2026

Jan. 8, 2026 Lake Dallas City Council meeting

Terry Lantrip

Continuing my comments from the last Lake Dallas City Council meeting:

When the city decided to increase the City Manager salary to $175,000 in a town that cannot really afford that figure my thought was that if we get a really good City Manager then perhaps spending the additional funds would be worth it and could be justified.

Well, it’s been about and year and a half and it’s easy to see that it has not been worth it.

When this City Manager arrived there was no leadership, no plan, and little thought of the future. Lake Dallas has for possibly decades just been taking it a day at a time. That way of running a city hasn’t worked.

When this City Manager arrived the City had a well-earned reputation for being extremely difficult to work with. It’s like “We dare you to come and do anything nice in our town.” And there’s the old stand-by Lake Dallas City Motto: “Hinder, Delay, Block” that’s been going on for decades. I can assure you that in my dealings with the City, there has been little to no change in how the city is run. (I will say that with Daniel in the new position of Permits Clerk, there has been improvement so long as he is left alone to do the job). I’ve already mentioned that when I need something I have to go over everyone’s head and come to you, the elected and appointed officials, direct. Where the Duck Inn Again puts their trash and who is allowed to use a private facility such as the Farmhouse shouldn’t be top priorities of City Hall and certainly not worth all the fighting and going back and forth that took place. 

One sad example of this was when the Battery Company came to town. It’s my understanding that the gentleman was “hindered, delayed and blocked” at every corner. When all he had to do was get a special use permit that, if common sense prevailed, would have been most appropriate.

Having a lack of vision or a plan is extremely obvious. I’ve said it from this spot here at City Hall over and over that we’re all on the bus, we’re all ready to go somewhere but the problem is that we don’t have someone to drive the bus but that’s ok because we don’t know where we’re going anyway. A City Manager should be instrumental in providing that leadership. No, not alone or of his or her vision alone but someone who can pull everyone together and get everyone going in the right and same direction. The City of Lake Dallas spent $80,000 on the Lake Dallas 2030 Comprehensive Plan and I don’t think it’s been mentioned here at any council meeting except when I’ve mentioned it. That plan holds the key to the future of Lake Dallas but it seems it must have been relegated to a drawer never to be seen again along with all the other past Comprehensive Plans.

My attempts to get tourism going has been a struggle. I’ve mentioned that spending almost all the Hotel Occupancy Tax funds on July 4 isn’t the best use of the funds. Sure, we need a July 4th but our businesses have to survive 364 other days of the year so perhaps looking at unnecessary July 4thspending needs to take place. 

An interesting comment was made by the City Manager after my bringing up the idea of cutting back on some of July 4th spending. The City Manager stated that the City of Lake Dallas Fireworks show and the funds expended for the event does help the businesses and in fact, he and his family like to watch the fireworks from the Angelina’s upper deck. Angelina’s is located in Hickory Creek and Lake Dallas receives no sales tax from Hickory Creek.

On the topic of Angelina’s: Why was a going away party for an Interim Police Chief held at Angelina’s, as we’ve established is a Hickory Creek businesses. I can assure you that Beatitudes, Silva’s, Chasing Tail BBQ, Mrs. Lively’s and The Duck Inn Again would have been more than happy to accommodate this event. As I mentioned last time, you have to have a City Manager that is concerned with more than just City Hall but of the City as a whole, the businesses and the citizens.

And while on the topic of the Interim Police Chief, why was someone hired that had other things going on such as a cruise and teaching classes that interfered with the job of Interim Police Chief. Our Police Department was in shambles at the time of her hiring which required the full-time effort of an Interim Police Chief. I heard the phrase, “She is available by phone if needed.” Who created that problem?

It all boils down to the fact we’re not getting our $175,000 a year from the current occupant of the City Manager’s office and it’s your responsibility as elected and appointed officials to make sure that funds are spent wisely. In your individual reviews (not a review as a group as has been suggested) I want to hear from you individually what you think and what you think needs to happen.

