Dallas council passes booting ordinance in favor of Deep Ellum community activists

by Sean Fitzgerald, president of the Deep Ellum Community Association

DEEP ELLUM — Deep Ellum won! It was an up and down day on Wednesday, August 26 (long story), but at the end, the city council approved a booting ordinance that specifically gives Deep Ellum exactly what we want starting January 1, 2010 -- and then phases it in to the rest of the city over the course of the next year.

More specifically,

(1) Starting January 1, 2010, there is no booting in Deep Ellum unless the parking lot gives customers a receipt from a parking lot attendant or electronic cash machine;

(2) The receipt requirements kicks in for the rest of Dallas on July1, 2010, but only for lots that charge $5 or more; and

(3) The receipt requirement kicks in for the entire city, without the $5 charge limit, on January 1, 2011.

So because Deep Ellum has been so impacted, and because it created such a public ruckus, we get the booting ordinance applied to us immediately, and before the rest of the city. Squeeky wheel gets the grease!

Councilpersons Pauline Medrano and Angela Hunt took the lead for Deep Ellum, and working with Councilperson Ron Natinsky managed to get this done. If you get a chance, send them an individual email thanking them for their extraordinary efforts working this compromise and rotecting Deep Ellum. You can send them a quick thank you here.

Also special thanks Barry Annino, Jon Hetzel, Tressie Knowlton, and everyone at the Deep Ellum Foundation for their fierce advocacy for Deep Ellum from the very start of this problem. Thanks to DEEP for helping the Deep Ellum Community Association get the word out, get the petitions signed, and stir things up in that Deep Ellum way.

And thanks to all who signed petitions, emailed your councilpersons, and showed up for the hearings. It really made a huge difference!

Staff
Verified User
Anonymous

alexander troup, says:

Well that is a good move, finally after they ran everyone who drove metal wheel's off, then again, behind the scene's...The poor old Elm is not out of the fire yet.... while,why don't they do the same thing in Victory Park..You ask...Hey them boot's are made for walking and walking you should do, leave your hoss in the parking lot and the check book near you...A/T,..Pays to walk...

Verified

3 months, 1 week ago
Link to this comment | Suggest removal

OpusthePoet, says:

As much as I dislike cars, I dislike confiscation of private property without court order even more. Why is it taking so long to implement the new law? It's not like they don't know who these operators are, just send them a letter and tell them to stop it in 14 days or face jail time for theft.