Dallas County's next budget invests in planned overtime pay and supporting a stronger workforce.
The county adopted its 2025 budget at a commissioners court meeting on Tuesday.
The commissioners adopted the 2024-25 fiscal year budget after a summer of potential budget shortages and scares.
"We passed a balanced budget without raising taxes," Commissioner Elba Garcia said.
The budget staff, led by Budget Officer Ronica Watkins, tried to get in front of expenses when planning for next year.
Staff tried to get in front of expenses when planning next year's nearly $792 million dollar general fund.
County Judge Clay Lewis Jenkins says that includes setting up residents for success instead of paying for a health or job crisis that can burden county resources.
"Helping people who are about to be without a home or being priced out of the housing market," Jenkins said. "Those sort of things are going to be a higher return on investment.
He said affordable fiber broadband access, housing and resources organization support, and emergency housing efforts build a better-prepared workforce.
"It exceeds the money that could be spent on the front end to stabilize that family," Jenkins said.
In coordination with the tax assessor's office, commissioners also approved a property tax rate increase about 6.5 percent — to 0.215500 from 0.215718.
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