self.” — Credited to Ernest Heming - way, argued to be W. L. Sheldon, maybe even Seneca (Note: Scholars argue the source via comparison. Possibly missing the point.)
The Home Builder is published monthly by the Dallas Builders Association at 5816 W. Plano Pkwy., Plano, Texas 75093. Telephone 972-931-4840. BARCIE VILCHES , Editor
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