City of Fort Worth new budget includes spending more on safety and cleanliness
FORT WORTH, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - With a boost in revenue from soaring property values, Fort Worth plans to spend more next year to keep the city "safe and clean."
The $2.3 billion budget presented to city council members Tuesday includes money for more police officers and firefighters, but also spending on streetlights, road markers and environmental cleanup.
City Manager David Cooke recommended lowering the city tax rate by $0.02. Because of rising property values, it would still result in an tax bill increase of about $127 for the average homeowner over 2022.
Water rates and fees for garbage collection will stay flat, with Cooke saying the city is conscious of the hardships households are facing due to rising costs from inflation.
Fort Worth is one of the top three fastest growing cities in the country, but new revenue from new residents isn't by itself enough to pay for the needs of an expanding city, Cooke explained.
The new budget will include funding for 45 new police officer positions, and more resources for crisis intervention teams and 911 communications.
The fire department will add more people in the far north part of the city, and receive additional funds for teams that work with the city's homeless population.
Transportation and public works would receive the biggest total dollar increase in the budget, up nearly $18 million over last year. That would go toward catching up on replacing streetlights that are out and fixing lane markings on streets around the city.
One fee that would increase is the monthly environmental fee on water bills, for the first time since it was added 25 years ago. Going from $0.50 to $1.50, it would expand clean-up of litter, illegal dumping locations and camp sites. It would also increase the city's street sweeper fleet from two to 12 trucks.
Cooke said he expects there may be a push to lower the tax burden further, which could push some of the safe and clean additions out of the plan. A series of public comment meetings are scheduled to start next week, with the council expected to vote on the budget by the end of September.