Mesquite council frames budget priorities, adopts process for summer strategy presentations

Mesquite city leaders used a goal‑setting workshop to lay out budget priorities and a timeline for the coming months, emphasizing that council direction today will guide staff work while final tax appraisal numbers remain pending.

City Manager Cliff Kaheeli opened the budget segment by telling council members the workshop will shape department budget presentations but that the property appraisal data from the Dallas Central Appraisal District (DCAD) will not be available in a form staff can use until June. “It is a little bit premature to say we have what we can and cannot do,” Kaheeli said, adding staff will present strategy options through June and July and return with the formal budget allocation at a budget retreat currently scheduled for July 19.

Kaheeli said the council should focus on policy priorities…