Page 106 - City of Fort Worth Budget Book

General Fund City Manager’s Office

Veterans Affairs features the City’s inaugural Veterans Affairs Officer, a position created in the FY2024 budget,
and focuses on efforts to streamline services and resources for veterans and serves as a dedicated advocate for
Fort Worth’s military communities in collaboration with local organizations, government agencies and veteran
service providers.

Mayor and Council division supports the City Council with a full-time staff and Council District Managers. They
provide oversight of office operations, handle citizen interactions, draft correspondence and speeches, and work
on various special projects.

The Police Oversight Monitor Division (OPOM) is the designated community oversight agency empowered to act
fairly and impartially, ensuring greater accountability and public trust in Fort Worth law enforcement. OPOM is
responsible for reviewing the Fort Worth Police Department (FWPD) policies, procedures, and patterns related to
police interactions with the community, as well as monitoring administrative investigations, inquiries, and uses of
force to ensure a fair and equitable process. Additionally, it identifies patterns in its reviews and recommends
policy and procedure changes. It also monitors the recruitment process to ensure fairness and equitable
treatment. Furthermore, OPOM receives and processes complaints from the community related to police
interactions. OPOM also runs the Community-Police Mediation Program, which allows community members and
officers to discuss interactions with trained mediators. This process enables free-flowing conversation and helps
build and repair community trust. The mediation process serves as an alternative to the traditional investigation
process.

OPOM also participates in community-police engagement activities to understand diverse perspectives and
identify solutions for improving community-police relations. They collect data and perform analysis, identify
patterns and trends, and provide periodic reports on the OPOM’s activities, initiatives, auditing, and review of
FWPD policies, procedures, and practices. The office continues to serve as a community resource that works to
improve trust between the police and citizens.
FY2025 DISCUSSION AND SIGNIFICANT CHANGES

The Recommended Budget:

• Increases by $334,852 and one Authorized Position (AP) for a Deputy City Manager for the City
Manager’s Office.

• Increases by $174,968 and one AP for a Intergovernmental Relations Manager to lead a new
Intergovernmental Relations Unit consisting of Directions Home, Education Strategies, and Veterans
Affairs.
• Decreases by ($317,416) and one AP for an Assistant City Manager to delete a vacant position.
• Decreases by ($221,483) and one AP for a Government Affairs Liaison for a position transferred to the
City Attorney’s Office.
• Decreases by ($696,613) in operating costs which includes $46,653 for a temporary intern position
associated with the transfer of the Government Relations division to the City Attorney’s Office.

• Increases by $386,015 for salary and benefits for previously approved costs associated with pay for
performance, rising health care costs, and pension contributions.
• Increases by $30,559 to fund recently filled positions for a full year.

• Decreases by ($71,055) for contractual operating expenses.
• Decreases by ($423,163) for consulting agreements and professional type services.
• Decreases by ($709,844) for budgeted salary and benefits savings and other related benefits.

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