Plans to spend $1 million on satellite Dallas City Council offices sparked debate Tuesday as council members had their first discussion on the first spending plan from a new city manager.
City Manager T.C. Broadnax released the balanced $3.1 billion budget proposal Friday.
Council members generally praised the budget at their briefing Tuesday, but several spoke against spending any extra money for their own offices.
Councilwoman Sandy Greyson's North Dallas district is the farthest away from City Hall downtown.
"I think our offices work fine the way they are," Greyson said. "I just feel like we need to show some restraint on our own budget, and that’s a good place to start."
The plan calls for $500,000 more for existing City Council offices at City Hall and $1 million more for up to five new satellite offices next year with a possible addition of five more the following year.
"I'm concerned that is just a ballooning cost going forward," said North Dallas Councilwoman Jennifer Gates. "I know a lot of us use Paneras, and Corner Bakeries and Starbucks to meet."
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Southern Dallas Councilman Dwaine Caraway said the North Dallas members should trade places with him and come hungry one night because there are no such restaurants in his part of the city.
"I don't really personally like the attitude of some of the comments that are coming across, because it says we're just, we're nobody, when we say what our constituents need and what's convenient for them," he said.
Caraway said City Hall is an inconvenient place for people to visit.
"People are supposed to have access to us," Caraway said. "I didn't intend to be going on no rant, but I'm tired of this kind of stuff when it comes to the petty things that we need to have."
The new budget also includes a Next Generation 911 system that accepts text messages for an additional $800,000. The city manager said a stand alone Dallas Animal Services department, separated from code enforcement, will better control the Dallas loose dog problem. Eight more code enforcement officers are added. Library hours are expanded. The budget increases the minimum wage for all city workers to $10.94 an hours.
Some of the extras are covered by money not being spent on the 500 additional police officers who officials would prefer to have on duty. The city manager said the city hopes to hire 250 new officers, but those would only replace officers expected to leave.
Councilman Lee Kleinman said the tax rate should be reduced by the $39 million the city is saving by not having those extra officers on the force.
"Why do we year in and year out bloat this City Hall and bloat this budget and add more services and more things and expect our taxpayers to keep paying for it?" Kleinman asked.
Broadnax, who only started Feb. 1, said Dallas needs to provide more services than it does now.
"The things that we've got recommended in the budget are things, quite frankly, that we need to doing, should have been doing and need to do if we want to be a top-tier city, and we’re not even close to funding the things at the level we should be," Broadnax said.
Mayor Mike Rawlings refused to take a position on the satellite City Council offices. He agrees the city should lower the property tax rate.
"There's always that push and shove issue about whether we are spending enough or should we cut our cost," Rawlings said. "But we should always in my mind unless we are in a state of emergency, always be looking at driving down that property tax rate."
Beginning Tuesday night, town hall meetings will be held at locations around the city the next few weeks before the City Council votes next month on the budget.
