Dallas City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert has announced immediate spending restrictions to address a potential budget shortfall of more than $30 million.
Current forecasts show the city has spent $16.4 million more than budgeted on police and fire pay and overtime, according to a release issued Friday. Dallas is also projected to exceed the budget by $13.8 million due to increased medical and pharmacy claims by city employees.
The increased expenses paired with a $3.8 million revenue shortfall due to declining sales tax collection has prompted the city to tighten its spending.
Here's what's immediately impacted:
- Selective hiring freeze: Hiring in General Fund departments is suspended through the end of the fiscal year. Limited exceptions will be considered for mission-critical positions. "Mission-critical" positions impact core operations like legal compliance, public health, and safety.
- Restricted overtime: The city has eliminated overtime except for mission-critical needs, such as police and fire staffing. Discretionary uniform overtime is suspended.
- Department spending reductions: Limited spending to essential, mission-critical needs. Nonessential purchases are delayed.
- Travel suspension: All non-essential travel for both uniform and non-uniform employees is paused until further notice.
Tolbert said in a statement that fiscal stewardship remains top priority for the city.
“We are committed to strengthening efficiency across all operations while ensuring that limited resources are focused on the City’s most critical needs,” Tolbert said. “These measures are necessary to maintain essential services and uphold our fiscal responsibility to Dallas residents.”
Got a tip? Email Megan Cardona at mcardona@kera.org.
KERA News is made possible through the generosity of our members. If you find this reporting valuable, consider making a tax-deductible gift today. Thank you!
