City government · Dallas County, TX

Mesquite's money: where it comes from and where it goes

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended September 30, 2023), Mesquite took in $332 million and spent $315 million.

Latest recorded year: ended September 30, 2023Estimated by the U.S. Census BureauComes fromGoes to

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Where it comes from

City taxes47%Fees for services (water, sewer)38%Fines and other7.0%Federal tax money5.7%State tax money2.3%

What stands out

19%

of Mesquite's money comes from sales tax.A typical U.S. city of 50,000+ people gets 7.8%.

City taxes47%

Property tax
23%$75.8 million
Sales tax
19%$62.1 million
Other taxes
5.1%$16.9 million
What's in other taxesPublic utility taxes; other licenses and 2 more
  • Public utility taxes$8.6 million
  • Other licenses$5.5 million
  • Other selective sales taxes$1.9 million
  • Occupation and business licenses$871 thousand

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Fees for services38%

Fees for services
38%$127 million
What's in fees for servicesWater; sewer and 5 more
  • Water$47.8 million
  • Sewer$34.9 million
  • Other service charges$18.9 million
  • Garbage collection$13.0 million
  • Parks, land and natural resources$5.8 million
  • Airport$3.3 million
  • Parks and recreation$3.3 million

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

Federal tax money5.7%

Grants from Washington, paid for by the federal taxes residents also pay.

From the federal government
5.7%$19.1 million

State tax money2.3%

Money the state passes on, paid for by the state taxes residents also pay.

From the state
2.3%$7.7 million

Fines and other7.0%

Interest, rents and other
4.6%$15.3 million
Fines
2.4%$8.0 million

Where it goes

Water, sewer, trash and utilities32%Police, fire, courts and jails29%Roads, transit and parking9.4%Running the government and other costs8.3%Parks, recreation and libraries7.8%All other spending13%

What stands out

6.9%

of Mesquite's spending goes to housing and community development.A typical U.S. city of 50,000+ people spends 1.4%.

Spending by category100%

Water, sewer, trash and utilities
32%$102 million
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesWater supply; sewer systems and 1 more
  • Water supply$53.6 million
  • Sewer systems$37.4 million
  • Garbage and solid waste$10.6 million
Police, fire, courts and jails
29%$92.1 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPolice; fire protection and 2 more
  • Police$49.1 million
  • Fire protection$36.9 million
  • Courts and legal services$3.2 million
  • Inspections and regulation$2.8 million
Roads, transit and parking
9.4%$29.7 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways and airports
  • Roads and highways$26.8 million
  • Airports$2.9 million
Running the government and other costs
8.3%$26.0 million
What's in running the government and other costsOther and not broken out; finance, tax collection and budgeting and 2 more
  • Other and not broken out$11.8 million
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$5.5 million
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$5.1 million
  • Government buildings$3.6 million
Parks, recreation and libraries
7.8%$24.6 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation and libraries
  • Parks and recreation$21.9 million
  • Libraries$2.7 million
Housing and community development
6.9%$21.6 million
Interest on debt
4.4%$14.0 million
What's in interest on debtInterest on general debt and interest on water supply debt
  • Interest on general debt$10.4 million
  • Interest on water supply debt$3.6 million
Environment and natural resources
0.9%$2.9 million
What's in environment and natural resourcesNatural resources, farming and conservation
  • Natural resources, farming and conservation$2.9 million
Health and hospitals
0.9%$2.8 million
What's in health and hospitalsPublic health
  • Public health$2.8 million
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

City of Mesquite. U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, individual unit file, fiscal year ended September 30, 2023. Most of this government's figures were estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau from a sample; the government did not report them itself.

What this covers. The money of City of Mesquite itself. Other governments that serve the same area (the city, county, school district and state) are separate and not included. Borrowing, transfers between a government's own funds, and pension trust funds are not counted as revenue.