By Mayor Eric L. Johnson
Dallas is building its next budget on a strong foundation focused on public safety and government efficiency.
Last Tuesday, the City Manager presented her proposed FY27 budget to the City Council, and it reflects many of the priorities I outlined in July: public safety, focusing on core services, making city operations more efficient, and reducing the tax rate.
The proposed budget would accomplish several important goals:
- Put public safety first by keeping police and fire salaries competitive, continuing to fund the Dallas Police and Fire Pension System, and increasing police hiring with a sworn staffing goal of over 3,650 officers by October next year
- Improve and maintain 800 lane miles of city streets with the support of the 2024 Bond Program
- Improve efficiency by eliminating redundancies and maximizing the impact of your tax dollars without compromising on service delivery (for example, shifting Dallas Public Library to a flagship model)
- Continue to streamline zoning and permitting processes by expanding the online DallasNow land management system
- Diversify revenue sources and expand public/private partnerships for Park & Recreation and the Office of Arts & Culture so these services depend less on your tax dollars
- Start construction of the Dallas Love Field Airport expansion and continue the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center redevelopment, with funding for both of these projects coming from enterprise funds rather than your taxes
- Expand the use of artificial intelligence to improve efficiency, optimize the permitting process, and improve public safety
Tax Rate Reduction and Economic Growth
All of the above initiatives are balanced with another tax rate reduction, which has been done every year of my Administration. This is possible because the city continues to see growth and ongoing development, which expands the tax base every year. This year, new construction alone accounted for nearly $4 billion in property value growth. Since I took office, Dallas has added over $30 billion in new construction.
This is another reason why development and economic growth like Y’all Street are so important: They increase the proportion of the City’s revenue that does not come from individuals, allowing the City to continue providing quality services without excessively burdening residents.
While the City Manager’s proposal is an excellent start, the budget process is not over. In the coming weeks, the City Council will refine the budget before final adoption on September 16. The council’s next budget workshop will take place this Wednesday, August 19, and council-district budget town halls are being held through August 25. Some council members have already advocated for raising taxes, but I will fight to keep the City Manager’s proposed rate cut.
Supporting Southern Dallas Parks
As noted above, Dallas is continuing to expand its world-class urban park system with funding that doesn’t rely on your taxes, including both public/private partnerships and grants. Last week saw a prime example of this as Congressman Marc Veasey presented the city with $2 million in federal funding for the Five Mile Creek Greenbelt.
Led by the Trust for Public Land, the Five Mile Creek Greenbelt is a transformative greenspace project in southern Dallas that includes three new parks and 17 miles of trail. Once complete, it will provide close-to-home greenspace access for nearly 200,000 southern Dallas residents. With supporters like Congressman Veasey, Dallas is expanding park access for all residents and becoming an even greener and greater city.
That’s everything for today. Have a blessed week!
Until next time,
