Farmers Branch Council Repeals Official Language Resolution

FARMERS BRANCH (1080 KRLD) - English is no longer the "official language" of the city of Farmers Branch.

The Farmers Branch City Council voted to repeal the decades-old resolution Tuesday night.  That resolution designated the English language as the official language of the city.

Councilman Bronson Blackson said the resolution is a by-product of some larger immigration ordinances that cost the city dearly.

It all started in 2006, when former council members approved an ordinance banning landlords from renting to people who are in the US illegally - part of that was a separate provision declaring English the "official language," which meant the city would not provide Spanish translated information for any of its services.

It got messy, the Supreme Court got involved, the city fractured and was left saddled with millions of dollars in legal fees.

"This is a symbolic gesture of burying the hatchet once and for all for everything that has held us back," said Mayor Robert Dye.