I want you to do your job.

Jan. 22, 2026 Lake Dallas City Council meeting

Address to Elected/Appointment Officials by Terry Lantrip 

In 2018 the City of Lake Dallas entered into an agreement with Halff and Associates to do a Comprehensive Plan, which the State of Texas highly recommends. That study cost the City of Lake Dallas $80,000. It is known as the Vision Lake Dallas 2030 Comprehensive Plan.

As part of this, many hearings and public workshops were held and a large number of residents and business owners attended. In fact, this very room was packed at almost every one of the meetings. Those attending were very happy to be a part of the future of Lake Dallas. Halff and Associates were keen on getting as much public input as possible and they succeeded.

There were many who attended those meetings that did not even know there was a Downtown District and were quite surprised at all the businesses in this area. Most of those said they drive direct to their homes and never wander around in their own town.

The work on the Vision Lake Dallas 2030 Comprehensive Plan took quite a few months to put together and when it was released it gave the city a roadmap to the future and gave the city the input it needed from the citizens. There was a sense of excitement to see where Lake Dallas could go.

I’ve always said, "we’re all on the bus but we’re not going anywhere but that’s OK because we don’t have anyone to drive the bus and we didn’t know where we are going anyway" But that’s really not completely true. The Vision Lake Dallas 2030 Comprehensive Plan IS the roadmap that specifically tells us where we are and where we need to go.

The problem, since 2018, is that we don’t have a bus driver, or in this instance anyone who can provide the leadership necessary to study that plan and implement it. Not the Mayors, not the City Managers, not the Elected and Appointment officials. No one!

Now when the Plan was completed it was turned over to an incompetent Planning Director back when we had the money for a Planning Director. We had the money for an Animal Control Department and Shelter back then too. Anyway, this Planning Director was supposed to oversee the implementation of the plan. But all he ever did was get up at a few Council meetings and said a lot of nothing. In fact, I stood right here and said that every time he gets up here to speak it’s like the adults from the Charlie Brown television specials. Wonk, wonk, wonk, wonk, wonk. Undecipherable A whole lot of nothing.

So, this plan has been in existence since 2018 and was officially adopted by Ordinance 2018-26 but yet it’s been relegated to a drawer in someone’s desk, never to be discussed again. Well, I can tell you that I’m going to discuss it until someone steps up and provides the leadership necessary to dust this thing off and start utilizing the direction that hundreds of residents provided at numerous meetings. 

Not one of those residents or business owners (including myself) would have wasted our time going to all those meetings and doing all the thought-provoking activities we did if we knew that it was all for nothing.

So, Lake Dallas has a plan but it seems that it would just rather just drift into oblivion instead. It’s Ordinance 2018-26 – Aren’t you supposed to follow your Ordinances?

My recommendation is to print about 100 of these and give them to every council member, board member, interested residents, business owners, etc.

So we’re all on the bus and we’re ready to go. We have a roadmap via the Comprehensive Plan and the Tourism Concept Plan. All we need is someone to drive the bus? Who’s it going to be?

A local business has won an award for its contribution to the community. The business has been recognized for its efforts to promote sustainable practices and for its commitment to supporting local charities. The award is a testament to the positive impact that small businesses can have on their communities.

A new art exhibit featuring the works of local artists has opened at the city's museum. The exhibit showcases a variety of art forms, including paintings, sculptures, and photographs. Visitors are encouraged to come and appreciate the creativity and talent of the city's artists.

A local athlete has won a national championship in their respective sport. The athlete has worked hard for years to achieve this goal and has made the city proud. The community is encouraged to support and celebrate the achievements of our local athletes.

A new road construction project has begun in the city to improve transportation and reduce traffic congestion. The project is expected to take several months to complete, and drivers are advised to take alternative routes to avoid delays and disruptions.