Here is what you should know about the proposed 2026-27 city budget and what it means for Lake Highlands

Dallas City Hall

The City of Dallas released its proposed 2026-27 fiscal year budget Friday, Aug. 7, with various updates for the Lake Highlands area, including public improvement districts, trails, bridges and community centers.

The most notable piece of information is the estimated $5.66 billion budget for the upcoming fiscal year. With the city facing a $30 million shortfall for the current fiscal year, the next budget aims to save $17.3 million by realigning spending priorities and restructuring staffing.

For Lake Highlands specifically, the budget includes additional resources for the Lake Highlands Public Improvement District and the North Lake Highlands Public Improvement District. These additional resources are multi-year funds used to account for and report proceeds from a specific revenue source that are restricted or committed to expenditures for a specified purpose.

The Lake Highlands PID’s 2026-27 budget is set at $1,383,522, while the North Lake Highlands PID is budgeted at $927,554. The budget also includes projections for fiscal year 2027-28, with the Lake Highlands PID set at $1,734,115 and the North Lake Highlands PID set at $1,297,758.

The budget’s Capital Improvement Program will provide the Lake Highlands Trails project with $141,281 in supplemental funding. Additionally, the Lake Highlands Gateway Bridge Enhancement project is still ongoing and has spent or committed all of its $35,000 budget. The Lake Highlands Tower Center project, with a total budget of $11,667,950, has spent or committed $8,337,751, leaving $3,330,199 available.

The city also has a roughly $2 million dredging project at Lake Highlands Town Center aimed at improving stormwater drainage. The project is funded through the city’s Storm Drainage Management Capital Program and 2017 bond funds, with completion projected for October 2027.

The city also has an ongoing $5.87 million stormwater project in the Parkhurst-Brookhurst area near Lake Highlands Baptist Church. The project, known as the Parkhurst-Brookhurst (Lake Highlands Baptist) Relief System, is intended to improve stormwater drainage in the area.

The budget also includes highlighted objectives for the 2026-27 fiscal year, including the White Rock Creek Trail Walnut Hill/Lake Highlands Trail Connector. The city’s capital improvement plan lists the Lake Highlands Trail from White Rock Creek as an ongoing hike-and-bike trail project funded through 2012 bond funds. The project has a total budget of $1.93 million.

Separately, the city’s capital improvement plan lists an ongoing $726,394 project to extend the Lake Highlands Trail from White Rock Creek Trail to Skillman Road. The project is funded through 2017 bond funds.