Fort Worth officials outline $1.3 million alleyway expansion, department cuts and fee changes in budget follow-up

City of Fort Worth staff returned to the City Council for a budget work session follow-up on Aug. 6, presenting written responses to earlier questions about tax-rate comparisons, fee changes and the cost of expanding alleyway maintenance — and outlining how departments met 1% and voluntary 3% reduction targets as the recommended fiscal 2026 budget moves toward public hearings in September.

The most immediate item discussed was alleyway maintenance. Councilmember Beck urged the city to take responsibility for all alleyways, saying, “Given that the cost, while not insignificant in comparison to our overall budget, is a rounding error. I'd like to see the city go ahead and take on that additional maintenance of all of the alleyways.” Finance staff and Parks officials said taking on the remaining half of unmaintained alleys would cost about $1,300,000 in fiscal 2026, after an existing allocation of a little over $800,000 in the parks budget that covers current work.

City staff proposed covering much of the fiscal 2026 cost by shifting existing, already-allocated resources rather than adding a new recurring tax commitment. Options discussed included moving about $250,000 of preloaded staff funding tied to the Northwest library opening and reducing a non-departmental pay-plan implementation reserve; staff said they would likely reduce that reserve by approximately $1,000,000 and send it to parks for alley maintenance.

Why it matters: Alley maintenance has recurred on council agendas for decades, staff said, and a one-time reallocation would cover start-up investments such as a vehicle purchase and baseline clean-up in neighborhoods that have not been maintained. Councilmembers framed the change as a reallocation of existing budgeted resources rather than a new tax or fee.

Other written follow-ups and fee materials

Staff provided three…