Fort Worth city officials are giving residents more time to weigh in on the city’s budget for the next fiscal year, pushing back the feedback deadline to June 15. The city started gathering input for the Fiscal Year 2025 General Fund budget – which includes funding for critical services such as police and fire departments and community infrastructure – back in March and has turned to the new online platform, Connect Fort Worth, to crowdsource suggestions from the populace, according to the City of Fort Worth.
Throughout May, the city has held open houses and has made other avenues available for collecting the public’s voice, recognizing the importance of community insight in shaping the financial roadmap. Connect Fort Worth, as well as traditional channels like the MyFW app and the city's Facebook page, @fortworthmolly, remain open to submit ideas and identify where in the city improvements are most needed. Photos of local spots that need funding attention can be shared via the "Steer the Budget" initiative, beckoning residents to get creative in their appeals for budget allocation.
The projected budget numbers are hefty and reflect the growing needs of a bustling city. Staff is currently estimating a $1.049 billion budget for FY25, which signifies a $35 million, or 3.5%, jump from the previous fiscal year. In a push to keep their workforce competitive and meet rising insurance costs, the city is dialing up investment in its employees.
One of the key shifts in the upcoming budget is the city's pivot to priority-based budgeting – a strategic move to align departmental spending with the City Council's goals for economic development, community investment, personal safety, and responsible growth. Nine departments are now employing the technique, which scrutinizes some 323 programs against the city's objectives. This tactic, originally piloted by three departments in the previous year, is due to cover the bulk of Fort Worth’s municipal operations in the coming budget cycles.
Fort Worthians won't want to miss the extended chance to influence where their tax dollars go. The city’s commitment to priority-based budgeting illustrates an evolving approach, one that could set a tone for active citizen participation in fiscal decisions.
