Dallas officials estimate the city could save about $32 million by keeping hundreds of vacant positions unfilled, according to a memo released Friday as City Hall begins preparing its next budget.
The savings estimate is based on keeping those jobs vacant through the 2027 fiscal year, which runs from October 2026 through September 2027.
Chief Financial Officer Jack Ireland’s memo to the City Council makes no recommendation on whether to extend the hiring freeze and notes some positions could ultimately be exempted from the policy and filled.
City leaders are preparing for a difficult budget season marked by rising personnel costs and uncertainty about revenue growth.
In April, Tolbert announced a hiring freeze for most nonuniform general fund positions after city officials projected a $16.4 million spending overrun, a $3.8 million revenue shortfall and a $13.8 million deficit in the city’s employee health benefit fund.
Ireland’s memo also gives an early look at how much revenue growth city leaders may have available as they build next year’s budget. Preliminary property appraisal values are running about 13% higher than last year’s certified values, but city staff expect property owner protests and adjustments will reduce that growth to about 5%.
In a separate memo released Friday, city officials said they are looking for ways to pay for a planned connection between the Jefferson and Houston viaducts after residents raised concerns about traffic disruptions tied to the downtown convention center expansion.
Staff said they are working to reduce construction-related traffic impacts and plan to provide council members with a more detailed update on June 5.