Mesquite officials presented results from the city’s annual budget-priority survey and reviewed the fiscal-year budget calendar at a Tuesday town-hall meeting, telling more than a dozen attendees how the city allocates revenue and solicits public input ahead of statutory hearings.

The survey drew 1,045 responses, Assistant City Manager Susie Klus said. “The total survey responses this year is 1,045, which I think has been the largest in years,” Klus said. City staff used that feedback, plus council retreats and workshops, to shape draft priorities the council will refine in upcoming meetings.

Budget Manager Geneva Mendez outlined the city’s operating and general funds. She said the city’s adopted operating funds total about $315,000,000, with the general fund at roughly $176,000,000. “Based on this chart…less than 30% of your property taxes go to the city, 29.7% based on the current tax rate,” Mendez said, describing how the remainder of a homeowner’s tax bill is distributed among the school district, county, hospital district and community college.

On priorities, residents ranked fire services and emergency medical services at the top (90% and 86% respectively), followed by police patrol and traffic services (61%) and street maintenance (53%), Klus said while reading survey results. Other items — library services, environmental code enforcement, animal services and transit — received lower relative support or split opinions.

City staff used two interactive exercises to illustrate budget trade-offs: a token “buckets” game and a “Price Is Right — Mesquite edition” that asked volunteers to estimate service costs such as annual recreation-center operation and the price of a fire engine. Presenters said a fully equipped fire engine cost about $1,200,000 and a ladder truck about $2,000,000; staff said the city now plans to buy one fire engine per year to maintain fleet and reserves.

Officials also discussed routine operating costs and examples intended to show where tax dollars go. Staff said the city purchases dozens of police vehicles per year, maintains parks and responds to storm cleanup in-house. In one exchange, staff said the cleanup after a windstorm that produced 75 mph gusts cost the city about $3,567,000 and was done without contracting out the work.

During a question-and-answer period, council members and staff addressed debt and refinancing, tax-rate comparisons with nearby suburbs and the use of tax increment reinvestment zones for infrastructure. A staff member said Mesquite’s commercial valuation growth had increased the city’s taxable value by roughly $5,000,000,000 over the past five years and that some new value is captured in reinvestment zones to fund infrastructure such as road and utility extensions.

Council members closed by encouraging continued public participation: Mayor Dan Aleman urged residents to use the city’s online transparency tools and attend the budget workshop Saturday and the statutory public hearing in August. “Transparency…accountability…and community engagement,” Aleman said, urging residents to review data in the My Mesquite app and attend hearings.

No formal votes or ordinance adoptions occurred at the town hall; the meeting served as public engagement and information ahead of the scheduled budget workshop and statutory hearings.

Upcoming schedule noted at the meeting: the council’s budget workshop on Saturday and a statutory public hearing on August 4, both listed by staff as steps before final adoption of the fiscal-year budget.