Dallas is making good progress as it works to build the stronger police force residents have asked for. But you might not know that if you only listen to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Paxton sued the city last month for “insufficiently funding Dallas Police in violation of voter-approved Proposition U.” In 2024, Dallas voters narrowly passed the measure setting public safety requirements for the city.
Bear in mind this lawsuit came during primary season, in other words, prime time for political stunts. And it belies the hard work Dallas has been doing to address its issues with police staffing and pension funding.
At a public safety committee meeting last week, police staff said the department has hired about 110 officers since October but noted that this number would be nearer to 175 by Wednesday due to an incoming class of recruits. That would cover half of DPD’s 350-officer goal.
Opinion
Police staff said attrition is expected to stand at roughly 190 this year. As of Monday, the department employed 3,303 officers, a department spokesperson said. That number was 3,168 last February, our newsroom reported. As recently as fiscal year 2023, Dallas hired only 187 new officers and lost 213.
Last year, the city said it expected to meet the voter-approved, 4,000-officer goal by 2029. That’s as reasonable a time frame as anyone can expect for hiring hundreds of officers.
There’s been progress on the pension front, too. Late last year, Dallas arrived at an imperfect-but-fair deal to help resolve funding issues. The solution balances the needs of the city and the needs of retirees.
And all this has been accomplished without destroying the city financially, as we and other civic leaders feared Proposition U might. That could change if Paxton has his way in court.
Proposition U requires Dallas to spend 50% of new money on the pension and on increasing starting salaries. A city analysis found that there was about $61.6 million in unrestricted new money last year. That would mean $30.8 million required under Proposition U.
Paxton argues that the city miscalculated by using a narrow interpretation of what counts as revenue, our newsroom reported. He says the actual excess revenue increase was about $220 million, which would have put the public safety reallocation at about $111 million.
We agree with the city that much of the new revenue is already accounted for in restricted spending.
Dallas’ current budget dedicates nearly 65% of general fund money to public safety functions, including police, fire, court services, and emergency management.
Meanwhile, the city is talking about massive expenses related to City Hall. Residents want libraries funded. Roads are full of potholes. Homeless encampments spring up faster than the city can close them.
Dallas is right to spend so much money on public safety, but it has other functions residents care about, too. Asking for more when the city is already making significant improvements and severely pressed for cash is a losing proposition.
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