Page 24 - FortWorthFY23AdoptedBudget

Executive Message

Budget Message

August 9, 2022

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

I am pleased to present to you the City Manager’s Fiscal Year 2023 (FY2023) Adopted
Budget. The adopted budget addresses the strategic initiatives of the City Council
including increased investment in a safer, cleaner community; sustainability of new and
existing infrastructure; and, services to more effectively respond to the demands of a
rapidly growing city. In addition, the adopted budget recognizes the importance of
strategic alignment of services with the workforce as well as market competitive
compensation and benefits. Lastly the adopted budget recognizes the fiduciary
responsibility to taxpayers while ensuring services are responsively delivered and assets
are effectively managed. We continue to make the City more efficient, more transparent,
and more accessible with enhancements to our staffing, innovative programming, and
purposeful public engagement.

I am presenting you with a balanced $915 million General Fund budget that achieves the
following:

· Reflects the growth in population and development that continues to occur
· Emphasizes the importance of public safety and a clean and more attractive city
· Continues programs that ensure equitable investment and maintenance
throughout the City
· Increases the cash funding dedicated to capital projects, including additional
funds for street maintenance and repair, pavement marking, streetlight
maintenance, neighborhood vitality and safety, park maintenance and
improvements, and information technology
· Lowers the property tax rate to 71.25 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 FY2023 Adopted
Budget—which includes the Debt Service Fund and most operating funds—totals $2.3
billion, which is a 11.87% increase from the FY2022 Budget. The budget includes a total
of 7,877 authorized positions (APs).

As we adjust to a post-pandemic world, we remain one of the fastest-growing cities in the
nation, as well as one of the most livable communities. During FY2023, two new city
council 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. Economic
trends forecast ongoing growth and development in Fort Worth and we anticipate job
and population growth to continue as more companies and people move to Fort Worth.

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