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Fort Worth staff warn of roughly $50 million FY2027 general‑fund gap as council reviews proposed rates and fees
Summary
City staff told the council they are still facing roughly a $50 million general‑fund shortfall for FY2027 and presented options including rate increases, fee adjustments and spending trade‑offs; staff will return with budget scenarios in July after Tarrant Appraisal District results.
City staff told the Fort Worth City Council at a June 16 work session that they are facing an estimated $50,000,000 general‑fund gap for the FY2027 budget and outlined next steps for narrowing that shortfall.
Jay said the 'budget blitz' of departmental proposals completed last week provided a set of options the city manager's office will refine. He told the council staff are awaiting final property appraisal numbers from the Tarrant Appraisal District in July and that commercial valuations could offer relief while residential appraisals may be flat or negative.
The presentation emphasized that while property tax is the largest single municipal cost, many recurring charges for residents are billed through monthly utility bills. Brady Kirk presented an overview showing that, when property tax is annualized, a typical Fort Worth household pays roughly $240 per month for combined city services, and that Fort Worth's combined burden compares variably against peer cities depending on the grouping.
Council members pressed staff on where to target reductions and on the trade‑offs between raising fees or taxes and cutting services. Staff highlighted that some enterprise funds (water, solid waste, environmental) have their own cost‑recovery dynamics while many general‑fund services rely on sales and property tax. Christine Simmons shared early results from a public budget priorities survey with about 1,400 responses so far; respondents ranked police, fire and EMS, streets and mobility, parks and libraries among top priorities, and 44% preferred maintaining or improving services even if taxes or fees increased.
City management said it will return in July with budget scenarios and asked council members to provide input on discretionary 'nice‑to‑have' items before the formal fall budget process. No formal vote was taken at the session; staff will continue to refine proposals and stakeholder communications.
