On November 2, Mesquite voters passed Proposition A. 64% of voters voted for the proposal, and 34% were against it. But what does the passing of this initiative mean for Mesquite property owners and taxpayers?
Proposition A proposes an ad valorem tax. Ad valorem taxes are taxes based on the value of the item being taxed. In the case of Proposition A, this rate is based on the value of the property being taxed.
Proposition A passing means that property taxes will stay at the rate of $0.70862 per $100 valuation for the current year. The Proposition had to come before voters on Mesquite ballots on November 2 because keeping the current rate will lead to higher tax revenue for the city due to increased property values, even though the rate itself will not increase.
This increased revenue and keeping last year’s tax rate of nearly $0.71 per $100 valuation of a property means that on average, according to the city, the average Mesquite homeowner will be paying around $10.00 more in taxes per month.
Wayne Larson, Director of Communications and Marketing for Mesquite, told The Dallas Express that this seemingly minor tax burden on the individual taxpayer will actually “generate $5.4M in additional revenue for the City.”
The alternative no-new-revenue tax rate would have lowered the tax rate to $0.65 per $100 in valuation according to the city’s 2021-2022 annual budget. The no-new-revenue tax rate would have saved homeowners a few dollars a month but limited the city’s ability to expand the programs it can now afford since Prop A passed.
Since proposition A has passed, here’s how taxpayers can expect to see the increased revenue to the city put to use.
First, the increased revenue will mean an increase of $750,000 in alley and street maintenance funds to help keep Mesquite’s streets and alleys safe. And, as Larson told The Dallas Express, maintenance will include both repairs and upgrades to existing roads.
There will also be increased Fire and Police Department funds which will be used to provide competitive pay for the city’s firemen and police officers. These additional funds will also be used to hire five additional police officers to increase neighborhood patrols and ten new firefighters to achieve faster call response times and safer staff numbers when responding to incidents.
In a statement which Larson shared with The Dallas Express, City Manager Cliff Keheley summed up his thoughts on the passing of Proposition A, “We are grateful for the support of voters and the community for Proposition A. This allows us to maintain our plans on expanding public safety, adding more street and alley repairs, and enhancing cybersecurity. We are a growing city of more than 40 square miles and a population that has exceeded 150,000 residents. Additional funds will help us stay ahead of growth.”
Finally, $260,000 of the additional funds from the increased ad valorem tax revenue will be used to ensure cyber security for the city. This improved cybersecurity will protect city computers with sensitive data from attacks that could harm Mesquite citizens.
This cyber security is seen as an essential cost as it protects the city’s digital and electronic information, including data on city operations and Mesquite citizens’ personal and private data.
According to Larson, this cyber security money will also go towards “a new health scan program for police officers and firefighters as a part of cancer screening and overall health assessment, a new safety program for the Peachtree entertainment and restaurant area, a School Resource Officer for the new Vanguard High School, and competitive pay for City employees working in streets, solid waste, and utilities to attract and maintain staffing levels.”
