Irving City Council Vote On $44M Payment To Toyota Music Factory Developer Delayed
IRVING, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - The City of Irving could pay a $44 million bill that taxpayers say it shouldn't have to.
The Irving city council was scheduled to vote Thursday on whether to pay the developer of the Toyota Music Factory for completing the $250 million project on time.
Sources say the city council has decided Wednesday evening to remove the vote from Thursday night's agenda. It's unclear why that decision was made.
The Toyota Music Factory has attracted thousands to the entertainment complex since it opened in March.
But by the end of May, a half dozen restaurants and bars that were part of the Big Beat Dallas section, a key component of the live music theme, suddenly shut down.
Irving businessman Chris Allen has gone to court to keep the city from paying the developer.
"You must follow the money and you owe it to the taxpayers to look into the allegations. You need to make sure that they followed the contract specifically, not cutting corners, not giving favors, it's a lot of money," says Allen.
CBS 11 News did not get a response to our questions from The ARK Group.
A petition drive to stop the city's payment has about 500 signatures.