Fort Worth Adopts $3.33 Billion FY 2027 Budget for 1 Million Residents as Trinity Metro Expands DFW Airport Transit Connections

City Council Enacts Balanced $3.33 Billion Municipal Operating Plan

FORT WORTH, Texas — Responding to historic demographic milestones as the city's official municipal population crossed one million residents, the Fort Worth City Council voted unanimously in late September 2026 to adopt a $3.33 billion operating and capital budget for Fiscal Year 2027. Taking effect on October 1, the adopted fiscal plan delivers a $241 million increase over FY 2026 to bolster core municipal emergency services, expand roadway capacity, and maintain vital public infrastructure throughout Tarrant County.

The council set the property tax rate at $0.70565 per $100 of taxable valuation. Although representing a nominal rate adjustment of 3.565 cents to absorb municipal cost inflation, city budget analysts confirmed that the average residential property owner will see their municipal tax bill decline by approximately $8.19 due to modest regional residential appraisal adjustments. The budget fully funds merit-based frontline police officer and firefighter compensation while reopening community amenities, including the Alliance animal adoption center.

Trinity Metro, DFW Airport, and DART Solidify Regional Transit Connectivity

In public transportation, the Fort Worth City Council approved a crucial three-way interlocal agreement between Trinity Metro, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. The multi-jurisdictional transit accord secures dedicated operational funding for continuous bus transit shuttles operating between the Trinity Railway Express (TRE) CentrePort Station and airport terminal passenger concourses.

The service guarantees seamless east-west passenger transfers across the metroplex, providing vital multimodal transit reliability for tens of thousands of airport employees, logistics technicians, and regional commuters traversing between downtown Fort Worth and Dallas.

Panther Island Bypass Channel Advances Under Army Corps of Engineers

Concurrently, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the Tarrant Regional Water District (TRWD) achieved critical pre-construction milestones for the 1.5-mile floodway bypass channel on Panther Island. Civic and business stakeholders advanced discussions regarding a dedicated Public Improvement District (PID) to finance future pedestrian boulevards, waterfront canals, and retail plazas, unlocking generational economic development north of downtown Fort Worth.