Arlington amends Cowboys stadium lease extension 7-2, spelling out that city tax money pays for upkeep while the team funds upgrades

The Arlington City Council on Tuesday approved changes to its pending deal to extend the Dallas Cowboys' lease of AT&T Stadium, rewording what the city's money is for as the agreement awaits state approval and a court fight, the Fort Worth Report reported.

The vote was 7-2, with Nikkie Hunter and Bowie Hogg dissenting. Both also opposed the original extension.

What changed

According to the city staff report cited by the Report, the amendment makes clear that Arlington's contribution goes toward the actual cost of maintaining, operating and managing the city-owned stadium. The Cowboys still must pay for and complete the stadium improvements the master agreement lists, with a 2043 deadline.

Yelverton, the city manager, said the revisions were made after the city consulted its bond lawyers and the state attorney general's staff. "Our dollars go to maintenance and operation dollars, and the team's dollars go into improvements," he said before the vote.

The deal

The extension the council approved in April would keep the Cowboys at the stadium through 2055. In it, Arlington committed as much as $273 million to repay the team for stadium improvements, paid from sales and other venue taxes Arlington voters approved in 2004 to build the stadium and approved again in 2016 for Globe Life Field.

The city said in August 2025 that it was paying off the stadium construction loan a decade early. The voter-approved taxes remain in effect, and that led some residents to object that the April deal sidestepped another election. Mayor Jim Ross said at the time that voters had already had their say.

The agreement is not final. Court filings say closing conditions must still be satisfied and the attorney general must approve it.

The lawsuit

A group called Voters' Voice of Arlington, represented by Arlington attorney Warren V. Norred, has sued, arguing that the tax money should go back into the city's operating budget and that a new election is required now that the original bonds are paid. The city says state law lets it keep using the venue taxes for stadium maintenance and operations after the debt is retired.

The city's request to have the case dismissed as premature was unsuccessful, court records show, and a non-jury trial is set to begin May 31, 2027, in the 141st District Court. A spokesperson for the city attorney's office declined to discuss whether the changes were related to the suit.

Sources

fortworthreport.org