A Back to Basics budget for the City of Dallas
This budget makes an important statement: The city is ready to get Back to Basics and to Build for the Future.
The following was adapted from my newsletter, which sent Thursday, Sept. 23. To sign up for the newsletter, visit mayorofdallas.org
Putting the fun stuff first today: It’s officially Iron Skillet Week in Dallas!
SMU will square off with TCU in their annual game on Saturday in Fort Worth, and the winner will take home the Iron Skillet.
The last time these two teams played, SMU, wearing their Dallas uniforms, won a hard-fought victory, 41–38. The trophy and the bragging rights have remained here in Dallas since then; the game was canceled last year because of the pandemic.
The game will be the 100th in the history of the storied rivalry, which dates back to 1915.
So, Pony Up, Dallas! Bask in the last day of Iron Skillet Week and enjoy the big game on Saturday! (A bit of a personal bonus: Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker will have to provide dessert for the Dallas City Council and don an SMU jersey if the Mustangs prevail).
Major budget wins
Now, back to the people’s business. And it’s good news: The city council voted Wednesday to approve the Fiscal Year 2021–2022 city budget, which includes funding for many of your priorities.
I supported this budget, which passed on a 13–2 vote. As you likely remember, I voted against the Fiscal Year 2020–2021 budget last year because it cut the number of police officers, significantly reduced police overtime, denied market-rate salary increases to first responders, cut into police squad car replacements, underfunded streets, and provided little property tax relief to homeowners. That budget passed by a narrow 9–6 vote.
But this budget is a much different story. It’s largely a Back to Basics budget. This time, the city council voted to put public safety first. The budget calls for more police officers, more competitive pay, more 911 call takers, more community-based crime-reduction initiatives, more squad cars, and more efficiency measures.
The city council also voted 12–3 to support my amendment to fully restore $10 million that had been stripped from the police overtime budget by a previous amendment two weeks ago. It’s what Police Chief Eddie Garcia wanted and what the city needs, especially in light of events such as the terrible violence that occurred last week in Deep Ellum. With the police department’s shrinkage over the last few years (something that this budget begins to reverse), police overtime is the backstop against rising violence.
The budget also calls for major enhancements and investments in infrastructure, homelessness services, economic development, neighborhood revitalization, sanitation services, and other key areas.
And the budget reduces the property tax rate and provides additional tax relief for senior and disabled homeowners through an expansion of their homestead exemption.
No budget is perfect, and more tax relief would have been preferable, but the city council rejected several attempts to provide it.
Implementation of the priorities laid out in the budget will be key. Now that the funds are allocated, the city council must hold city staff accountable to keeping the promises that have been made to residents in this budget.
But this budget makes an important statement: The city is ready to get Back to Basics and to Build for the Future.
The budget takes effect October 1. Here is a breakdown of the budget highlights:
Public safety focus: Hiring 250 police officers — an increase of 100 officers over the planned budget that passed last year. Providing market-based pay increases for police and firefighters to encourage retention and remain competitive with surrounding cities. Hiring 62 additional staff members for the 911 call center and increasing their pay in light of years of issues with long call holding times. Purchasing dozens of new police squad cars to help increase police presence and efficiency. Continuing the Task Force on Safe Communities programs, which include blight remediation, lighting improvements in high-crime areas, and violence interruption services. Increasing the size of the police overtime budget. Implementing efficiency measures to help reduce reliance on police overtime. Shifting the responsibility of disabled/fire lane parking enforcement and street blockage clearance to the Transportation Department, which will free up police officers. Training all firefighters to serve as paramedics as demand for medical services increases. Replacing dozens of aging Dallas Fire-Rescue ambulances. Addressing street racing and unsafe driving through traffic calming in neighborhoods and a street racing remediation pilot project. Expanding the RIGHT Care program to boost the city’s ability to address mental health crises.
Property tax relief: Reducing the property tax rate by 0.3 cents per $100 valuation. Expanding the senior/disabled homestead exemption to $107,000.
Streets and infrastructure investments: Repairing streets by fully funding the net-zero degradation level called for in the city’s Infrastructure Management Program. Implementing the Sidewalk Master Plan and targeting high-priority areas for sidewalk repairs. Replacing 100 traffic signals and associated crosswalks. Restriping 974 miles of lane markings and painting 830 crosswalks to improve visibility. Replacing 1,000 outdated school zone flashing beacons with state-of-the-art technology to protect students as they walk to school.
Environment and sustainability efforts. Developing a plan to dredge White Rock Lake. Continuing implementation of the city’s Comprehensive Environmental and Climate Action Plan, including the installation of solar panels at city facilities. Continuing to plant trees across the city. Providing pay increases to attract and retain Sanitation workers. Investing in additional contracts to enhance bulky trash and brush pickup.
Housing and homelessness help: Contributing to a regional rapid re-housing program to significantly reduce the number of people experiencing homelessness in Dallas. Incentivizing developers to build affordable housing by subsidizing water and sewer infrastructure required for new affordable units. Expanding home repair efforts to target historically underserved neighborhoods in the city. Continuing to deploy more than $100 million in rental assistance to stabilize housing for residents affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Growing the economy and revitalizing neighborhoods: Expanding broadband internet access in underserved parts of the city. Establishing a Small Business Center to increase business diversity and to help implement critically important recommendations related to workforce development and innovation and entrepreneurship. Working to implement the city’s comprehensive economic development policy, including the creation of a new Economic Development Corporation. Streamlining the troubled permitting process. Hiring 31 additional Code Compliance officers and three supervisors to help address issues in Dallas neighborhoods.
Parks and recreation support: Restoring park maintenance funding and park partner stipends that had been reduced in the previous budget. Providing additional park security through City Marshals. Adding Wi-Fi to 63 geographically dispersed park locations in high-priority ZIP codes.
Park of the Month
Speaking of parks, it’s time to name the Park of the Month for September 2021!
This month, it’s Bachman Lake Park!
Bachman Lake, which is northwest Dallas, sometimes gets short shrift compared to White Rock Lake on the east side of the city. But it is a gem of the city.
Bachman Lake is a 205-acre city lake. The park features a 3.1-mile hike-and-bike trail, picnic areas, a pavilion, boating, the Bachman Recreation Center and an indoor aquatic center.
Recently, I hosted a reception for board and commission appointees at the rec center.
It was a wonderful time, and it was a fun place to visit. It will be even nicer now that the weather is cooling off a bit.
That’s all for today. Thanks very much for your time. Have a great weekend, and stay tuned for some big news next week!
