The nonprofit Housing Forward on Monday proposed to Dallas County commissioners a tax to consistently support homeless response outreach.
Commissioners on the Continuous Improvement Steering Committee raised concern about proposing a tax increase to voters.
Some commissioners said they support homelessness efforts, but asking voters to raise taxes may not be a solution.
Providing housing and health resources to people is caring, but it may not justify adding financial burden to property owners, said Commissioner Elba Garcia
"I respond to 2.7 million people in Dallas County," she said. "And when I make a decision, I have to be sure it's good for everybody and that everybody can do and pay and be proud of what your Commissioner's court does, analyzing every single penny."
The county jail cost $20 million monthly to operate and Parkland Hospital spends $5 million caring for unhoused people.
Both are places where people experiencing homelessness often end up, said Commissioner John Wiley Price.
"Right now, the taxpayers are spending $25 million a month," he said. "My concern is this doesn't seem to be well thought out."
A childcare tax was also proposed.
Both must be offered as a single ballot proposal after a sate-mandated 3.5 percent levy increase.
Each tax proposal — homelessness and childcare — is 3 cents, 6 cents total.
That would raise the current county tax from 21.55 cents per $100 of assessed property valuation to 27.55 — a total of more than 28 cents with the state required 3.5 percent levy hike.
At roughly $230 million more than the county's current $878 million, it would make the new total more than $1 billion.
Dallas County's highest tax in 20 years has been 24 cents.
Housing Forward's presentation details that the tax works out to an average of about $5 per month, per county property owner, depending on the property value.
And that majority of property owners polled support the suggested tax.
Dallas County and the City of Dallas in January each approved $10 million in funding for Housing Forward and its partner organizations.
Half of the city's share came from the last of leftover American Rescue Plan Act money, so that funding source is unavailable for next year.
Housing Forward works with the All Neighbors Coalition — a collaborative network of over 150 public, private, and nonprofit organizations — to end homelessness in the community.
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