Fort Worth resident Rose Garza wants the city’s animal control to do a better job of collecting stray animals in the historic Northside so she can safely walk around her neighborhood.
Her concern was among one of the issues residents told the city they want the next budget to address.
“As a citizen, I would like to walk my neighborhood, just like I see other people walking in the gringo areas,” Garza said.
Residents submitted their priorities for the budget online to the city. They included:
- Hiring more police officers and improved public safety.
- Repairing and maintaining streets.
- Improving public transit.
- Additional funding for community centers, parks and libraries.
Fort Worth resident David Caldera wants the city to address the pothole problem in his Northside neighborhood.
“Why don’t they just fix it?” Caldera said.
He sees other areas of the city, such as the Stockyards and Near Southside, get more maintenance and upkeep than the Northside. Caldera wants the city to take more of an interest in developing his neighborhood, which is 90% Latino.
“Why not give those new residents moving (to Northside) a better welcome as a city?” Caldera said.
Fort Worth officials proposed giving the Transportation and Public Works Department an additional $975,000, according to the proposed budget.
For Veronica Silva, a Far Northside resident, property taxes are top of mind.
“They’re spending a lot of money. I know it’s good for the community, but they need to do something about property taxes,” Silva said.
The proposed budget will lower the city’s tax rate by 4 cents.
Amethyst Sloane, FWLab strategy and performance manager, emphasized the city is always looking for feedback from residents throughout the year.
“It doesn’t matter if we’re having a public meeting or an open house about something specific,” Sloane said. “Any feedback we get any time goes into the budget feedback.”
Editor’s note: This story was updated on Aug. 22, 2023, to correct a quote.
Juan Salinas II is a reporting fellow for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at juan.salinas@fortworthreport.org or on Twitter. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
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