Fort Worth’s quality of life is key to the city’s success, Mayor Mattie Parker says

People are moving to Fort Worth because of its high quality of life, Mayor Mattie Parker said during her 2023 State of the City address Friday.

“When people could live anywhere in the country, they’re choosing to live here in Fort Worth,” Parker said, while arguing efforts to improve public safety, combat homelessness, and expand city services like street sweeping and road maintenance are key to the city’s safety.

The city led the nation in population growth in 2022, adding 19,170 people.

Parker singled out public safety, referencing retailer Target’s decision to close nine stores in Seattle, Portland, New York, and the San Francisco Bay Area due to issues with theft and violence.

“Without the right balance of public safety, cities fall apart, but not in Fort Worth,” Parker said.

She pointed to the City Council’s approval of nearly 200 new positions in the police and fire departments and the city’s partnership with the One Second Collaborative to highlight the city’s efforts to reduce violent crime.

Homicides are down 18% through the first nine months of 2023 compared to the same period in 2022, Parker said.

Parker highlighted the recent passage of a 4 cent tax rate decrease, noting it was the largest rate decrease in 34 years.

While the rate decrease was not enough to offset rising home values, Parker argued the city’s budget is about setting up the city for future success.

“This is about smart policy, not politics,” Parker said. The cost of providing basics like streetlights and road repairs have increased, and the city is also doing more to invest in its workforce to retain top talent, she said.

“Whether it’s police, fire, transportation or water, these are the people keeping the lights on,” Parker said.

Part of the city’s $1.6 billion budget will go to increasing efforts to combat homelessness. While Fort Worth’s numbers pale in comparison to other large cities, there has been an increase in the number of people experiencing homelessness, Parker said.

She pointed to the $2 million added to the priority repair program, which helps people from becoming homeless because of a simple home repair they can’t afford. She also pointed to the $41 million the city has invested in housing initiatives to help get people off the street and into shelters.

Fort Worth’s policy is housing first, meaning the city will work with nonprofits to prevent people from becoming homeless and help get people off the street, Parker said.

She also announced an initiative to increase the amount of green space throughout the city.

The Good Natured Green Space Initiative is a partnership between the city’s parks department, the Tarrant Regional Water District and nonprofits, according to a city press release. The goal is to preserve 10,000 acres of open space for parks or recreation over the next five years, Parker said.

The city loses roughly 50 acres of open space every week to new development, according to the press release.

The details of the partnership will be worked out over the next three to six months, but Parker pointed to other public-private partnerships like the Fort Worth Zoo and the Fort Worth Botanic garden as examples of successful partnerships this initiative could be based on.

“We can be a city that focuses on our future while also preserving our past,” Parker said.