Dallas City Manager T.C. Broadnax has released his recommendations for the 2023-2024 budget. That includes more money for police and fire personnel and a property tax reduction.
The recommended budget includes a tax rate that is 65 cents lower than the current rate. Lowering property taxes has been one of Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson's top priorities.
“That equates to about a $17.40 saving for someone who has a median value of $334,710,” Broadnax said. “If that number stays static.”
Other significant budget items include a slew of new staff positions, funding to enforce the new short-term rental ordinances and more money for technology resources.
That recommendation comes after the city’s months long cybersecurity battle with a known hacker group – and most recently the admission that personal data was compromised due to the attack.
The majority of top-line items outlined by Broadnax during Thursday’s budget preview centered around public safety.
“We are recommending that we continue to implement the meet and confer [union] agreement,” Broadnax said. “That will require us to make an adjustment to their salaries based on the market rate demands of about 5% for our police and firefighter personnel.”
Broadnax says the money associated with “managing and administering” the contract with the public safety unions will even out to $48.2 million over the budget cycle — $18.2 million in the first year and $30 million the following year.
Non-sworn city employees will also receive a 3% salary increase in October of 2024, according to Broadnax.
Additionally, the city hopes to add around 290 new police officers and 100 new Dallas Fire Rescue personnel. With the increase in staff positions, Broadnax says overtime will need to be increased as well.
That means $14.3 million more for police overtime and $22.2 million more to cover overtime for fire rescue.
“They have minimum staffing standards that are requiring us to spend more on overtime,” Broadnax said about the choice to increase the fire department's overtime.
City officials are hopeful that as more recruits finish their training and enter full-time roles, the overtime budget will decrease.
The Dallas City Council will be briefed on the recommendations at an August 8 budget workshop.
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