Dallas City Officials Say New State Laws Will Cost City $9M Next Fiscal Year

Dallas officials say state legislators' crackdown on local control will cost the city about $9 million in revenue in the upcoming fiscal year.And officials expect that number to rise in the following years.The shortfall is a small part of Dallas' $3.6 billion annual budget, but City Manager T.C. Broadnax told the city's newly elected and re-elected council members Tuesday that the reality is that the city "can't continue to do everything we're doing today."New state laws passed this spring limit the ways cities can collect money to fund services, including revenue from cable TV providers' franchise fees, red-light cameras and property tax collections. Meanwhile, officials project the city's revenue growth — which come almost entirely from property and sales taxes — will slow down in the next few years.The public safety budget will likely be the new council's biggest challenge. The police department's troubles became a top election issue in the spring in mayoral and council races. Aggravated assaults and robberies are up this year, and Dallas' spike in homicides in May drew further attention to a police department that remains hundreds of officers short.  Continue reading...