Page 24 - FortWorthFY22AdoptedBudget

Executive Message

Budget Message

October 1, 2021

Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
City of Fort Worth, Texas

I am pleased to present to you the Fiscal Year 2022 (FY2022) Adopted Budget. This budget addresses the
lingering challenges that the City is facing from COVID-19 and the City’s continued efforts to improve
equity in service delivery. As the pandemic carries on, we must focus on the future to ensure we are
providing the services our residents and businesses expect while maintaining our financial sustainability.
We continue to make the city leaner, more effective, more efficient, and more transparent. Also, we are
re-envisioning our delivered services to ensure that they are equitable while improving our interactions
with our community.

I am presenting you with a balanced $832 million General Fund budget that achieves the following:

· Reflects the growth in population and development that continued to occur during
the pandemic
· Continues to emphasis the importance of public safety
· Continues the development of programs to ensure equitable investment and
maintenance throughout the city
· Continues to partner with Trinity Metro and others to fund transit initiatives
· Continues the cost containment strategies to prepare for future financial strains
resulting from COVID-19 and increased legislative restrictions
· Continues the cash funding dedicated to capital projects, including additional funds
for street maintenance and repair, neighborhood vitality and safety, park
maintenance and improvements, and information technology
· Lowers the property tax rate to 73.25 cents per $100 of assessed taxable value,
which continues the effort to keep taxes low and competitive

Addressing the growing demands on our city’s resources, the citywide FY2022 Adopted Budget—which
includes the Debt Service Fund and most operating funds—totals slightly over $2 billion, which is a 4.63%
increase from the FY2021 Budget. Also, the citywide budget includes a total of 7,549 authorized positions
(APs).

Even as we face the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we remain one of the fastest-growing cities in the
nation, as well as one of the most livable communities. During FY2022, two new districts will be added to
the governing body as a reflection of the enormous growth that has marked Fort Worth as the thirteenth
largest city in the country. We continue to believe the future is bright in Fort Worth. Further, we expect
the community to come together and emerge from this pandemic stronger, more unified, and ready to
continue building on the great traditions of Fort Worth.

We anticipate job and population growth to continue as more companies and people move to Fort Worth.
The FY2022 Adopted Budget is our plan to meet our responsibilities, address our challenges, improve our

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