Council Member Chad West of District 1 had some things to say about City spending on commercial leases for staff office space.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, even as property-tax and sales-tax collection continue to climb, Dallas is still projected to face a $38 million deficit by fiscal year 2025. Officials actually adopted the biggest budget in Dallas history for this fiscal year, totaling roughly $4.6 billion.
West seemed to suggest that maybe the City should get a handle on its spending, noting that it shells out millions in taxpayer dollars on leased property.
Here’s some of what Candy’s Dirt published about his remarks:
Every year, the City of Dallas spends about $4 million to rent commercial space for its employees. In light of the City’s steep $38 million budget shortfall, some have suggested that’s a potential area to slash expenditures.
During a Tuesday meeting of the City Council’s Government Performance and Financial Management Committee, chairman Chad West suggested now might be a good time to look at how much Dallas is spending on leased property.
“Interim City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert sent out a list of all the lease-holding items we have in the city, which totals millions per year,” West said. “It was the first time I’d seen that consolidated list. It raised some questions for me and I think for some other folks. With our budget coming up and we’re seeing budget cuts across the city, this was an item I felt was important for us to address before we receive the city’s budget on Friday.”
Back in mid-May, Dallas Chief Financial Officer Jack Ireland announced the city was facing a $38 million shortfall. Interim City Manager Tolbert’s proposed biennial budget is slated for release Monday.
The Dallas City Council adopted a $4.62 billion budget last year after much debate about the property tax rate and how to address a massive deficit in the Police and Fire Pension Fund. Ultimately the council lowered the tax rate for the eighth consecutive year, from 74.58 cents to 73.57 cents per $100 assessed valuation.
A budget workshop is set for Tuesday, Aug. 13. Budget town hall meetings are scheduled in each City Council district beginning Aug. 15.