By BJ Austin, KERA News
Dallas, TX – The Dallas City Council gets an early update on next year's budget today. Council members are bracing for some gloomy news, KERA's BJ Austin reports.
The early 2009-2010 budget outlook from City Manager Mary Suhm is expected to show stagnant property tax and declining sales tax revenues, with a possible increase in public safety and bond debt costs. Councilmember Mitchell Rasansky says he is pleased to be getting this update so early, eight months before the Suhm officially presents next year's budget.
Rasansky: These are difficult times and we need to be moving forward very slowly and frugally.
Rasansky predicts cuts in next year's budget. The outlook also warns of cuts in services and maybe a tax hike to make ends meet. Dallas County Commissioners got the same sort of warning yesterday - that property values, and therefore tax revenue, may actually dip this year. The county loses almost $4 million in revenue for every 1 percent drop in property values.