Already the home of nationally-recognized research institutions like UT-Southwestern and UT-Dallas, Fortune 500 firms like Texas Instruments, Kimberly-Clark, and Southwest Airlines, major distribution centers for companies like Frito-Lay and Wal-Mart, national/regional operations centers for firms like JP Morgan Chase, Nokia, and Capital One, and an active and innovative small business community, Dallas County is committed to ensuring that the economic growth that has occurred over the past thirty years continues.
Toward this end, Dallas County is a leader in regional transportation with a program that provides about $30 million a year in thoroughfare improvement funding. It was also responsible for helping create the North Texas Tollway Authority and DART, which is the Dallas area's transit authority.
The County has established one of the largest county open space systems in the state with the system now containing over 3200 acres of environmentally unique land, and it is now in the process of building a comprehensive trail system so that it will be possible to travel from neighborhoods to major employers, retail centers, entertainment areas, universities, light rail stations, and parks without the use of a car.
Dallas County operates a community development block grant (CDBG) program in fifteen of its smaller cities so that these cities can have sound infrastructure and housing, and in conjunction with the City of Dallas, it also created the first consolidated city-county job training program in Texas.
Dallas County has one of the lowest property tax rates in the State. Its fiscal policies and management practices have allowed it to be regarded as one of the best run counties in the country by Governing magazine, and it is one of only a few counties in the United States to have a "AAA" bond rating from both Moody's and Standard & Poors.
To help further facilitate economic development, Dallas County provides strategic tax abatements, it participates in tax increment finance (TIF) districts, and it supports the formation of foreign trade zones. In addition, it, along with the Dallas County Hospital District, also offers the freeport tax exemption on goods that leave the State within 175 days. Copies of the County's tax abatement policy, TIF policy, and foreign trade zone policy are available below on this website.
For additional information about the County's economic development activities and on how to request tax abatement, TIF, or foreign trade zone assistance, please contact the County's Director of Planning & Development at (214) 653-7601.
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