The City of Dallas will require most of its roughly 4,200 city employees to take three unpaid furlough days to help close a $30 million budget shortfall in the current fiscal year, officials announced Tuesday.
City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert said the mandatory leave without pay for most general fund employees will occur on July 10, Sept. 4 and Sept. 28. Executives at or above the assistant director level must take two additional furlough days before Sept. 16. Law enforcement, first responders and employees in fee-funded departments such as sanitation, aviation and water utilities are exempt, along with some IT and fleet services staff based on operational needs.
The furloughs are expected to save the city approximately $5 million. Officials have already implemented a hiring freeze and halted non-essential travel spending to address the shortfall, which stems from higher-than-expected police and fire overtime costs, lower sales tax revenue and rising employee health expenses.
Tolbert described the move in a statement as a difficult but necessary step. “Furloughs are not our preferred solution; however, they enable us to reduce expenses, protect jobs and employee health benefits, and continue delivering services to our residents,” she said. On furlough days, services such as libraries, homeless outreach and code compliance offices will be closed.
The announcement came shortly after department heads were notified, leaving some employees with little notice before the first day on July 10. City Council members expressed mixed reactions, with some calling it a last resort and criticizing past spending decisions, while others stressed the need for broader long-term solutions ahead of tough budget talks in August.
The city also faces a projected $51 million shortfall in the upcoming fiscal year. Council members broke quorum during a scheduled discussion on that gap to attend a FIFA World Cup match.
This is not the first time Dallas has turned to furloughs. During the early COVID-19 pandemic, the city furloughed hundreds of employees for several months, and similar short-term unpaid leave was used after the 2009 financial crisis.
The latest measures aim to maintain core city services while avoiding deeper cuts or tax increases as leaders prepare for the next biennial budget.
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