After the coronavirus and police protests, here’s how Dallas may spend your tax dollars in its next budget

The City of Dallas will avoid a major fiscal shortfall during the economic recession brought on by the coronavirus pandemic thanks to a bump in property taxes from new construction and federal relief, city officials said Friday.

The city’s discretionary budget will remain nearly the same size as the last fiscal year’s, City Manager T.C. Broadnax told The Dallas Morning News’ editorial board before publicly releasing his proposed budget. He is suggesting major investments in mental health services, infrastructure such as sidewalks and water, and youth programs.

While the city is forecasting a slight reduction in police officers in the coming years, Broadnax is not suggesting a major reduction in the department’s budget as activists have called for in the wake of a nationwide reckoning over police killings of Black people. Instead, the department’s budget will increase marginally, in part, due to the city’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Keeping the city’s police department whole stands in sharp contrast to other major American cities such as Los Angeles, Seattle and Minneapolis that have begun curtailing their police departments by varying degrees. Dallas could still see sweeping changes to its police department given that most city council members have signaled an openness to rethink how the city manages public safety.

Broadnax’s proposed budget kicks off an annual debate over how to prioritize the city’s tax and fee revenue, which is expected to top $3.83 billion dollars. The city’s discretionary budget, known as the general fund, which pays for police, firefighters and most other services residents use is forecast to be $1.438 billion. The city is afloat, in part, because of the $270 million it received as part of Congress’ coronavirus relief package earlier this year.

City officials are not proposing any tax increases as part of the budget, Broadnax said. However, individual property tax bills may increase if a homeowner’s assessed value goes up. Local governments, including Dallas, are awaiting final tax rolls from the Dallas Appraisal District, which have been delayed due to the pandemic. That makes the city’s total budget more uncertain than in previous years.

City Council must approve the budget before the start of the next fiscal year, Oct. 1. Broadnax is expected to answer the council’s questions about the budget at 9 a.m. Tuesday. The city will begin hosting virtual town halls to hear from residents Aug. 13.

Local governments and political observers across the United States have since March braced for the drastically smaller budgets that typically accompany economic slowdowns. Because of the increased cost of services related to the coronavirus pandemic and calls to reduce how much money the city spends on police, the budget debate is expected to be contentious.

The fact that the city’s bottom line is not substantially changing alleviates some pressure. However, the budget is far from settled. Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson, in a letter to Broadnax, outlined his priorities, including drastic salary cuts for city employees, especially the highest earners.

Broadnax’s budget does not call for across-the-board salary reductions. However, it does reinvest about $30 million that was earmarked for raises into new and existing programs aimed at creating a more equitable city.

“Making our community safer goes beyond policing,” Broadnax said. “It requires investment in basic needs, like jobs, housing, access to food, help building and maintaining infrastructure in certain areas — particularly underserved areas.”

The proposed budget’s marquee investment is $3.2 million for mental health services, which includes the expansion of RIGHT Care, a program run by the city with Parkland Health & Hospital System and other agencies that partner therapists and social workers with police officers to respond to emergencies.

The program was started in 2018 and has been widely considered to be successful. The city wants to more than double its investment in the effort, making it citywide. The goal, officials said, is that by 2022 RIGHT Care will respond to the 13,000 mental-health emergencies reported to 911.

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Among the other programs Broadnax wants to start or expand:

• A reentry program for formerly incarcerated people to help them find jobs and housing.
• Eviction assistance and financial literacy lessons.
• A language translation center and a public Spanish-speaking TV station.
• and 900 more mobile hotspots for residents to check out from the library.

Broadnax also earmarked money for recommendations from a task force that Johnson appointed last summer to find nonpolicing alternatives to public safety. That includes cleaning up abandoned lots and increasing lighting in neighborhoods.

City officials said Friday the more than 400 city employees furloughed earlier this year will remain furloughed at least until the end of September. Chief Financial Officer Elizabeth Reich said some of those positions may be permanently eliminated as the city adjusts its services at libraries and recreation centers due to the health risks of the coronavirus.

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Council member Lee Kleinman, who was briefed on the proposed budget, said he expects to present several amendments. He said the proposal does not go far enough in rethinking public safety.

“I think this is a real opportunity to implement some reforms that the chief has had difficulty doing in the past,” he said. “We’re not going to shut down our department, we need to get it straightened out.”

Kleinman said he wants to abolish the department’s mounted horse division and shutter the training academy.

He said he was in favor of expanding the RIGHT Care team, but may seek to give the program more money.

“Double it and double it again,” he said.

Brittany White, an organizer at Live Free, a faith-based nonprofit that advocates for formerly incarcerated people said it was encouraging to see Dallas make investments in its historically underserved communities. But it will not be enough, she said.

“It can’t be both-and,” said White, who also served on a countywide committee with Broadnax to identify solutions to longstanding racial injustices and police brutality. “It can’t be that we continue to invest in police and provide these communities a couple of sprinkles and seeds. Where your investment is, your heart is. If we ‘re going to continue to invest in the police, it tells me we’re going to continue to lock up the most vulnerable.”