Dallas City Council Budget Workshop and Adoption Meeting – September 16, 2026

The Dallas City Council held a budget workshop and voting meeting on September 16, 2026, to finalize and adopt the Fiscal Year 2026-27 budget. The meeting began at 9:35 a.m. and concluded at 9:50 p.m. after extensive debate on amendments, public testimony, and final votes. The council approved a total budget of approximately $5.977 billion, a property tax rate of $0.6978 per $100 assessed valuation, and multiple related ordinances. Key discussions focused on funding for libraries, parks, public safety, youth programs, and employee benefits.

Consent Calendar

• Agenda Item 1: Approved minutes of the September 2, 2026 City Council meeting (unanimous).
• Agenda Item 2: Approved appointment of Larry McGregor to the Trinity River West Municipal Management District (unanimous).

Public Comments & Testimony

• January Fox (Prism Health North Texas): Urged full funding for the Dallas Public Library System, noting that 35 library staff may lose jobs and that libraries are critical for community health and literacy.
• Linda Newland (District 7): Spoke in opposition to water fluoridation, citing cost and health concerns, and requested a citizen poll on the issue.
• Nicole Paquette (Friends of the Dallas Public Library): Presented survey data showing 97% of 4,000+ respondents supported maintaining or increasing library funding. Asked the council to restore $3.3 million in cuts.
• Denise McGovern (Friends of the Dallas Public Library): Highlighted that libraries face a $3.3 million cut after a $1.9 million cut in the prior year, and urged investment in the flagship model.
• Bill Kingston: Discussed concerns about data centers being allowed under zoning through staff interpretation, urging council to clarify rules.
• Jeremy Boss: Expressed frustration about his inability to be appointed to the Animal Services Commission despite 22 years of animal welfare work.
• Ronnie Mustas: Thanked Parks and Arts departments for supporting a West Dallas veterans project, but criticized the city for ignoring long-time employees.
• Teresita Delgado: Asked that community pools (specifically Martin Weiss Pool) remain open, noting that 42,500 seniors live alone and value pool access. Reminded council that 84% of seniors vote.
• Rudy Karimi (District 14): Criticized city spending on consultants, noting a $6.5 million increase in FY26 over FY25, and said the city chose to cut library hours, park maintenance, and eviction support instead of controlling spending.
• Mary Lou Paris: Supported keeping Martin Weiss Pool open for one more year, citing senior fitness and community benefits.
• Key West (District 6): Argued that the tax rate process was unlawful due to failure to properly post emergency agenda items, and that the Office of Inspector General failed its duties. Called for halting the tax rate adoption.
• Stephanie Drenka (District 2): Opposed the city's contract with Flock (surveillance cameras), citing privacy concerns and evidence of misuse.
• Shavon O'Casey: Criticized budget cuts to libraries and arts, arguing they are essential to community creativity and economic health.
• Multiple speakers also addressed horse-drawn carriages, urging a ban for safety reasons.

Discussion Items

• Briefing A / Committee of the Whole – Budget Amendments: The council sat as a Committee of the Whole to consider amendments to the FY 2026-27 budget. Key amendments included:
  • Youth Commission Travel to Inspector General: Proposed moving $17,000 from youth commission travel to the Office of Inspector General. Failed (7 seals in favor, fell short of majority).
  • Single Family Rental Inspection Program: Proposed eliminating the program ($500,000) to create a meet and confer funding pool. Failed (2 seals in favor).
  • Public Art Positions Restoration: Proposed restoring two positions in the Office of Arts and Culture ($188,116) from liability risk fund and non-departmental savings. Failed (7 seals in favor).
  • Recreation Center Hours Restoration: Proposed $460,000 from parks multi-year fund (later amended to include ARPA funds, but that amendment failed) to restore recreation center hours. Initially failed (7 seals in favor), but later a compromise amendment with $230,000 from parks multi-year fund and $230,000 from IT ARPA funds passed (9 seals in favor).
  • First Offender Program Transfer (Gracie amendment): Proposed moving $427,927 from DPD First Offender program to parks Teen Connect program ($213,964) and library flagship modernization ($213,963). Passed (8 seals in favor).
  • Library Hours Restoration (Ridley amendment): Proposed $1.125 million (later amended to $1.543 million) from various sources (language pay, furniture, travel, etc.) to restore 6-day operations at non-flagship libraries. After multiple amendments, the final version with $1.5 million from IT fund balance passed (10 seals in favor).
  • Public Safety Meet and Confer Funding (multiple amendments): Several amendments to create a meet and confer funding pool failed due to the requirement for three seconds, which was not met.
• Agenda Item 3 – Public Hearing on Tax Rate: The council held a public hearing and then voted to close the hearing (motion passed). The tax rate of $0.6978 per $100 was adopted later under Item 5.
• Agenda Item 8 – Reorganization: Proposed renaming departments and creating an Office of Real Estate. Failed (10-5 vote, required 3/4).
• Agenda Item 10 – Employee Health Benefits: Approved with changes, including discontinuation of the PPO plan. An amendment to allow sworn officers to opt out and use association coverage failed (1-14).

Key Outcomes

• Budget Adoption (Agenda Item 4): Approved with amendments in an amount not to exceed $5,974,342,745 initially, then amended to $5,977,695,555 after final library amendment. Passed 10-5.
• Tax Rate Adoption (Agenda Item 5): Set at $0.6978 per $100 assessed valuation ($0.5075 General Fund, $0.1903 Debt Service). Passed 9-6.
• Revenue Increase Ratification (Agenda Item 6): Ratified $55.5 million General Fund and $20.8 million Debt Service revenue increase. Passed 9-6.
• Fee Ordinance (Agenda Item 7): Amended various fees and charges. Passed 10-5.
• Pay Schedules and Merit Increases (Agenda Item 9): Approved civilian and uniform pay schedules, merit increases for civilian staff effective April 2027, and uniform pay schedule changes effective January 2027. Passed 9-6.
• Employee Health Benefits (Agenda Item 10): Approved plan design changes, including discontinuation of Blue Choice PPO for Texas-based active employees and pre-65 retirees. Passed 9-6.
• Closed Session: Agenda item 11 (legal issues regarding Fair Park management contract) was discussed in closed session under Texas Government Code Section 551.071.
• Reconsideration: A motion to reconsider Item 4 passed 9-6, allowing the council to incorporate changes necessitated by the failure of Item 8 (reorganization). The budget was then re-approved with technical adjustments.

Next Steps: The adopted budget and tax rate will take effect for FY 2026-27. The council will continue to monitor revenues and expenditures, with directives to staff to report on program effectiveness and find efficiencies.