The Mesquite City Council unanimously approved a new budget for the 2022-23 fiscal year last Monday, including a 5-cent drop in the property tax rate.
The budget will include $306.7 million in spending, about a 5.5% increase from this year’s budget.
The new budget features a five-cent reduction in Mesquite’s property tax rate from about $0.71 per $100 valuation to approximately $0.66 per $100.
Despite the reduction, taxpayers will likely still pay more in property taxes because of rising property values in Mesquite. From 2020 to 2021, the average property value in Dallas County increased by 16%. If 2022 appraisals are anything more than 7% of the 2021 value, then Mesquite homeowners will see an effective tax increase despite the rate reduction.
The city will see an increase in tax dollars collected from property taxes of about $3.6 million, 5.43% more than the city collected last year. Some of the increase comes from the expected $1.1 million in taxes that new properties in Mesquite will pay.
Mayor Daniel Aleman Jr. said the new budget was approved after hearing from people that live in Mesquite. The budget will enable the city to make street repairs, park improvements, and improvements to public safety, all things citizens requested, said Aleman.
Aleman also said the new property tax rate is competitive with other nearby cities.
“We are a growing city and an aging city with many needs. This budget will help us move forward in a number of areas,” Aleman said.
The budget will go into effect when the new fiscal year begins on October 1st.
Other items in Mesquite’s budget include:
- All city employees will receive a 3% salary increase.
- Additional spending will be allocated for market adjustments to keep city workers’ pay competitive.
- Nine additional firefighter positions for a future station.
- Two additional police officers, including an additional school resource officer for Horn High School.
- A bilingual communications position.
- Increased staffing for Economic Development, Municipal Court, Public Safety Dispatch, Solid Waste, Parks Maintenance, and Code Enforcement.
- Additional spending on roadways, parks, and public safety projects to accelerate several projects’ completion.
For more information on Mesquite’s budget, visit the city’s website.
