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DALLAS - The City of Dallas is proud to join a new peer-learning cohort led by the National League of Cities to reduce the inequitable and harmful impacts of municipal fines and fees on residents’ financial health. In alignment with the recently adopted Racial Equity Plan, Dallas joins eight other cities across the nation as part of the Cities Addressing Fines and Fees Equitably (CAFFE) initiative.
Participating cities will engage in peer-learning opportunities, virtual and in-person. In addition, participants will receive tailored technical assistance from NLC staff and national content experts to help advance the city's efforts in expanding economic opportunities for lower-to-moderate-income families through policy reforms and access to financial empowerment services. In addition, also learning from the experiences of the first cohort of CAFFE cities which began in 2019.
“Dallas continues to demonstrate our commitment to advancing equity.” Assistant City Manager Liz Cedillo-Pereira stated, “This opportunity to work with national partners to address local disparities is in direct alignment with the city’s first Racial Equity Plan.”
In August 2022, the City of Dallas adopted the first citywide Racial Equity Plan. The strategic framework, developed in collaboration with communities, supports the City’s work to understand and address disparities across Dallas. The plan serves as an outline for City departments and offices to enhance current plans, policies, and initiatives with measurable goals as well as aspirational goals that addresses racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic equity. This opportunity speaks directly to the Big Audacious Goals of the Plan to reduce the disparities experienced by Dallas residents.
Cities participating in NLC’s CAFFE initiative will also receive grant support to assess and reform inequitable policies in the court system and implement innovative financial empowerment approaches to help residents who are in debt to cities as a result of municipal fines and fees.
City leaders have seen the devastating economic impacts that fine and fee debt can have on lower-income residents, particularly residents of color. Excessive fines and aggressive debt collection practices can snowball, often leading to license suspensions, utility cut-offs, and even jail. Individuals at risk of entering the justice system when they are unable to pay criminal justice fines and fees are particularly vulnerable. Many cities have implemented strategies to address these negative impacts, including reforming fine and fee structures and enacting ability-to-pay policies as an alternative solution.
In addition to Dallas, the seven other cities joining the project include Birmingham, Alabama; Las Vegas, Nevada; Maywood, Illinois; Montgomery, Alabama; Pueblo, Colorado; St. Louis, Missouri; and Washington, D.C. This cohort program runs from January 2023 through February 2024 and is supported by JPMorgan Chase.
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