Fort Worth residents, you're looking at your tax dollars in motion from the moment you wheel out your trash bin to the times you tap into the city's water supply or coast along its streets. The city's budget is a mosaic of various funds, each with its own set of rules and a distinct mission—ensuring that your money is allocated with purpose and precision.
A deep dive into Fort Worth's budget reveals the largest slice of the pie, the General Fund, which is the lifeblood for crucial city services, including law enforcement, fire protection, parks, and street maintenance. As reported by the City of Fort Worth, the General Fund "is primarily supported by property taxes, sales taxes and other general revenues" that flow from both residents and businesses. In short, this is the fund that keeps the city's day-to-day functions robust and responsive to a growing Fort Worth.
But let's not forget about repaying debts—Fort Worth's Debt Service Fund tackles precisely that, paying down the bonds that bankroll our infrastructure's big-ticket items. A snip of your property taxes goes directly to this cause, ensuring financial commitments are met without fail.
Special Revenue Funds, according to Fort Worth's official release, are giving specific challenges their due attention. Take the Crime Control & Prevention District, bolstered by a half-cent sales tax; it's all hands on deck for community policing efforts in the coming financial year. Tourism and culture aren't left by the wayside, with an 11% hotel tax helping the city charm over 3 million visitors every year. MedStar has also officially entered the fold, with ambulance service charges backing Emergency Medical Services in full swing starting FY26. The city's air and water stay clean thanks to the Environmental Protection Fund, and your golf swings at Pecan Valley or Rockwood Park? They're financed through user fees in the Municipal Golf Fund.
Jumping over to the Enterprise Funds, it's a “you get what you pay for” system. Thought police services were on the water bill? Think again—these funds are strictly for the services they provide, nothing more, nothing less. Your monthly water bill is for water and wastewater services to a sprawling 1.3 million folks in Fort Worth and its neighboring communities. And, when it pours, the Stormwater fund makes sure the city doesn’t drown in chaos, handling everything from flood management to regulatory compliance checks.
Behind every smooth city operation are the oft-unseen Internal Service Funds. They're the gears in the machine, covering IT services, the city's fleet of vehicles, employee benefits, and support for the city's infrastructure projects, all operating on an intra-business model aimed at efficiency and transparency.
Lastly, Fort Worth also watches over fiduciary funds like the Retiree Healthcare Trust, safeguarding benefits for those who've served the city in their careers.
