Out of the Pool: City Council to Get a Detailed Look at Cuts to Park and Rec's Budget

By Robert Wilonsky Sun., Aug. 23 2009 at 1:56 PM

Categories: News

Click to expand City Manager Mary Suhm's list of proposed pool closings in the coming fiscal year

For those Friends of Unfair Park who haven't read through the entire FY2009-2010 proposed city of Dallas budget, the city council's biting off tiny pieces during regularly scheduled briefings in advance of the September 23 pass-by date. There's yet another budget workshop tomorrow morning at Dallas City Hall, during which the council will first tackle property tax rates. City Manager Mary Suhm is proposing adopting a 79.37 cents per $100 assessed valuation tax rate (no change from this year); the current effective tax rate is 79.37 cents. Several council members, Mayor Tom Leppert and Suhm have all said they don't want to raise taxes to cover the $190 million budget shortfall -- but if they change their minds, tomorrow's briefing also lays out the process and a schedule. Could be an interesting discussion tomorrow morning -- but don't hold your breath.

After that, these two items of interest: The council will discuss the Park and Recreation and Street Services departments' respective budgets, both of which are experiencing significant cuts. The Park and Rec briefing especially is insightful: It provides a list and map of the 14 city pools Suhm wants to close "for repairs"; details the cuts to park land maintenance (including the not-yet-completed Main Street Garden); and lays out the reduced hours at recreation centers, as well as cuts to clean-up (meaning, "overall cleanliness and setup will be reduced").

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