Audio By Carbonatix
For those Friends of Unfair Park who haven’t read through the entire FY2009-2010 proposed city of Dallas budget, the city council’s biting off tiny pieces during regularly scheduled briefings in advance of the September 23 pass-by date. There’s yet another budget workshop tomorrow morning at Dallas City Hall, during which the council will first tackle property tax rates. City Manager Mary Suhm is proposing adopting a 79.37 cents per $100 assessed valuation tax rate (no change from this year); the current effective tax rate is 79.37 cents. Several council members, Mayor Tom Leppert and Suhm have all said they don’t want to raise taxes to cover the $190 million budget shortfall — but if they change their minds, tomorrow’s briefing also lays out the process and a schedule. Could be an interesting discussion tomorrow morning — but don’t hold your breath.
After that, these two items of interest: The council will discuss the Park and Recreation and Street Services departments’ respective budgets, both of which are experiencing significant cuts. The Park and Rec briefing especially is insightful: It provides a list and map of the 14 city pools Suhm wants to close “for repairs”; details the cuts to park land maintenance (including the not-yet-completed Main Street Garden); and lays out the reduced hours at recreation centers, as well as cuts to clean-up (meaning, “overall cleanliness and setup will be reduced”).
