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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing the City of Dallas over police funding, his office announced Friday.
Paxton alleges that the city has failed to comply with its City Charter, specifically the voter-approved amendment known as Proposition U. The amendment, approved by residents in November 2024, requires the city to maintain a force of 4,000 officers and devote 50% of any revenue in excess of the prior year’s revenue to police pay raises and the first-responder pension fund.
The problem, Paxton said in a news release, is that Dallas officials failed to meet those requirements in the city’s budget. While Chief Financial Officer Jack Ireland reported $61 million in added revenue in the fiscal year 2026 budget, Paxton alleges the total is closer to $220 million.
Ireland, along with City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert, was named along the city in the lawsuit.
“I filed this lawsuit to ensure that the City of Dallas fully funds law enforcement, upholds public safety, and is accountable to its constituents,” Paxton said in the release. “When voters demand more funding for law enforcement, local officials must immediately comply. As members of law enforcement across the country increasingly face attacks from the radical Left, it’s crucial that we fully fund the brave men and women in law enforcement defending law and order in our communities. This lawsuit aims to do just that by ensuring Dallas follows its own charter and gives police officers the support they need to protect the public.”
Paxton further said the city has failed to hire an independent firm to conduct an annual review of police compensation, according to the release.
Representatives from the city declined to comment.
Proposition U was one of three amendments backed by the political group HERO added to the ballot after gaining enough resident petition signatures in 2024. The other amendment passed by voters, Proposition S, waived government immunity for government employees and enabled residents to sue the city for noncompliance with the charter.
