Johnson, a former Democratic member of the Texas House, characterized the proposal as a move to “defund the bureaucracy.”
“Many private entities have already cut executive pay during these difficult economic times. We can find $6.5 million in savings if we share the pain with our residents and businesses,” Johnson said on social media.
The mayor detailed a tiered approach to pay cuts that would include a 25 percent cut for the six officials earning $250,000 or more.
The remaining eight tiers propose a certain percentage pay cut for certain salary ranges.
The lowest tier would dial down salaries by one percent for the 490 employees earning $60,000 to $69,999 annually, which Johnson says would save the city $364,048.
According to the mayor’s proposal, the level that would save Dallas the most money would be a six percent salary reduction for the 137 workers earning between $100,000 and $119,999.
In total, Johnson says his idea would save the city $6,503,465.
Johnson has criticized City Manager T.C. Broadnax’s draft budget due to its lack of salary reductions for well-compensated employees.
Johnson has specifically said that Broadnax should be agreeable to cutting the city manager’s own salary.
Broadnax made $416,564 in 2018, more than the President of the United States.
Broadnax recently said to local media that the mayor’s suggested salary reductions were not included in his draft budget.
“No, those were not things that I recommended in the budget,” Broadnax said.
“There were, however, reductions and eliminations of positions, in many cases, executive-level positions, to find ways to again save money in addition to the other changes we made operationally, and or any restructurings that we may have done, to find ways to find resources to put into services.”
The city’s draft budget does make cuts to the Dallas Police Department (DPD).
Councilman Adam McGough, the city council’s public safety chairman, is skeptical of the budget document’s cuts to DPD, including a reduction in the number of officers.
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Hayden Sparks
Hayden Sparks is a senior reporter for The Texan and a lifelong resident of the Lone Star State. He has coached competitive speech and debate and has been involved in politics since a young age. One of Hayden's favorite quotes is by Sam Houston: "Texas has yet to learn submission to any oppression, come from what source it may."