Dallas City Council members are weighing possible staffing reductions at City Hall as they begin crafting the next fiscal year budget amid persistent financial pressures.
During a meeting Wednesday, several council members highlighted payroll — which makes up 72 percent of the city’s overall budget, including salaries, overtime, health benefits and pensions — as a key area for potential savings.
City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert told members the city has already eliminated vacant positions since 2024, saving $21 million over the past two years. Officials are now reviewing staffing models, asking whether fewer employees, such as five coordinators instead of 10 office assistants, could handle the same workload without reducing services residents depend on.
Tolbert acknowledged that further cuts may be necessary.
“But I can’t tell you that there will not be cuts. I can’t say that,” she said.
Chief Financial Officer Jack Ireland noted the city has added more than 900 employees in the past eight years, most in police and fire departments. For the upcoming budget, the city faces a projected $18 million shortfall, or less than 1 percent of expected revenue. That comes on top of a current-year gap that has exceeded $30 million, driven largely by overtime costs and slower-than-expected sales tax growth.
The discussion builds on cost-cutting steps taken in late April, when the city imposed a hiring freeze for most non-uniform positions, restricted overtime and limited non-essential spending and travel.
Council members also floated other ideas, including possible fees on vacant land and better tracking of city-owned real estate for potential sale. Officials plan to continue budget work through the summer, with the proposed spending plan expected in August.
No service reductions or layoffs have been finalized.
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