Dallas voters heading to the polls Tuesday face two separate questions bearing the same label: Proposition A. One would authorize $443 million in city borrowing for public safety facilities. The other would approve a higher Dallas County property tax rate for homelessness-related programs.
The proposals carry different financial consequences, and neither would automatically satisfy the city’s police staffing mandate.
The City Proposal: $443 Million In Bond Authority
The City of Dallas outlines five projects: $82 million for a police law enforcement training center; $149 million for a public safety training complex; $40 million for a 911 and emergency operations facility; $150 million for evidence storage and a crime lab; and $22 million to replace Fire Station No. 4.
The $443 million would cover bond principal. The city estimates repayment of $629,618,180, including interest, over no more than 20 years based on current market conditions. The ballot states, “THIS IS A TAX INCREASE.” Texas law requires that warning for bond propositions, although Dallas officials say they do not anticipate increasing the city property tax rate specifically for this program. The debt would still require repayment.
Voters cannot select individual projects within the bond package. The city also explains that the proposed $82 million for the police training center supplements other funding sources, including money from its 2024 bond program, state grants, and private contributions.
The County Proposal: A Higher Tax Rate
Dallas County Proposition A would approve a rate of $0.248650 per $100 in taxable value, compared with the voter-approval rate of $0.224650. County officials project $102.9 million in additional revenue from the election to support programs addressing homelessness, encampments, mental health treatment, and housing stability.
For a property with $300,000 in county taxable value after applicable exemptions, the difference between those two rates equals $72 annually. If voters reject the higher rate, the county will revert to the $0.224650 voter-approval rate, not the $0.215500 rate from 2025, according to the county’s August 11 order.
County Judge Clay Jenkins and Commissioners Theresa Daniel and Andrew Sommerman voted to call the election. Commissioners John Wiley Price and Elba Garcia opposed the order. The county’s election order identifies broad spending purposes but does not itself set individual contractor payments or numerical program performance requirements, as The Dallas Express previously examined.
What Neither Measure Would Do
Neither measure would automatically fulfill Proposition U, the Dallas charter amendment voters approved in 2024 that established a minimum of 4,000 sworn police officers. The department had 3,410 sworn officers in September 2026, and city budget projections still fall short of the requirement in 2027, as The Dallas Express documented.
City Proposition A concerns borrowing for public safety infrastructure, while County Proposition A concerns a higher tax rate for services. A vote on one does not determine the other.
Early voting ended October 30. Polls open Tuesday, November 3, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., the Texas secretary of state confirmed. Voters should check their address-specific sample ballot and polling location before leaving home.
Provided by Dallas Express
