Dallas’ new budget states that equity is ‘infused throughout the City,’ but it cuts the Office of Equity and Inclusion funds by 26%.
The Office of Equity and Inclusion received 3.8 million in the fiscal year 2023-2024 budget, which was reduced to 2.8 million in the fiscal year 2024-2025 budget. The roughly $5 billion citywide budget was passed unanimously by the Dallas City Council last week.
However, the new budget still prioritizes equity, defined as “each person [having] the resources and services necessary to thrive in each person’s own unique identities, circumstances, and histories.”
Every City department was required to describe how it implements equity in the budget.
“Equity is not compartmentalized in one specific department; rather, it is infused throughout the City, amplifying our efforts to Connect – Collaborate – Communicate,” the budget states.
The City tasked the Office of Equity and Inclusion with this effort through the “Budgeting for Equity” program, which “aids departments in integrating equity into their budget decision-making processes by asking them to analyze demographic data and identify potential disparities in operations or service provisions based on race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status,” according to the budget.
“Budgeting for Equity is not a one-time endeavor but is intended to spark ongoing improvement as we work together to reduce disparities, especially those faced by historically disadvantaged communities, equity priority areas, and other historically marginalized communities,” the budget states.
Each City department is required to submit responses to the Budgeting for Equity toolkit. The toolkit’s questions and instructions emphasize the need to consider policy inputs from “marginalized communities.”
“Describe any racial or socioeconomic disparities related to your area of service,” one instruction states.
“In what ways have you involved internal and external stakeholders in your department’s budget development process, including marginalized communities of color?” one question asks.
“In what ways does your department involve communities of color and low-income neighborhoods in department evaluation of policies, programs and processes?” another question asks.
The City of Dallas did not respond to a request for comment on the Office of Equity and Inclusion budget cuts.
Another equity-focused program in Dallas is the Equity Impact Assessment Tool, which determines which areas of the City should receive taxpayer dollars based on factors such as the rate of minorities, poverty, and home ownership. As previously reported by The Dallas Express, City leaders criticized the program.
“Why are we adding to what appears to be a subjective analysis of overall bond funding levels?” Council Member Paul Ridley (District 14) said last year. “Who determined why that additional subjective analysis was necessary?”