The world's eyes will be on the Dallas-Fort Worth area when Super Bowl XLV comes to North Texas in February, but Dallas wants the world's eyes not to be distracted by graffiti.
Dallas City leaders announced plans to rid public and private properties of graffiti by the end of January.
"Much of the world is going to see a Dallas it hasn’t seen before," said Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert. "We want them to see a modern, global city on the rise - not one covered in spray paint."
Some of the funding for the anti-graffiti campaign will come from a $100,000 donation Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban made to the city in September.
"Mark made this generous donation as a way of giving something back to his city," said Mayor Leppert. "We’re making sure this is used to make his city a much better place."
District 1 Councilmember Delia Jasso and Oak Cliff attorney John Barr will serve as graffiti czars representing government and private businesses.
"Tackling graffiti must be done simultaneously on several fronts," says Councilmember Jasso. "You must focus on abatement, investigations and arrests, prosecution and education. You have to be aggressive with each one of these or you won’t see sustained progress."
Mayor Leppert wants the graffiti czars to not only get the city ready for the Super Bowl but also develop a long-term strategy to battle the problem.
Taggers face a $500 fine when caught, and if they are children, parents face a $200 fine.
