A City That Still Works

When it comes to smooth efficiency, neither Rome under Mussolini nor Richard Daley's Chicago could outshine modern day Dallas. Potholes are filled within three days; a clogged sewer is usually cleared within 40 minutes; streets, sidewalks, bridges and water and sanitation systems are kept in superb condition. Indeed, the Urban Institute in Washington proclaims that Dallas' management of its public facilities could stand as a model for large cities all over the U.S.

While many other towns and cities are slowly crumbling, Dallas has established its reputation as a city that works. The reasons include a favorable climate, a booming local economy, an encyclopedic computerized maintenance schedule, and a government that abhors the idea of deferring scheduled repairs to keep its current expenses low. In addition, it is the largest city in the U.S. run by a professional administrator answering to the city council. In most of the largest cities, the day-to-day operations are in the hands of the mayor. Says Dallas City Manager George Schrader: "A city government is like GM or U.S. Steel, and the infrastructure is our assembly line."

The city executes its maintenance work with a precision similar to that of the Dallas Cowboys on a pass pattern. Dallas keeps a computerized inventory of all street surfaces, curbs, gutters, sidewalks and stop lights. Water-main breaks and cracks in the pavement are rigorously recorded, as are the costs of repairing them. The city, for example, annually cleans out 26% of its sewers, and trouble-prone stretches of underground pipe are inspected by subterranean television cameras.

Equally important is Dallas' system of user fees, which specifically charge people for services. When streets are improved, for instance, the people who own houses or businesses on them are assessed part of the cost.

Another major reason for Dallas' success is its tradition of joint private-public ventures. The city and Oilman Ray Hunt, the half brother of Silver Baron Bunker Hunt, combined to develop a hotel and sports complex in a section of Dallas' west side that had been stagnant for 50 years. Hunt and the city shared the cost of building new roads and Hunt paid for railroad underpasses in the area.

Dallas, of course, has its share of urban shortcomings. Its mass-transit system, which consists of only 490 buses, is plainly inadequate, and a referendum on a new public-transportation system may be held soon. But, as City Councilman Lee Simpson says, "we've put our infrastructure in the hands of high-quality professionals, and our citizens have little tolerance for failure. That's why any weaknesses stand out."

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