Arlington Mayor Jim Ross speaks before voting during a city council meeting April 21 at the Arlington City Council Chambers. Ross said the city is obligated to keep people safe as they come and go from the AT&T Stadium.
The Arlington City Council voted 7-2 Tuesday to approve a resolution extending the Dallas Cowboys’ lease at AT&T Stadium by 15 years and have the city contribute up to $273 million over 20 years in investments to the stadium.
The city’s contribution would be funded with revenue generated by a previously voter-approved tax already in place, according to a staff report from the city.
These taxes were approved in 2004 for the Cowboys Complex Development Project and again in 2016 for the Texas Rangers Complex Development Project.
“Bottom line on this really is that we’re working on the same venues, with the same taxes, on the same term,” city manager Trey Yelverton said.
How the council voted:
Jim Ross: yes
Mauricio Galante: yes
Raul Gonzalez: yes
Nikkie Hunter: no
Andrew Piel: yes
Rebecca Boxall: yes
Long Pham: yes
Bowie Hogg: no
Barbara Odom-Wesley: yes
Arlington resident Georgie Zang, 58, speaks to council members during a meeting April 21 at the Arlington City Council Chambers. Zang said she supports extending the Dallas Cowboys’ lease at the AT&T Stadium.
Under the new terms, the Dallas Cowboys would have to pay $750 million in total commitment for the stadium over the lease term. The team would fund improvements up front and be paid back $273 million by the city over time, according to a presentation from Yelverton. The city would pay $50 million in 2028 and $20 million from 2029 through 2048.
Improvements to the stadium would include more venue parking, SAFETY Act perimeter hardening, new bridges for pedestrians, plaza improvements and more.
Mayor Jim Ross said AT&T Stadium is a city asset, not owned by the Dallas Cowboys, and that Arlington is obligated to keep people safe as they come and go from the stadium.
Multiple business owners in attendance spoke in favor of the resolution. Some said the Cowboys bring in more business around Arlington, and without the team, it could negatively affect the city.
Attendees clap during a city council meeting April 21 at the Arlington City Council Chambers. Various attendees voted for and against the extension of the Dallas Cowboys’ lease at the AT&T Stadium.
Maggie Campbell, Downtown Arlington Management Corp. president and CEO, said when she got to Arlington, AT&T Stadium was just an idea, but with investment in the stadium and the stature of the Cowboys, she saw potential.
“I had the impression then, and I firmly believe it now, that landing the Dallas Cowboys back then had given Arlington a renewed boost of confidence that spurred a willingness to chase even bigger ideas,” Campbell said. “It was a rallying point.”
However, some residents in attendance were unsure of the new lease and believed it should be put to a taxpayer vote.
Arlington resident Hal Hickerson, 76, said he was not for or against the Cowboys. He said continuing the tax was not what was presented during the original vote in 2004.
The vote for extending the Dallas Cowboys’ original lease at the AT&T Stadium for 15 years is displayed on a screen during a city council meeting April 21 at the Arlington City Council Chambers. The extension was approved 7-2.
“This is something new,” Hickerson said. “It should be put up to vote to the citizen. If they want to vote it in, fine, if they don’t, fine. Let them make the decision.”
Similarly, Arlington resident Etta Ashley, 54, said the council should let voters make the final decision. She said the money could also go to other needs, such as roads or schools.
Ross said he is empathetic toward the idea that the decision should go to a vote. However, he said voters already have been heard on the matter, citing the 2004 vote for the original stadium project.
“They overwhelmingly said, ‘Sell the bonds. Pay this thing back by 2048.’ That’s exactly what we’re doing,” he said.
Photojournalist Sarah Wesolowski contributed to this story.
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