Proposed $5 Billion Dallas Budget Highlights Safety, Street Cleanup, and Repairs

The City of Dallas dropped its proposed 2024-25 budget Friday night, and it’s a big one. 

The $4.97 billion budget prioritizes public safety and service delivery, Interim City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert said in an email to local media Friday night. 

Tolbert also is proposing the largest single-year property tax reduction in modern history, a decrease from 73.57 cents to 70.47 cents per $100 assessed valuation. 

The 3.10-cent tax rate reduction in Fiscal Year 2024-25 resulted in $65.6 million in revenue foregone, Tolber’s press release states. Additionally, for the sixth time since 2017, Dallas has increased the property tax exemption for residents who are age 65 and over or living with a disability, from $139,400 to $153,400.

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A note at the front of the budget document explains that the FY 2024-25 budget “will raise more revenue from property taxes than last year’s budget by an amount of $15,856,462, which is a 1.16 percent increase from last year’s budget. The property tax revenue to be raised from new property added to the tax roll this year is $35,687,522.”

Tolbert said that city officials embarked on a comprehensive review of expenditures in preparation for the proposed budget. 

“The analysis revealed a valuable opportunity to be leaner and more focused without sacrificing our commitment to delivering Service First with the urgency of Now!” Tolbert said in a letter to Dallas residents that appears in the front of the budget book. “We identified redundancies and duplications, resulting in nearly $6 million in future savings.” 

View the budget overview and the full City of Dallas 838-page proposed budget document. 

A budget briefing before the Dallas City Council is slated for 9 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 13. View the slide presentation here.

Interim City Manager Highlights Streets, Safety

Highlights of the FY 2024-25 budget, according to Interim City Manager Tolbert, include: 

• Launch Clean Sweep! a proactive Citywide program to keep public right-of-way clean. 
• Keep Dallas safe by hiring 250 police recruits and implementing an incentive program to retain officers. 
• Enhance the fire department staffing model by adding 63 firefighters and four Single Function Paramedics to strengthen response to medical calls. 
• Ensure the fiscal soundness of both the Dallas Police and Fire Pension System (DPFPS) and the Employee Retirement Fund (ERF) with increased City contributions. 
• Continue partnership for the R.E.A.L. Time Rehousing (RTR) program to reduce unsheltered homelessness. 
• Invest $124 million in funding for street improvement and maintenance of approximately 676 lane miles, alley maintenance, sidewalk projects, bridge maintenance, and updating the paving model to support quality modes of transportation. 
• Invest $26.2 million to address City facility maintenance needs. 
• Invest $44.1 million to provide market-based compensation and step increases in accordance with the Meet and Confer Agreement for uniform employees. 

What Do You Think of the Proposed Budget? 

The City of Dallas says it wants to hear from residents about the proposed budget. Town hall meetings are scheduled in each council district beginning Thursday. 

The City also has posted a series of informational videos in English and Spanish about how the budget is prepared, where the money comes from, and where the money goes. 

Public hearings will continue through the month of August ahead of budget adoption in September. The new fiscal year begins Oct. 1.