In 2018, the City Council approved the Resilient Dallas Strategy, which aims to advance equity in City government through an intentional analysis of service delivery, strategic planning, and budget allocation.
In 2019, the City Council adopted an equity resolution that established, among other things, the Budgeting for Equity (BfE) process and called for the City to commit more resources to areas and populations with the greatest need, based on data and a newly designed equity tool for budget development.
On March 24, 2021 Dallas City Council unanimously approved the city’s first Racial Equity Resolution (#210503). This resolution reaffirmed Dallas’ commitment to work towards addressing the impact of institutional racism and creating a city where everyone can thrive.
Equity is one of the City's four core values of service and means each person has the resources and services they need to thrive. Racial equity occurs when race and ethnicity cannot be used to predict outcomes for any group.
The Racial Equity Resolution called for the development of a comprehensive Racial Equity Plan (REP) created collaboratively by city department leadership and Dallas residents.
The Office of Equity and Inclusion – Equity Division is leading the development of this plan in partnership with CoSpero Consulting. The REP will provide a comprehensive strategic framework that outlines progress measures for each city department to address the racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities named in the Equity Indicators Report.
In order to inform the progress measures and accountability structures, targeted community engagement is underway that prioritizes areas of Dallas most impacted by racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic inequities.
- Casey Thomas II, District 3 City Councilmember
Accurately reflect priorities of community members most impacted by institutional racism
Align departmental practices and investments to close racial disparities
REINFORCE accountability measures and recommend progress monitoring systems to keep community members informed
- Jaynie Schultz, Committee Chair and District 11 City Councilmember