The City Council approved the proposed 2023 fiscal budget and property tax rate on Tuesday. The $2.3 billion budget is approximately $2.5 million more than 2022 + focuses on public safety, cleanliness, and growth.
There’s a lot to unpack in the 248-page operating budget that will be active from Sat., Oct. 1, 2022-Sat., Sept. 30, 2023, but we’re here to holler out the highlights.
By the numbers
The city’s operational budget comes from six sources—three governmental funds and three proprietary funds.
- General fund: $915.3 million
- Debt service fund: $278.4 million
- Special revenue funds: $228.8 million
- Enterprise funds: $668.1 million
- Internal service funds: $200.3 million
- Fiduciary funds: $33.7 million
- Total operating funds: $2.3 billion
Funding for police and fire accounts for over half of the general fund.
Graphic by the City of Fort Worth
The general fund
The general fund increased by $83.4 million compared to 2022 and includes money for 150+ new city staff positions in various departments. With strategic priorities for safety and cleanliness, infrastructure, growth, workforce, and tax rate reduction; the general fund breaks down as:
- $491.3 million for public safety
- $180.6 million for infrastructure
- $97.6 million for financial growth
- $83.1 million for community services
- $7.9 million for legal services
- $41.2 million for other expenses
The City has illustrated how the new tax rate affects resident’s tax bills and exemptions.
Graphic by the City of Fort Worth
Changes for residents
The council has approved a decreased property tax rate of $0.7125 per $100. This is 2% less than last year.
Note: Property tax amount is calculated as
Property tax amount = (tax rate x taxable value of your property)/100
The city also approved an increased environmental fee on monthly water bills by $1 to accommodate more trash and litter removal.
A line-by-line breakdown doesn’t quite fit in your quick morning news. You can check out the full budget report from the city.