Dallas City Hall
The City of Dallas announced that most employees will be required to participate in a furlough for three days to combat the city’s budget shortfall.
The three mandatory leave days will be July 10, Sept. 4 and Sept. 28. Non-uniform General Fund employees will be recorded as leave without pay, according to a press release. There is no option to use sick leave, vacation time or comp time in place of the three unpaid days.
Law enforcement, other first responders and enterprise fund department employees are exempt from the furlough, which includes Dallas Water Utilities, Aviation, Convention and Event Services and Sanitation employees. The city may exempt employees of Fleet Services and Information Technology Services based on operational needs.
Additionally, all General Fund and Internal Service Fund non-uniform executives at or above the assistant director level are required to take an additional two floating furlough days before Sept. 16, according to the press release.
The City currently has an expected budget shortfall of over $30 million for the next fiscal year. In April, the City entered a hiring freeze, along with eliminating overtime for non-uniform employees and ceasing non-essential travel.
“Furloughs are not our preferred solution; however, they enable us to reduce expenses, protect jobs and employee health benefits, and continue delivering services to our residents,” said Kimberly Bizor Tolbert, Dallas City Manager, in a press release. “These steps are necessary to navigate the current financial challenges and to position the City responsibly for the upcoming FY27 and FY28 biennial budget.”
