PAXTON IS CAMPAIGNING FOR THE SENATE

Texas AG sues Dallas, says city is ‘insufficiently funding police'

The lawsuit alleges Dallas city officials failed to comply with police funding and staffing requirements. 

 

By Alexis Garcia

 

NBC DFW 

Feb 13, 2026 

 

 

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing Dallas city officials for "unlawfully refusing to comply with Proposition U," his office says.

Proposition U required that if the city’s total annual revenue exceeded that of the prior fiscal year, no less than 50% of the excess be appropriated to the Dallas Police and Fire Pension System.

The charter amendment also mandated an increase in starting salaries for Dallas police officers and requires the city to maintain at least 4,000 full-time sworn police officers.

Voters narrowly approved the proposition in November 2024.

The lawsuit names the City of Dallas, City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert and Chief Financial Officer Jack Ireland Jr. as defendants.

It alleges Dallas improperly calculated excess revenue for Fiscal Year 2025-26, citing Ireland's reports of approximately $61 million in excess revenue to the Dallas City Council, based on a calculation that excluded certain categories of revenue.

Projected excess revenue for the fiscal year totals approximately $220 million when calculated under the charter’s definition of revenue, according to the lawsuit. It alleges this calculation resulted in the city falling short of Proposition U requirements.

The lawsuit also alleged Dallas officials failed to comply with the proposition's requirement to hire an independent third-party firm to conduct an annual police compensation survey, citing public information requests.

NBC 5 asked the city of Dallas about the lawsuit and a spokesperson said, "Due to pending litigation, we have no comment at this time."