Olaf Growald
Mattie Parker
With preparations in the works to present a proposed budget to the Fort Worth City Council next week, Mayor Mattie Parker has earmarked a few items she feels are a priority. Parker, who won her re-election bid in May, outlined these items in a memo sent to city manager David Cooke earlier this week. Some of Parker’s top line items include public safety, exceptional city services, and green space, with an emphasis on reducing the property tax rate.
All of these proposed budget items are set to be heard by the city council on August 8. In the weeks that follow, there will be a series of meetings with the Council and community for feedback before the final budget for FY2024 is approved by City Council in September, taking effect October 1.
Parker states in her memo to Cooke that her top line items were picked after she spent countless hours talking with constituents about the city’s overall vision.
“As the fastest-growing city in [the] U.S, it is critical that we think not only of what residents need today, but also of how we are investing now to prepare us for the next 50 years, especially if that growth is sustained,” she says.
The first of Parker’s proposed priorities is reducing the property tax burden on Fort Worth residents.
“Our residents came out the other side of the pandemic to be met with harsh new realities — rapidly rising home valuations, inflation on everyday expenses, and a cost of living that is increasingly difficult to maintain,” Parker says. “We absolutely must do everything in our power to be good stewards of every taxpayer’s dollar.”
The most direct way to do this, she writes, is to decrease the property tax rate. “The City Council has lowered the tax rate five times in the past six years, totaling 12.25 cents in reduction, but we understand that this effort must continue.”
Parker’s second priority is public safety. In last year’s budget, the city helped increase staffing for both the fire and police departments while making significant investments in technology.
“That investment should continue with funds dedicated to the appropriate increases in staffing levels to support our growing city as well as the technology and infrastructure needed to ensure that when someone calls for help their calls are answered and supported in a timely manner,” Parker says. “Investments in a strong public safety network should cover Police and Fire, as well as related services including 9–1–1 and medical emergency response services.”
Third on Parker’s list of fiscal priorities is city services. Parker says being the fastest-growing large city in the country is worth celebrating, but it is not a distinction we should take lightly.
“Growth for the sake of growth will not serve our residents in the long run, and we have a responsibility to residents to be thinking about how our city can grow smarter and avoid the pitfalls of other major cities that have grown rapidly,” she says.
According to a list she provided Cooke, Parker states that Smart growth means executing on the basics, even as the population balloons. This means the budget should execute on:
- Improving efficiency in the development services process, especially for small business.
- Championing innovative infrastructure and mobility projects that meet current demand and plan for growth, including a larger investment into PayGo funding for capital projects.
- Balancing investment in new development with reinvestment in existing development.
- Combatting the affordable housing and homelessness crises by creating opportunities for affordable housing and homeownership.
Last but certainty not least on Parker’s list is green space and parks. According to a recent public survey of Fort Worth residents conducted by Trust for Public Land, nearly 96 percent of respondents said conserving natural areas within Fort Worth is “very important”. Plus, almost 99 percent said that the city should establish a permanent program to conserve natural areas for future generations. Parker agrees.
“We have an opportunity, and responsibility, right now to protect natural areas to preserve critical watersheds and provide green space for future generations,” Parker says. “There is a distinct urgency around this issue due to Fort Worth’s exponential growth. This budget, and arguably several budgets in the years to come, should push us to think bigger about how we develop the approximately half of our city that has not already been developed.”
