Rachel Walker is the Managing Editor of The Permian Press.

What happened: City staff presented Midland’s annual public safety budget update to council on Tuesday, April 28. Staff said that spending on police, fire, and EMS has grown 88% over the last 10 years. For fiscal year 2025-26, the city budgeted a combined $95.4 million for police, fire, and EMS ambulance.

City staff said that property tax revenue grew about 55% over the same 10-year period. During this time, the county’s population increased by only about 24%. The city projected it would generate $80.8 million in property tax revenue for fiscal year 2025-26, which accounts for approximately 17.5% of its proposed $460.9 million budget. Property tax alone does not generate enough to cover public safety.

Why it matters: Emergency response is Midland’s single largest non-enterprise fund budget item. The city projected it would spend $98.4 million on water and sewer this year, making it the largest budgetary item. However, water and sewer are an enterprise fund, meaning user fees and other user-based revenues pay for this fund. Emergency response is paid through property taxes, sales taxes, or other fee-generating revenue.

Midlanders are paying more for emergency response every year. But the more important question, one the city’s presentation did not ask, is whether residents believe the level of police, fire, and EMS coverage they are receiving is worth what they are currently paying, and whether they want it to change.

The big picture: The city said it is relying on three things to fund the growth of emergency response, including sales tax growth, federal funding, and private contributions. However, none of these funding mechanisms are guaranteed year over year.

Weakland noted a growing divide between emergency services spending and property tax revenue, but that gap is not purely the result of population growth plus inflation. The city and its council deliberately chose to increase spending in emergency services at a rate faster than the tax base grew. That structural imbalance will not reverse itself unless the council either raises the tax rate or reevaluates the growth of emergency services spending.

“We made a deliberate decision to invest in public safety at a higher rate than our revenue growth,” Weakland said.

Weakland also said there are currently eight police vacancies and 10 fire/EMS vacancies, which she said is the lowest in years out of roughly 500 employees. She noted a 10% reduction in key crime categories, and The Permian Press previously reported on Midland’s 10-year low in serious crime.

Reality check: So what level of emergency preparedness and response do Midlanders want, and what are you willing to pay for it? The unasked question, and the one The Permian Press wants to put in front of readers, is whether that trajectory matches what residents actually want. There are exactly three honest answers a Midland reader can give:

  • “I feel safe enough. I’d rather pay less.” Lower or freeze the tax rate. Accept that response times and staffing might adjust.
  • “I feel safe, and the price is fair.” Hold the line. Budget at roughly the current trajectory. Don’t expand scope.
  • “I don’t feel safe. I’m willing to pay more.” Raise the tax rate and expand staffing.

There is no fourth option that provides greater emergency services at no cost. Sales tax, federal dollars, and private donations are gap-fillers, not foundational. The foundation is the property tax rate, set by elected council members who answer to voters. There is no version of emergency response that costs nothing. There is also no city where crime reaches zero or where an ambulance shows up in three seconds.

What’s next: The city expects to begin budget season hearings in late summer. That is when the council will formally set the fiscal year 2026–27 spending levels and tax rate.

The bottom line: The city’s strategy to fill the gap between public safety spending and property tax revenue is working today. Whether it will keep working and whether it is the right trade-off are not questions for city hall alone to answer. It is your money, your safety, and your call. The decision belongs to you.