The Dallas County Board of Supervisors convened Monday evening for a special session to discuss the fiscal year 2019 budget.

The meeting began with a public hearing. The proposed tax levy for 2019 is $6.65 per $1,000 of assessed value, which is nearly a full dollar lower than last year’s levy thanks to the passage of the countywide local option sales and services tax. The Board then discussed the budget details, which includes an estimated $42 million in revenues and $61 million in expenditures. In the 2018 fiscal year, those figures were $66 million and $49 million, respectively. In both cases, the difference is due to the law enforcement center bond issuance, which counted as revenue for 2018 but will count as an expense in 2019.

Of the total 2019 County budget, 47% will go to schools, 34% to cities, and 13% to the County. Dallas County gives considerably more to cities and schools than comparable counties, and allocates much less for themselves. The service area with the largest allocation of funds is public safety and legal services, which includes the Sheriff and County Attorney offices, as well as the Emergency Medical Services Department. After some discussion, but no opposition to the budget, the Supervisors closed the public hearing and adopted the 2019 fiscal year budget.

They also passed a resolution approving the recommendations from the Compensation Board for elected officials’ salaries, which each increased by 3% over last year.