Dallas County commissioners have revived a plan that could put a homeless-services tax before voters, taking a 3-2 procedural step Tuesday toward a Nov. 3 ballot measure. The vote does not impose the tax, but it puts the proposal back on a fast-moving track after commissioners initially rejected it.
Commissioner Theresa Daniel asked for the redo after a closed executive session, saying confusion over the wording of the first motion had affected the vote. According to The Dallas Morning News, Daniel switched to support advertising the higher rate, joining County Judge Clay Jenkins and Commissioner Andrew Sommerman; Commissioners Elba Garcia and John Wiley Price remained opposed.
What Dallas County Actually Approved
The court voted to advertise a proposed property-tax rate of 25.31 cents per $100 of valuation for homeless services. Dallas County currently levies a 21.55-cent rate, while officials could adopt a 22.46-cent rate without sending the question to voters, according to the Dallas County government.
For a $350,000 home, the current county tax would be about $754, compared with roughly $786 at the non-election rate and $886 if voters approve the higher proposal. The measure could generate about $150 million for homelessness programs, while data presented to commissioners linked unsheltered homelessness to thousands of jail bookings and tens of thousands of Parkland Hospital visits, The Dallas Morning News reported.
Tax Proposal Splits Commissioners
Garcia and Price have argued that homelessness intervention should not become a county-government responsibility, while supporters say the county is already paying for the consequences through the jail, hospitals and public spaces. Garcia also warned that any new burden would land on property owners across a county of about 2.7 million people, as KERA News previously reported.
Sommerman urged commissioners to let voters decide, describing the choice as whether taxpayers continue paying for failure or invest in a more coordinated response. Supporters also include County Judge Clay Jenkins, who backed giving residents the final say rather than having commissioners settle the question alone.
Housing Forward Wants Dedicated Funding
Housing Forward, the nonprofit leading the homelessness response in Dallas and Collin counties, says the dedicated money would support rental assistance, substance-abuse treatment and other services designed to move people indoors and keep them there. At its May State of Homelessness address, the organization said homelessness had declined for a fifth consecutive year and promoted Street to Home Phase 2 as a countywide expansion, according to Housing Forward.
Dallas County has already approved up to $10 million for the second phase of Street to Home, which is intended to expand homelessness and public-safety strategies across the county. The Dallas County Commissioners Court approved that commitment in January, before the tax proposal became the next possible source of long-term funding.
The Ballot Clock Is Tight
Under state law, the county must advertise the higher rate for seven days before moving ahead, and Aug. 11 is the last scheduled commissioners court meeting before the ballot-finalization deadline. That leaves little room for another procedural stumble if commissioners want voters to see the proposal in November.
The city of Dallas has separately invested in the Street to Home approach, emphasizing permanent housing and coordinated work among homeless-service providers, mental-health professionals and law enforcement. A City of Dallas statement said the expanded effort is intended to accelerate progress in reducing street homelessness, but the county tax question will ultimately be decided by commissioners first and voters later.
