The city of Dallas created a webpage with its financial information after Texas Attorney General Paxton launched a statewide investigation to ensure municipal financial transparency and prevent tax increases.
Dallas is one of nearly 1,000 cities Paxton is investigating. The initiative centers on Senate Bill 1851, which took effect this year.
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The law prohibits cities from raising property taxes above the no-new-revenue rate, which would bring in the same amount of revenue as the previous year.
Requirements include auditing the city’s records and accounts, having the city’s annual financial statement prepared based on the audit or filing the financial statement and the auditor’s opinion on the statement in the office of the city secretary or clerk before the 180th day after the last day of the city’s fiscal year.
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The new webpage includes Dallas’ two most recent audits and annual prepared financial statements, the meeting minutes that indicate the city’s budget and annual financial statement, documentation reflecting the person or firm who conducted the most recent audit and copies of this year and last year’s contracts with the city’s contracted auditor.
The city’s attorney’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
The new webpage can be found at the city’s financial website.
Paxton launched the statewide initiative after an earlier investigation into La Marque, Odessa, Tom Bean and Whitesboro. In those cases, Paxton sent letters instructing officials to halt what he described as unlawful tax increases, according to his office.
“Our cities and municipalities must prioritize transparency and minimizing the tax burden of every citizen across the state,” Paxton said in a news release. “While many cities have already complied with these requirements, I’m launching this review to ensure that the law is universally followed, taxpayers are respected, and local government is accountable to all Texans.”
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As part of the new initiative, Paxton is requesting financial documents and audit information from cities across Texas, including major urban centers such as Houston, San Antonio, Fort Worth, El Paso and Dallas. Cities that receive an information-request email are being instructed to respond promptly or risk legal consequences.
There are 1,225 cities in Texas, according to a 2022 U.S. Census Bureau report.
Paxton said the goal is statewide consistency in following SB 1851 and preventing what he described as “never-ending tax increases.”
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