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After 12 hours of debate, council members preserved libraries and other community services with reserve funds \u2014 but left deeper fights over taxes, pensions and growth unresolved.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Shafkat Anowar\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
It was late when Dallas City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert got into the elevator.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\u201cEverybody take a deep breath,\u201d she said to her top leadership team moments after the City Council approved a record $6 billion budget<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Residents have been wondering for three years whether their beloved neighborhood pool or library will survive another year. City leaders have repeatedly highlighted that the economic conditions and rising costs were only going to make managing finances harder.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Revenues have increased but not enough to match the ambitions of a city that now competes with suburban peers that are a quarter of its size.\u00a0<\/p>\n Tolbert said city staff\u2019s goal was to stop talking about cutting hours, but to create some stability and consistency in services. Some hard choices would have to be made. \u201cBudgeting is not an easy exercise,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Come Wednesday, the council itself was split over what \u201chard choices\u201d meant.\u00a0<\/p>\n Was it rejecting pool closures<\/a> despite it being part of a city plan? Was it reducing the tax rate any more than they already had? Or was it raising it so the city could collect more money to fill holes in the pension system?\u00a0<\/p>\n Wilonsky: Did I run into the city manager at the future Dallas City Hall?<\/a><\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Some wanted to stop quibbling over small pots of money, look at the bigger picture and focus on things that can add more to the city long term. Others were trying to save programs that some thought were beyond saving.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mayor Eric Johnson<\/a> said the reality was the council members represent a spectrum of political beliefs that makes it hard to reach consensus.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI think you did about as good as you were going to do with this cast of characters,\u201d Johnson told Tolbert.\u00a0<\/p>\n After more than 12 hours of debate, council members kept just a few of the city manager\u2019s planned cuts, including an employee healthcare PPO program.\u00a0<\/p>\n Ultimately, the 2026-27 budget, which goes into effect Oct. 1, is 15% higher than the current fiscal year\u2019s $5.2 billion plan.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The City Council wrangled with Tolbert\u2019s proposal for weeks, ensuring in the end that some of the city\u2019s community assets survive this year\u2019s culling.\u00a0<\/p>\n The budget is a declaration of what the city wants to do for its residents. In its own words, the city highlighted its new policy to improve housing in Dallas. The tax base, after all, is where it gets its money to keep the lights on.\u00a0<\/p>\n In their words<\/p>\n A divided council voted 10-5, each wearily saying yes and no when it was their turn to speak.\u00a0<\/p>\n Council member Jesse Moreno said he wished the council had cut the aging community pools once and for all.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Council member Kathy Stewart and Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Maxie Johnson said it was hard to find the right balance between the city\u2019s wants and needs.\u00a0<\/p>\n Dallas City Council members Chad West (L) and Jaime Resendez listen to individuals speak about repairs on the aging Dallas City Hall in May.<\/p>\n Steve Nurenberg\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n Mayor Pro Tem Jaime Resendez said he would\u2019ve made some decisions differently if he were making them alone. \u201cBut that\u2019s not how a city budget works,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n A voter mandate to hire cops faster meant other amenities had to take a cut. The City Council pulled money from reserves to give some of the city\u2019s cherished assets a short lifeline.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n