Residents in District 13, which covers a large swath of North Dallas, learned about the $5.66 billion budget proposed for fiscal year 2026-2027 at an Aug. 13 Town Hall.
Of the $5.66 billion proposed budget, just over $2 billion makes up the proposed general fund. The general fund proposed for 2026-2027 is nearly $80 million larger than this year’s, with most of the increase going to the Dallas Police Department and Dallas Fire-Rescue.
Of the $2.043 billion proposed general fund, public safety makes up $1.344 billion. The budget proposal includes a plan to bolster police staffing by achieving a sworn staffing level of 3,651 by the end of FY 2026-27 and 3,800 by the end of FY 2027-28. The Proposition U city charter amendment passed by voters in 2024 requires the city to dedicate at least 50% of new annual revenue to fund the Dallas Police and Fire Pension and increase police officer staffing to 4,000 officers.
Dallas Chief Financial Officer Jack Ireland answered questions about the city’s spending on public safety at the District 13 budget town hall Aug. 13, explaining that about 63% of the general fund budget proposed would go to DPD and Dallas Fire-Rescue.
Roadway maintenance is also an area of investment in the FY 2026-2027 proposed budget, to the tune of $142 million to improve 800 lane miles of roadway in FY 2026-2027.
Other areas would see reductions.
The budget proposed also calls for eliminating 296 positions. CBS News Texas reports that of those, just over 100 would be laid off. The city of Dallas currently has 15,000-plus employees.
The draft budget proposal released last week calls for reducing the city’s property tax rate by $0.10 cents from 69.88 cents to 69.78 cents per $100 valuation, marking the eleventh consecutive year with a reduction to the tax rate.
While street maintenance and public safety are high priorities that District 13 city council member Gay Donnell Willis mentioned have been identified in surveys, some North Dallas residents last week called for additional support in other areas, including libraries and Dallas Animal Services.
The next opportunity for District 13 residents to learn and ask questions of city officials about the proposed FY 2026-2027 proposed budget is a joint District 10 and District 13 town hall set for Aug. 24. To register to attend, click here.
The Dallas City Council is expected to vote to adopt the final budget Sept. 16 with implementation beginning Oct. 1.
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