Dallas Mayor Eric L. Johnson on Friday issued what he called a “Tax Cut Challenge” to City Council members, urging them to propose amendments to the city’s next budget that slash “wasteful” spending and push property tax rates lower.
In a memorandum to the council, Johnson said the proposed Fiscal Year 2025-26 budget already includes a 0.5¢ property tax reduction while investing $1.3 billion in public safety and $162 million in street improvements. But he argued the council could go further without touching core services.
“I challenge each of you to propose budget amendments that cut non-essential spending and direct those savings toward reducing the tax rate,” Johnson wrote. “Reimagining our City budget for greater efficiency is not an insurmountable task, and I trust each of you is up to this challenge.”
Johnson’s Amendments
Johnson outlined two amendments of his own:
- Eliminate outside state lobbyists: Cutting $339,000 in funding for the city’s state lobbying team, which Johnson said “is simply not delivering results commensurate with its cost.”
- Close Skillman/Southwestern Library: Following city staff recommendations to shutter the branch and redirect its $386,612 in federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to aquatics programs in the Southern Sector. Equivalent dollars would be shifted back into the General Fund to reduce the tax rate.
Together, Johnson said, the changes would save $725,612 and enable a 0.032¢ per $100 valuation property tax rate reduction.
“While a 0.032¢ reduction may appear minor on its own, if each member proposes similar amendments — eliminating wasteful spending without affecting essential services like public safety and infrastructure maintenance — then we as a City Council can build off of the City Manager’s proposed 0.5¢ reduction and provide meaningful tax relief to our residents,” he wrote.
Fiscal Priorities
Johnson reiterated his three budget priorities: public safety, pothole repair, and property tax relief. He said his challenge is consistent with the commitment he has stressed through six budget cycles.
The mayor’s push now puts pressure on the 14-member City Council as it weighs a roughly $5 billion budget for the next fiscal year. It was not immediately clear Friday how council members would respond or whether Johnson’s amendments would gain support.
“Thank you for your commitment to fiscal responsibility,” Johnson concluded in his memo to colleagues.