Vote NO on Propositions STUpid!
Don’t let anyone Trick you into thinking Propositions S, T, and U are for the good of our city. The real heroes—our EMS, firefighters, and sanitation workers—deserve better than these measures.
Here’s why you should vote NO on STUpid:
- Squanders resources: Prop S wastes our city’s precious funds defending frivolous lawsuits, allowing anyone to sue the city at will.
- Tax increases: Prop T opens the door for tax hikes by giving the City Manager the power to select 1,400 survey respondents (or 1/1000 of the residents in this city) for a bonus system. Why should we reward the City Manager with more money for favorable feedback from just a tiny fraction of Dallas residents? We do not want anyone to raise their pay then walk away like our last city manager recently has done.
- Unjust, Unfair, & Unreasonble: Prop U would allocate half of all future revenue increases exclusively to the police department, leaving other essential services to fight over the leftovers. With a recent budget increase of nearly $150 million, that means $75 million annually taken from vital services.
Saying NO to STUpid means protecting our city’s resources and ensuring they’re used wisely. Let’s not allow these reckless propositions to dictate our future!
Background on STUpid:
- The extremists of Dallas Hero that wants to force Propositions STUpid on us shows that they were initially presented as police accountability reforms, including a proposed ban on chokeholds. However, the final version shifted focus toward expanding police funding and pensions through charter strongholds, while quietly dropping the chokehold ban. These propositions prioritize law enforcement over essential community services such as education, healthcare, and housing, sparking concerns about their long-term financial and social impact. Critics argue that these measures undermine the city's ability to invest in systemic solutions and equitable reform.
Dallas HERO is a 501(c)4 organization who proposed a city charter amendment to increase the Dallas Police Department’s sworn officers from 3,000 to 4,000 which equates to 3 police officers per 1,000 residents. They also proposed an amendment that would allow frivolous lawsuits that would impact our labor force the most with tax hikes. The last amendment they are bringing is a City Manager raise based on a skewed process to take surveys around the city from only 1,400 people when the city of Dallas has 1.4 million residents This organization launched a petition signature campaign and obtained the required amount of signatures to place this amendment on the November ballot.
The proposed ballot language states:
“Shall the City Charter be amended to prioritize an appropriation of year over year city revenue increases for specific public safety objectives including funding the Dallas Police and Fire Pension system, increasing the number of sworn police officers, and ensuring their pay is competitive?”
The organization’s justification for this proposed amendment is police staffing shortages which “allegedly” has led to an increase in police response times. The Dallas HERO initiative states this amendment change would be on par with the city’s analysis that recommended Dallas maintain the ratio 3:1,000 for optimal response times. If this proposed amendment were passed, it would significantly impact budget allocations for upcoming years further taking away from community services (e.g. Parks and Recreation, Arts and Culture, Libraries).
Current breakdown of the Dallas FY 2023-34 Budget
- Public Safety (61%): $1.25 billion
- Parks, Trails, & the Environment (7%): $130.2 million
- Quality of LIfe, Arts & Culture (7%): $131.5 million
- Economic Development (6%): $109.1 million
- Workforce, Education & Equity (1%): $22.3 million
- Transportation & Infrastructure (10%): $173.4 million
- Housing & Homeless Solutions (1%): $20.7 million