The residents of Arlington are not only lucky, but pretty proud to live within such a thriving and welcoming public city. From our nationally-commended park system to the electric Arts and Entertainment District and so much more, residents enjoy the public spaces and visitors love getting to know everything the city has to offer. It’ all comes with living in Arlington, TX.

Behind the scenes, all the things the City of Arlington has to offer come from the operational budget decided every fiscal year. And the City just released a video breaking down the budget in a way we’ve summarized for you below. Here’s how it works:

• Out of your tax bill, about $3 from every household goes to fund the public library system. And that includes all seven buildings (even the new downtown branch), each of which offers multiple activities and events for residents of all ages to enjoy. Residents can go to story-time events, movies, book clubs and even gaming activities. That’s a ton of entertainment, activities and books (more than you could possibly read in a year), all for the price of a gallon of milk.
• About $7 from every household go to the award-winning parks department, which includes a staggering 90 beautiful parks, 6 rec centers, and over 4,000 acres of parkland. The nationally recognized park system only costs households a little more than the fruits and veggies for the week.
• Next, add up all those groceries, and for about $40 a month households pay for the police department and police services. For another $20, the fire department and services are included. Both departments are nationally accredited for offering community-oriented programs.
• For $14 per month (about the price of a third of a tank of gas), households pay for streetlights, streets and general maintenance.

All things considered, the sum of attractions and benefits that come with living in Arlington come at a pretty good deal. The City’s projections look to collect some $118.8 million in General Fund Property Tax plus another $68.4 million in General Fund Sales Tax during the fiscal year—an increase in both categories that will go into the proposed $523 million operating budget. In addition to everything already mentioned, the budget breaks down further to include:

• $76,600 for nonfiction library materials for kids K-12
• $150,000 for self-driving and smart vehicles and related programs
• $153,452 for maintenance and renewal of Police Department software
• $161,306 for K9 staffing and fire protection
• $258,647 for future Southeast Rec Center funding
• $851,398 for funding for the firefighter academy
• $1.8 million for the popular Via rideshare pilot program
• $2.8 million for IT support
• $6.4 million for general street maintenance

All of this is possible even with the City’s proposed (and fourth consecutive) tax reduction this coming fiscal year. Rates could drop from about $0.63 per $100 of assessed value down to $0.062 per $100. All the additions and improvements proposed are possible with the tax drop thanks to the ever-climbing property values in the city.

The City of Arlington always tries to implement the best possible system and the best possible changes to benefit all its citizens, but this of course does not mean there isn’t room for more improvements. If there is anything you think should be done differently or anything you think should be changed or added, feel free to participate in one of the two Town Halls that will be held soon.

The first Town Hall will be held on the 29^th of August at 6:30 pm at the Arlington Police South District Service Center, 1030 S.W. Green Oaks Blvd. The second will be on the 5^th of September, also at 6:30 pm at Arlington City Hall, Council Chambers, 101 W. Abram St.