 The city of Fort Worth works hard to make every dollar count. This is a look at where your city tax dollars go and what you get in return. I feel safe. I always feel like there's always room for improvement for any city, but I feel like it's pretty safe. More than half of your tax dollars go to Keep Our City Safe. $226.3 million for police, including 31 added positions this year for a new police division in North Fort Worth, and equipment such as body cameras. $138.9 million for fire protection, including full funding for 10 firefighters previously paid through federal grants. At my age, the older I get, the more I'm concerned about the traffic, too. And $32.7 million to maintain roads, bridges, traffic signals, sidewalks, and other safety-related public improvements. Fort Worth is a good city. I just like to see more money spent on parks and recreation. The next largest budget slice helps make Fort Worth a great place to live, work, and play. $43.8 million to care for nearly 300 parks and public spaces and provide recreational, cultural, and education programming. And $19.1 million for libraries, including new books, movies, computers, classes, and building maintenance. Clean, very clean compared to other cities. But you can always do a little bit more. Other budget monies go to Keep Fort Worth clean and attractive. $19.9 million for code compliance, including education, prevention, and enforcement of health and safety codes. Plus, the realignment of veterinary staff at Animal Care and Control to improve service. And $8.9 million for neighborhood services, which help beautify and strengthen neighborhoods through affordable housing, emergency repairs, after-school programs, and activities for senior citizens. The remainder of your tax dollars pay for a host of services that keep the city running. A total of $82.5 million for economic development, municipal courts, and planning, plus legal, financial, and administrative services. The City of Fort Worth's 2016-2017 General Fund Spending Plan is a $639 million balanced budget that also lowers your property tax rate by two cents. I think it's good that it's gone down, even if it's just a little bit. Now's your chance to have a say about a new budget for 2017-2018. Check out information and tools for submitting your suggestions on the City of Fort Worth website. Your input is needed to help keep Fort Worth safe, clean, and growing in the right direction.