Dallas ‘ time city owner’s travel was hardly ever linked to the most pressing problems the city was facing.

According to documents obtained by The Dallas Express, time City Manager Kim Tolbert has frequently traveled to the City of Dallas and spent a lot of money there. However, her excursions have rarely been focused on voters ‘ highest priorities, as reported in research. According to respondents in the 2023 Dallas Community Survey, the five greatest issues facing citizens are homelessness ( 75 % ), crime ( 61 % ), drugs (60 % ), infrastructure/streets ( 55 % ), and aggressive solicitation and panhandling ( 45 % ). Only a few of Tolbert’s trips can be completely interpreted as relating to these matters, as revealed in the more than 300 pages of go records obtained by DX. In the weeks and months leading up to her appointment as interim area director, she made two visits to Atlanta and Los Angeles that were the most significant. Both were meant to provide information on each city’s homeless shelter initiatives, including using tiny houses and other facilities to building vagrants. At the time of the journey, Tolbert was the assistant city manager. The results of the trips are not stated in the files. The City officially considered a small home project for homeless housing in 2023. In the middle of the 2010s, the City of Dallas had earlier supported a comparable task, but support declined as of 2019 as a result of expired and unrenewable grants. However, a friendly voucher system continued, according to The Dallas Morning News. Tolbert and DX reached up to discuss how the journeys impacted area decision-making. She did not respond. Regardless of the results of these trips, they are seen as anomalies in her go, and the few instances that can be purely interpreted as directly addressing the concerns raised by the respondents are the most significant. Tolbert forwent other opportunities, including a conference in New York that focused solely on using infrastructure projects to stimulate economic growth, as well as mixed meetings relevant to city governance that the National League of Congressional Cities ( NLC ) in Washington D. C., with a” Celebrate Diversity Breakfast” and an “LGBTQ+LO Membership Meeting.” Another go, like initial- class flights to female conferences, is less distinct in its relevance to issues like crime or drugs. On another occasion, Tolbert traveled to the International City/County Management Association ( ICMA ) in Austin, where her itinerary included an” Equity &amp, Inclusion Leaders Luncheon” and an” Alvies Boot Party”, DX previously reported. The taxpayers paid$ 1, 199.94 for the Los Angeles vacation, and$ 992.24 for the Georgia vacation. Combined with her other trips, the City spent more than$ 10, 000 on Tolbert’s travel since the beginning of 2023. In addition to Tolbert’s positions as time city manager and assistant city manager, crime has increased, and despite recent declines in some criminal cases, general criminal activity continues to be high. Decaying City- owned components have become hubs of poverty, judicial mischief, and suspected drug usage. Turnover among City staff is still present, and data DX requested regarding Tolbert’s company mysteriously vanished from the city assistant’s office before just a few documents reappeared without justification. Help our non- revenue journalism