The mayor used a colorful comparison to argue the city's finances will sink under a bloated budget if residential taxpayers are not given real relief.The mayor implored his colleagues around the horseshoe at city hall to take a bold stand that would lower the average homeowner's tax bill, despite increasing home values. However, the majority of city council members opted to keep the higher tax rate for now.
"By the time they saw the iceberg, it was too late to turn the ship around," he said. "This is us, the city of Dallas, floating along. Property tax is an iceberg. We can't tax people the way they have been and expect them to stay. We have too many options where they can get a better deal.
"As each of you ran for election three months ago, I believe every returning member touted that they reduced taxes. But you didn't. We haven't reduced taxes in the four years I've served," she said.