Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sues Dallas over lack of police funding
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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced he has filed a lawsuit against officials in Dallas, alleging the city failed to adequately fund its police department as required by a voter-approved public safety measure.
Paxton, a Republican running for the U.S. Senate, accused Dallas of unlawfully refusing to comply with Proposition U, a public safety measure approved by the city’s voters in 2024.
Proposition U requires 50% of all new annual revenue the city receives to be directed to police and fire retirees. The measure also requires the city to maintain at least 4,000 police officers; That’s nearly 900 more than the department has in 2024.
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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced that a lawsuit will be filed against authorities in Dallas for lack of resources for the police department. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
The lawsuit, announced Friday, names Dallas City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert and Chief Financial Officer Jack Ireland Jr. as defendants. It is located.
“I filed this lawsuit to ensure that the City of Dallas fully funds law enforcement, supports public safety, and is accountable to its constituents,” Paxton said in a press release. he said.
“When voters demand more funding for law enforcement, local officials must immediately comply,” he continued. “As members of law enforcement across the country increasingly face attacks from the radical left, it is critical that we fully fund the brave men and women in law enforcement who defend law and order in our communities. This lawsuit aims to do just that by ensuring Dallas complies with its charter and gives police officers the support they need to protect the public.”
Texas attorney general Ken Paxton accused Dallas of unlawfully refusing to comply with Proposition U. (Hannah Beier/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Paxton claims Dallas officials undercounted the total excess money the city had in its current budget to put toward safety measures in Proposition U. Additional revenue for the 2025-2026 fiscal year is supposed to be $220 million, according to Paxton, but the city only reported about $61 million in excess revenue.
The lawsuit also accuses Dallas of failing to hire an independent third-party firm to conduct an annual police compensation survey as required under the measure.
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The lawsuit accuses Dallas of failing to hire an independent third-party firm to conduct an annual police compensation survey. (Universal Images Group via HUM Images/Getty Images)
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The complaint requests that the city allocate excess revenue toward police salaries, civil servant salaries, and increased officer numbers under Proposition U.
According to Fox 4, Dallas city leaders have moved to comply with Proposition U. In December, the city council approved a 30-year, $11 billion pension fund plan for the police department.
