Budget Talks Continue as Dallas Adds 10 Code Officers to Address Apartment Violations

09/25 This story has been updated. Initially we said CM Tennell Atkins did not want to reduce the new city tax rate beyond the proposed 3-cent decrease; another CM reminded us that was inaccurate.

Dallas City Council members deferred adoption of the city’s $4.51 billion budget Wednesday but approved several amendments, including an allocation to clean up code violations in some of the city’s dilapidated apartment complexes. 

Council members also agreed to defer a decision to Sept. 28 on the property tax rate of 74.58 cents per $100 assessed valuation, as proposed by City Manager T.C. Broadnax. 

Both the budget and tax rate were originally scheduled for adoption at Wednesday’s budget hearing, but an additional public hearing is needed because the items were not properly advertised, Broadnax said. 

District 12 Councilwoman Cara Mendelsohn and District 9 Councilwoman Paula Blackmon suggested during Wednesday’s budget hearing a 3-cent tax decrease from last year’s rate, rather than the 2.75-cent decrease as proposed. Mendelsohn’s motion to amend the proposed tax rate failed after a lengthy discussion about the potential impact on the budget. 

District 8 Councilman Tennell Atkins said he didn’t want to lower the tax rate more than 2.75 cents.

“I feel like this budget is a great budget,” Atkins said. “I think the city manager did a wonderful job. If we go lower, it’s going to jeopardize some equity and quality of life concerns. We are lowering the tax rate in the City of Dallas. We’re doing a marvelous job in the City of Dallas.” 

The 2023 fiscal year begins Oct. 1. 

Amendment 10

One big change that came about during budget talks is Amendment 10, introduced by District 10 Councilman Adam McGough. 

The proposal will reduce the city’s pension stabilization fund by $866,100 and use the funds to add 10 code enforcement officers focused on the Multi-Family Violent Crime Reduction Plan in partnership with Dallas Police Department.

“When we were talking earlier about community prosecution and we were talking about the needs to make community prosecution more effective, y’all were speaking my love language,” McGough said during a Sept. 7 budget hearing. “That is where I learned how this city works, through that program. The way it works best is through the code officers, and in some cases, the police officers that are working with the city attorneys and the community prosecutors. Adding community prosecutors without adding code officers is an error. It leaves a vacuum of need.”

The area of greatest need identified in the city’s Violent Crime Reduction Plan is multi-family communities, McGough added. 

“We have seen where the Office of Integrated Public Safety has shown drastic improvements working on grid areas alongside DPD and with code and has actually taken one of the highest-crime properties out of the grid system,” McGough said. “The answer is we need to do more of that. We know what works. This proposed budget offered two positions. While that’s helpful, that doesn’t get to touch the majority of our city. That’s only really focusing on two apartment complexes. The additional 10 officers allow it to focus on apartments that are across our entire city.”

Affordable Housing

District 7 Councilman Adam Bazaldua expressed concern about Amendment 10, noting that if the city is “too aggressive with some of our low-income properties,” residents could be displaced and in need of other city resources for housing.

A city official representing Code Compliance said officers have not seen displacement as a result of their work at the Volara housing complex at 3550 East Overton Road.

“Our first goal when we arrive on a property is a connection with property management and ownership to spell out why we’re here and what we are trying to improve,” he said. “One of our stated goals will be that we want affordable living to remain affordable, even though we’re raising the quality of life and safety of these properties. If rents and things go up, we certainly work with advocates, our housing department, Office of Community Care, and others to make sure we can find alternative housing arrangements for anyone that’s displaced on any property we work.”

Hiring 10 code compliance officers enables an effort previously concentrated in District 4 to extend to the entire city. The work includes cleaning up dangerous and dilapidated apartment complexes and addressing crime and safety issues at the multifamily developments, officials said. 

In addition to Amendment 10, council members approved Amendment 11, a $100,000 increase to Housing and Neighborhood Revitalization’s Minor Repair Program.

Amendment 12, also approved, authorizes an allocation of up to $3 million to secure master leasing or other similar arrangements for the creation of homeless-supportive housing. The program, introduced by Mayor Eric Johnson, reduces the gap in affordable housing for Dallas’ most vulnerable residents, according to the proposal. 

Residents can download a full copy of the 768-page budget from the city website.