Dallas Executes $5.66B Budget Lowering Tax Rate as Leaders Debate $443M Proposition A Public Safety Bond

City of Dallas Enforces $5.66 Billion Budget Lowering Property Tax Rate

DALLAS, Texas — Beginning the new municipal fiscal year, the Dallas City Council and Mayor Eric Johnson oversaw the formal rollout of the city's $5.66 billion operating and capital budget in mid-October 2026. Approved by a 10–5 supermajority vote, the fiscal plan reduces the municipal property tax rate for the eleventh consecutive year, lowering the assessment to 69.78 cents per $100 of taxable valuation while prioritizing foundational emergency response and street maintenance.

City budget administrators confirmed that the spending plan boosts funding for the Dallas Police Department and Dallas Fire-Rescue, financing officer retention stipends, fleet modernization, and localized neighborhood response teams. Additionally, the Office of Economic Development received streamlined authorities to manage housing incentives, spurring mixed-income development along commercial arterials across southern and western Dallas.

Mayor Eric Johnson Rallies Support for $443 Million Proposition A Safety Bond

With early voting approaching ahead of the November 3 general election, civic discussions centered on Proposition A, the city's proposed $443 million public safety general obligation bond. Mayor Eric Johnson and regional commercial leaders actively campaigned for the measure, emphasizing that bond revenues are urgently required to replace obsolete fire stations and fund the state-of-the-art Regional Law Enforcement Training Center at the UNT Dallas campus.

While certain council members voiced fiscal caution regarding overall debt issuance and council reallocation rules, Mayor Johnson asserted that modern instructional academies and resilient fire facilities are essential to recruiting elite police officers and maintaining low violent crime rates across North Texas.

Countywide Proposition A Addresses Homelessness and Supportive Housing

Voters across Dallas County are simultaneously evaluating a separate, countywide Proposition A measure, which proposes a dedicated property tax allocation generating $100 million annually for homelessness resolution and behavioral healthcare in partnership with Housing Forward. Civic organizations commended the parallel initiatives, underscoring that synchronized investments in emergency public safety and supportive housing strengthen the metropolitan region.