Several City departments are racking up expenses totaling $15.8 million in taxpayer money over their respective budgets, according to a recent City report.
Though these expenses are partially offset by other “savings” throughout the City — mostly staff shortages that lessen City spending on salaries — this still leaves the General Fund at $10.7 million over budget on net.
City staff delivered a budget accountability report to the City Council Government Performance and Financial Management Committee on Tuesday.
The report breaks down government spending for the period between October 2022 — when the City Council’s $4.75 billion budget for fiscal year 2022-23 went into effect — and January 31 of this year.
According to the report, the City’s $10.7 million net budget overrun is primarily due to overtime expenses and capital expenditures from the Park and Recreation Department.
These capital expenditures include unbudgeted security measures at recreation centers, parks, and trails, such as lighting, cameras, and staff.
Other department expenses include purchases of trucks and equipment that went over budget, deferred maintenance, and the department’s contribution to the Homeless Action Response Team (HART).
Because of these expenses, the Park and Recreation Department is projected to be $2.5 million over budget.
However, the report claims these costs are “partially offset by salary savings associated with vacant positions.”
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Park and Recreation has more vacancies than any other City department at 58%. The department currently employs 668 staff members and has 904 open positions.
The department also has one of the highest turnover rates of any City department at 60.7%.
The budget accountability report also found that Dallas Fire-Rescue (DFR) is projected to be $11 million over budget due to overtime expenses.
“There’s nobody who has more overtime than DFR,” said Council Member Cara Mendelsohn during the Tuesday meeting.
The department’s specific allocation for uniform overtime expenses is projected to be $19.2 million over budget “as a result of higher than anticipated attrition requiring backfill to meet minimum staffing requirements,” according to the report.
However, that cost is reported to be partially offset by salary savings from vacant positions, like Park and Recreation, as well as taxpayer-funded reimbursements from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The ARPA reimbursement, which was initially budgeted for fiscal year 2021-22, comprises $2.5 million for paramedic training.
Other City entities that are over budget include the offices of the City Attorney, the City Secretary, Government Affairs, and Homeless Solutions, along with the Human Resources Department.
The City Attorney’s Office is projected to be $123,000 over budget due to termination payouts for retiring employees and other personnel expenses.
Former City Attorney Chris Caso announced his resignation in January, effective February 28. As previously reported by The Dallas Express, he could receive up to $162,000 — six months’ salary — in incremental payments.
When The Dallas Express asked the City if Caso was receiving these payments, Jennifer Brown, public information officer, said that “the City Attorney’s Office is not commenting publicly on this personnel matter.”
The City Secretary’s Office is projected to be $56,000 over budget “primarily due to a City Council approved equity adjustment.”
Dallas’ Office of Government Affairs is $18,000 over budget due to hiring an executive assistant.
Its Office of Homeless Solutions is $1.6 million over budget after an “emergency procurement” of temporary housing for 94 individuals who were previously living in a vagrant encampment that was shut down by the Dallas REAL Time Rapid Rehousing Initiative (DRTRR) in January.
The Human Resources Department is projected to be $197,000 over budget “primarily due to personnel costs associated with organizational changes.”
Additionally, the mayor and City Council are projected to be $98,000 over budget “primarily due to personnel costs associated with organizational changes.”
Dallas has signs in their elevators that they are transparent and yet Jennifer Brown says it’s a personal matter in regards to Caso …
If you resign you DO NOT get paid. Obviously he has some sort of contract and the person that hired this guy and created the contract should be fired. So should every department head if they go over budget. This is why government is out go control. There is ZERO accountability. Are you folks in city government just a bunch of uneducated idiots? Wake up!
I agree. If there are no consequences for going over budget then no manager will try to stay within their budget.
Meanwhile our property taxes are driving us out of our houses and the state – and they increased again.
Our public servants have no shame, no sense of responsibility.
If these were real jobs in the real world, they would be fired with NO severance.
But Broadnax and his city council cronies laugh all the way to the bank.
This is excellent and balanced reporting! Kudos to The Dallas Express.
I am troubled by the following example of non-transparency by people who are the employees of Dallas citizens…
QUOTE
Jennifer Brown, public information officer, said that “the City Attorney’s Office is not commenting publicly on this personnel matter.”
You have budget work init. The citizens of Dallas need to work within theirs and they can not afford to be taxed more because you over run your budget. No rewards for bad behavior = no tax raises for Dallas citizens and the city fixes their mess and works in a balanced budget just as the state does.
City is well over budget but is understaffed? Even being understaffed they still went over budget. Wish I could run my house like that. When I’m out of money, I have to quit spending. This is just incompetence and a don’t care attitude that everyone has when they are spending others people’s money. The government will never spend wisely.
Spending like drunken sailors. Shameful, when our traffic light system needs to be revamped and our pot-holed streets fixed. You are turning this “world-class city” into a huge ghetto.
Dallas ain’t NEVER been a world class city.
Jennifer brown needs to give a better explanation.
To all those who keep voting for Democrat run cities it is what to expect. Hope you all that voted for Democrats are happy with your tax increases this year. So glad NOT to be living in Dallas anymore.
Tim don’t we have a 32 billion dollar surplus but only want too spend 10 billion. What happens to the 22 billion. Sales taxes is the reason we have so much money. Or will they pay men to track down women who might need a life threatening abortion.
scam tax payers it must be nice to spend other peoples money no accountable actions these days
$364,000 for the city attorney? Nice work if you can get it.
The only serious crisis facing Dallas is vagrancy and homeless encampments. Every department, especially Parks and Recreation, must make do with its budgetary limits. Instead of reducing taxes, taxes should remain the same and Texas should use its extra money to retool empty buildings for the ending of homelessness and more police in our cities and implement San Antonio’s Haven for Hope plan.
“General Fund at $10.7 million over budget on net”.
Don’t worry. Dallas County will raise the property tax of it’s home owners. Older people like me, living on social security and a small pension, will be affected the most. The property tax for my 73 year old house has increased by leaps and bound in the last few years. There are plenty of people who want to buy my property in order to build a very costly new house but where will I go if I sell it.
They bought a bunch of new Ford pick-ups for the various departments to drive , and gave GoodEarth a sweet-heart deal to mow all the grass, so what’s the problem? If the citizens don’t know or care ,their spending goes without question
In addition to my previous comment = a parks worker has informed me that Dallas sources some park work out to other companies…
PLEASE explain how the Office of homeless solutions spent 4300 dollars per month per person. That is 52,000 dollar per year which is 142.00 per day per person. That is INSANE.
To give comparison, my father and his wife are on Social Security,
They spend less than 40 dollars per day per person total according to their income. Yeah, they purchased a house years ago, but their association dues, taxes and food along with electricity eat up actually more than their income (ergo a reverse mortgage).
The problem is that every department sees the taxpayer as a bottomless pit. It is time that a balanced budget requirement be met. It is time that an increase in budget means any dollars higher than last year. It is time that heads of departments LOSE their golden parachutes and jobs the MOMENT they exceed budget.
This include any government officials that allow an increase in expenditures without telling where within the budget this increase will come from.Some department or budget item must be lost to add more some other place, period!