DALLAS — Texas cities have floated unusual proposals to slash their spending as they face yawning budget gaps, from laying off employees and charging non-residents higher zoo ticket prices, to asking voters to reconsider public funding to a new arena for the San Antonio Spurs.
These desperate maneuvers — some of which have not come to fruition — underscore how inflation, a slower economy and moves by state lawmakers have put Texas’ biggest cities in a tightening financial noose that will take big moves to get out of.
“This is going to be our new normal going forward,” Dallas City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert said Tuesday during a briefing on the city’s upcoming budget.
By Joshua Fechter | The Texas Tribune
Published August 18, 2026 at 8:30 AM CDT