About

City Recognized for Outstanding Fiscal Stewardship and Transparency

The City of Arlington continues to be recognized for its strong financial performance and commitment to transparency, earning accolades from national and state organizations. This consistent dedication to sound fiscal policies improves the City’s financial resilience and benefits its residents through efficient resource management and lower borrowing costs.

Arlington proudly holds the distinction of being a “Triple Crown Winner,” one of only 36 entities in the State of Texas to receive all three of the Government Finance Officers Association’s (GFOA) most prestigious awards: the Certificate of Achievement in Excellence in Financial Reporting, the Popular Annual Financial Reporting Award, and the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award. This recognition underscores the City’s commitment to clear, comprehensive, and accessible financial communication.

View the latest Popular Annual Financial Report

Further demonstrating its dedication to transparency, Arlington is one of only 11 entities in Texas to have achieved all six Transparency Stars from the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. This program recognizes local governments that go above and beyond in making their financial information readily available to the public. The six areas recognized include traditional finances, contracts and procurement, economic development, public pensions, debt obligations, and open government compliance. The City provides clear and meaningful financial information through posted documents, thorough summaries, visualizations, downloadable data, and other relevant information.

The City’s fiscally sound policies, financial resilience, and manageable long-term liabilities have also resulted in consistently high credit ratings from the three major independent rating agencies: S&P Global Ratings, Moody’s Ratings, and Fitch Ratings. These strong ratings are crucial as they enable the City to secure lower interest rates on its debt, ultimately saving taxpayer dollars.

Recently, the agencies affirmed their confidence in Arlington’s financial management:

• S&P Global Ratings affirmed all three credits with its highest rating of AAA.
• Moody’s Ratings affirmed all three credits with their second highest rating of Aa1.
• Fitch Ratings affirmed the Water and Wastewater System (WWS) and Stormwater credits with their highest rating of AAA.

For years, these agencies have highlighted Arlington’s strong performance, financial resilience, and prudent management of long-term liabilities. These consistent recognitions demonstrate the City’s ongoing commitment to responsible fiscal stewardship and transparency for the benefit of its community.

2024 Citizen Satisfaction Survey Results Released

The City of Arlington’s 2024 Citizen Satisfaction Survey shows continued confidence in the City’s direction and strong support for key City services. Conducted between January and March 2025, the survey collected feedback from more than 2,300 residents, helping City leaders better understand community priorities and shape planning for the year ahead. The survey, which has been conducted annually since 2000, offers a valuable snapshot of resident satisfaction across all major service areas.

This year’s results reflect stability and satisfaction with 72% of residents rating their neighborhood quality of life as “good” or “excellent.” Additionally, 87% of residents said they feel “somewhat safe” or “very safe” in their neighborhoods during the day, and 85% said the same about business areas.  A growing number of residents—72%—say Arlington is headed in the right direction, and a majority continue to feel they are getting good value for their tax dollars. In fact, 70% of respondents say they prefer to keep taxes and services at current levels, signaling broad support for the City’s approach.

Arlington’s core services remain a source of pride. The Arlington Public Library, Fire Department, and Emergency Medical Services each earned approval ratings above 90%. Parks and Recreation services also received high marks, with 84% of residents rating them as “good” or “excellent.” Notably, positive ratings for platting services rose by 12 percentage points compared to last year, and residents also reported increased satisfaction with street sweeping and customer service across departments.

https://www.arlingtontx.gov/Government/Data-Information/Data-Information-Directory/Open-Data/City-Services-Satisfaction-Surveys

Voters Approve City’s $200 Million Bond Package

Arlington voters approved all five propositions of the City’s proposed $200 million bond program as well as seven charter amendments during the Saturday, May 3, 2025, Bond and Special Elections.

Visit the Tarrant County Elections website to see results for the May 3 election.

Bond Election

Proposition A, which called for $136,995,000 for street improvements, was approved with 73.92% of the vote, according to unofficial vote totals.

Proposition B, which called for $48,930,000 for public safety facilities and equipment, was approved with 74.30% of the vote, according to unofficial vote totals.

Proposition C, which called for $9,345,000 for parks and recreation, was approved with 69.88% of the vote, according to unofficial vote totals.

Proposition D, which called for $3,105,000 for Downtown Arlington administrative buildings, was approved with 56.71% of the vote, according to unofficial vote totals.

Proposition E, which called for $2,425,000 for Arlington Public Library facilities, was approved with 70.99% of the vote, according to unofficial vote totals.

Visit www.arlingtonlistens.com/2025bond to learn more about each proposition.