Dallas leaders approve $5.7B budget that includes layoffs and cuts
Dallas leaders approve $5.7 billion budget for 2026-27
Dallas City Council approved a $5.7 billion budget that includes cuts, layoffs, and reduced hours for several Dallas facilities. FOX 4's Amelia Jones has more.
DALLAS - Dallas City Council members approved a $5.7 billion proposed budget during Wednesday's meeting. Nearly every facet of city government will be impacted.
Dallas Budget Approved
The $5.7 billion budget, approved in a 10-5 vote, includes cuts for many city services and layoffs for some city workers.
Dallas City Manager Kim Tolbert explained the cuts are most unavoidable because costs are rising faster than revenue.
The proposed budget eliminates nearly 300 employee positions, including 108 layoffs.
Dallas proposes $5.7 billion budget with employee layoffs, funding for police
The latest version of a proposed budget for the city of Dallas includes over 100 layoffs, a property tax rate reduction, and plans to expand the police force despite rising costs and slowing growth.
All libraries in the city will stay open six days a week under the new budget.
Dallas libraries will remain open with reduced staff and hours
Dallas will keep all neighborhood library branches open under a revised budget proposal, but the city plans to lay off 35 library staff members and cut Sunday and Monday hours at most branches.
City employees, including police and firefighters, could also be forced to switch from a Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) to a Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) health insurance plan.
Dallas proposes dropping PPO health plan for employees
The city of Dallas could eliminate its Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) health plan for employees, including police and firefighters, to avoid a $10 million budget deficit and massive premium hikes.
One area that isn’t facing cuts is public safety. More than 65% of the general fund in the proposed budget supports police growth, including pensions, salaries and increased staffing.
The plan also slightly lowers the property tax rate, saving the owner of a median $347,000 home about $61 per year on average.
Dallas leaders debate $5.7B proposed budget
The Dallas City Council is set to vote on a $5.7 billion budget that includes employee layoffs and cuts to city services. So far, there's been a lot of discussion and debate, with different groups expressing their frustrations.
Budget Frustrations and Amendments
The city council spent most of Wednesday discussing amendments to the proposed budget because different groups are unhappy with it.
Dallas police and fire associations are frustrated because they say the city manager has not worked to negotiate meaningful raises, as required in the voter-approved Proposition U. The associations also say members are furious about the elimination of their PPO plan in exchange for an HMO plan.
Councilwoman Cara Mendlesohn proposed creating a fund that would go toward making adjustments during negotiations with police and fire. The first proposed source of that funding was to eliminate the city's single-family rental inspection program. But Dallas Code Enforcement officials argued that the program is needed to keep both tenants and landlords in check.
"What you would be losing from the 171,000 would be more impactful in a negative way than you would gain," said Christopher Christian, the director of Dallas Code Compliance.
"We have to put our money where our mouth is. We can't have the mayor on a national stage saying public safety is number one and then not fund it," Mendlesohn said.
On Wednesday night, city council approved an amendment to give money back to Dallas libraries. The amendment will allow some libraries to stay open an additional day.
Mendelsohn brought up concerns about Dallas potentially facing lawsuits if the city does not adhere to Proposition U, which requires the city to employ at least 4,000 police officers.
While the budget has been approved, Dallas City Council continued to discuss technical matters related to previous amendments following the approval.
The Source: The information in this story comes from the Dallas City Council agenda, Wednesday's meeting, and past news coverage, along with public comments.