The Dallas City Council members expressed mixed reactions on Tuesday regarding the first draft of a proposed $5.2 billion budget for the upcoming fiscal year.
Some members praised the draft for addressing key priorities highlighted by residents in a survey conducted earlier this year, which included initiatives focused on policing, city infrastructure maintenance, and housing for the unsheltered or those at risk of eviction.
However, concerns were raised about the draft not providing the in-depth analysis of city services that had been promised.
Council member Cara Mendelsohn noted that the elected officials were informed the budget draft would rank all city programs based on their importance, impact, and cost for thorough evaluation.
Mendelsohn commented, “The overarching criticism I’m going to have is that we were told we were going to have a different kind of budget.
We were going to have a priority-based budget, and that’s not what this is.”
Dallas Chief Financial Officer Jack Ireland acknowledged that the draft identified 291 programs but admitted it was not a complete list due to time constraints in reviewing them all.
City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert stated that a thorough review for the next budget cycle would likely commence in November to allow for better preparation.
The proposed budget represents an increase from last year’s budget of $4.97 billion, with the general fund set at $1.97 billion, reflecting an increase of approximately $62 million.
The Dallas Police Department and Dallas Fire-Rescue, as the two largest funded city agencies, are projected to receive a combined total of $1.2 billion.
Other key aspects of the budget proposal include funding for the hiring of 350 new police officers and increasing starting pay for police and firefighters to $81,232.
Additionally, the budget allocates funds for street maintenance, increasing from $125 million to $162 million, along with a $10 million initiative aimed at transitioning individuals from shelters experiencing homelessness into permanent housing.
City officials are facing challenges with rising demands and a budget that, despite being larger than the previous year, is still constrained by the state’s 3.5% property tax revenue cap.
This limitation restricts the amount of property tax revenue Dallas can collect annually without voter approval.
Furthermore, the city has experienced lower-than-expected sales tax revenue and a slowdown in property value growth.
In response to these challenges, Tolbert is proposing to merge four departments responsible for housing, homelessness, community care, and equity and inclusion initiatives into a single department, which is anticipated to result in savings of around $6 million.
Planned cuts will include eliminating 100 municipal employee positions, along with reallocation of dozens of other vacant roles to different departments.
One significant change involves the closure of the Skillman Southwestern branch library, which had narrowly avoided closure the previous year.
Council member Gay Donnell Willis emphasized the need to address the city’s declining sales tax revenue, which, while $10 million higher than the current budget, still fell short of projections.
She encouraged initiatives to boost local shopping, expressing, “Don’t like potholes? Shop Dallas.
Want your library open more hours? Shop Dallas.”
Willis believes that linking residents’ shopping habits to the city’s financial health could serve as a strong motivator for community engagement.
In a bid to enhance transparency and resident involvement, the city plans to conduct over 20 town hall meetings to gather feedback on the proposed budget, starting Thursday and continuing until August 28.
These meetings will be held both in-person and virtually, predominantly in English, with some sessions conducted in Spanish.
The City Council is next scheduled to discuss the proposed budget on August 20, with a public hearing for residents set for August 27 at Dallas City Hall.
Council members will propose formal amendments to Tolbert’s draft budget starting September 3, with a final approval of the budget anticipated on September 17.
Once approved, the budget is set to go into effect on October 1.
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