A recent poll conducted by The Dallas Express found that most Dallas residents feel like the City is going in the wrong direction on several key issues.
“Do you think Dallas is generally headed in the right direction regarding keeping crime low; addressing homelessness, vagrancy, and panhandling; keeping public spaces clean; facilitating construction and expansion through its building permitting process; and providing a favorable environment to conduct business,” the survey asked. “Or do you feel things are off on the wrong track?”
Just under 15% of respondents said they thought the City was on the right track, while more than 75% said things were going poorly. An additional 10% admitted that they were unsure.
Mayor Eric Johnson recently slammed the City Council for voting to raise taxes on residents during a time of economic hardship instead of reducing City expenditures.
Following a majority vote to adopt a budget that would collect $120 million more from Dallas residents, Johnson said, “In an environment of such economic uncertainty for our residents and businesses, with inflation and interest rates being where they are, I simply could not vote for a budget that is the largest in the history of the city, and that is paid for by raising taxes on our residents and businesses.”
“It is simply not the case that we could not have significantly reduced the size of this budget and cut taxes without drastically cutting essential services,” he added.
The City Council voted 10-5 to adopt the tax increase proposed by City Manager T.C. Broadnax.
While the tax burden on Dallas residents grows heavier and heavier with each subsequent budget, the City continues to struggle to provide basic services.
Recently, Dallas was hit by an alleged ransomware attack that reportedly stole the personal data of around 26,000 residents and hamstrung the capabilities of multiple departments, including the Dallas Police Department and Dallas Fire-Rescue.
Dallas also has a slow permitting process that negatively affects development and business growth.
An understaffed police department has left residents wondering if the City Council will be able to successfully combat potential crime surges in the future, as reported by The Dallas Express. DPD currently maintains a force of fewer than 3,200 officers. A City analysis advised that 4,000 are needed.
The budget pursued by the majority of the City Council was one of the reasons Mayor Johnson recently decided to become a Republican, as reported by The Dallas Express.
“The future of America’s great urban centers depends on the willingness of the nation’s mayors to champion law and order and practice fiscal conservatism,” he explained in an opinion piece published by The Wall Street Journal. “Our cities desperately need the genuine commitment to these principles.”
“Unfortunately, many of our cities are in disarray. Mayors and other local elected officials have failed to make public safety a priority or to exercise fiscal restraint,” he continued. “Most of these local leaders are proud Democrats who view cities as laboratories for liberalism rather than as havens for opportunity and free enterprise.”
“Too often, local tax dollars are spent on policies that exacerbate homelessness, coddle criminals, and make it harder for ordinary people to make a living,” Johnson added.