Fort Worth Mayor announces budget priorities for FY2024
Mayor Mattie Parker’s top budget priorities for the upcoming budget discussions include public safety, exceptional city services, and green space, while ensuring the City reduces the property tax rate.
FORT WORTH — Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker outlined her top budget priorities for the upcoming City of Fort Worth FY2024 budget discussions in a memo to City management this week.
The Fort Worth City Manager is set to present the proposed budget to the Fort Worth City Council on Aug. 8. In the weeks that follow, there will be a series of meetings with the Council and community for feedback before the final budget for FY2024 is approved by City Council in September, taking effect Oct. 1.
In the memo, Mayor Parker outlines her top budget priorities for the upcoming budget discussions which include public safety, exceptional city services, and green space, while ensuring the City reduces the property tax rate.
Read the full memo below:
DATE: August 1, 2023
TO: David Cooke, City Manager
SUBJECT: Mayor Parker FY2024 Budget Priorities
Dear City Manager Cooke:
As we approach the most critical City Council vote of the year, the adoption of the City’s annual budget, I would like to take this opportunity to outline the topline items that I believe should be prioritized in the FY2024 budget.
These priorities are born from countless hours of conversation with Fort Worth constituents and an emphasis on achieving the overall vision of our entire City Council that we ensure the highest possible quality of life for every resident.
To accomplish our goals, we must continue the work of using data to drive decision-making. As the fastest-growing city in U.S, it is critical that we think not only of what residents need today, but also of how we are investing now to prepare us for the next 50 years, especially if that growth is sustained.
Though this list is not exhaustive of all projects and initiatives that I hope to see covered in the FY2024 budget, here are four key areas that I believe should be prioritized in the proposed budget:
1. Reduce the property tax burden on residents: Our residents came out the other side of the pandemic to be met with harsh new realities — rapidly rising home valuations, inflation on everyday expenses, and a cost of living that is increasingly difficult to maintain. We absolutely must do everything in our power to be good stewards of every taxpayer’s dollar. The most direct way to do this is to decrease the property tax rate. The City Council has lowered the tax rate five times in the past six years, totaling 12.25 cents in reduction, but we understand that this effort must continue.
The City Council’s unanimous vote to increase the Elderly and Disabled Residential Homestead Exemptions was an important step, but we can do more. In the FY2024 budget, I would like to see a significant decrease in the property tax rate, while maintaining the high level of city services that residents deserve.
2. Public safety: Ensuring Fort Worth is safe for all who live, work, and visit our city must continue to be a high priority. In the last budget, we made incredible commitments to meeting the needs of our Police and Fire Departments with increases in staffing and investments in technology.
That investment should continue with funds dedicated to the appropriate increases in staffing levels to support our growing city as well as the technology and infrastructure needed to ensure that when someone calls for help their calls are answered and supported in a timely manner. Investments in a strong public safety network should cover Police and Fire, as well as related services including 9–1–1 and medical emergency response services.
3. Exceptional city services, built to scale: Being the fastest-growing large city in the country is worth celebrating, but it is not a distinction we should take lightly. Growth for the sake of growth will not serve our residents in the long run, and we have a responsibility to residents to be thinking about how our city can grow smarter and avoid the pitfalls of other major cities that have grown rapidly.
Smart growth means executing on the basics well, even as the population balloons. To ensure we keep our focus, the budget should execute on:
- Improving efficiency in the development services process, especially for small business.
- Championing innovative infrastructure and mobility projects that meet current demand and plan for growth, including a larger investment into PayGo funding for capital projects.
- Balancing investment in new development with reinvestment in existing development.
- Combatting the affordable housing and homelessness crises by creating opportunities for affordable housing and homeownership.
4. Green space and parks: Trust for Public Land conducted a public survey of Fort Worth residents and found that nearly 96 percent of respondents said conserving natural areas within Fort Worth is “very important” and almost 99 percent said that the city should establish a permanent program to conserve natural areas for future generations. I agree with our residents.
We have an opportunity, and responsibility, right now to protect natural areas to preserve critical watersheds and provide green space for future generations. There is a distinct urgency around this issue due to Fort Worth’s exponential growth. This budget, and arguably several budgets in the years to come, should push us to think bigger about how we develop the approximately half of our city that has not already been developed.
I look forward to working with you, my fellow Councilmembers, the city management team, and our department heads to capitalize on the opportunities for Fort Worth that lie inside this important vote. Thank you for your continued work to help Fort Worth become the most livable city in the nation.
Sincerely,
Mattie Parker
Mayor
