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Budget
APD vows to end DNA evidence backlog
Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo said Monday that the police department is committed to erasing its backlog of untested DNA evidence, which includes sexual assault kits as well as evidence collected from the scenes of property crimes. Acevedo told City…
Budget • By Jo Clifton • Sep 13, 2016
Council bickers over proposed budget cuts
The only thing clear from City Council’s most recent discussion about the budget is that there remains plenty of disagreement among the 11 members over where to cut. Mayor Steve Adler kicked off Thursday’s budget work session with a list…
Budget • By Jack Craver • Sep 9, 2016
City budget: Austinites say their piece
In just about a week, City Council will approve its Fiscal Year 2016-2017 budget. After hours of public testimony, it is clear that there are a lot of tough decisions left to make. Council closed the public comment portion of…
Budget • By Elizabeth Pagano • Sep 6, 2016
Council confronts tough budgeting decisions
City Council members were faced with the grim reality Wednesday that the city’s financial situation is going to force some tough spending choices in the coming years. A budget overview presented by the city finance department projected the city would…
Budget • By Jack Craver • Sep 1, 2016
AISD employees see insurance hikes
The final board of trustees meeting attended by Austin Independent School District’s Chief Human Capital Officer Michael Houser brought hard news: Some AISD employees could see a significant portion of their newly approved raises go toward paying increasing health care…
Budget • By Courtney Griffin • Aug 31, 2016
Task force to investigate HOT tax spending
City Council will spend the coming weeks looking into whether Austin’s Hotel Occupancy Tax (or HOT tax) should continue to be used only for tourism, or if there are better uses for the rapidly growing tax revenue. At their meeting…
Budget • By Cate Malek • Aug 22, 2016
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City responds to call for more street and sidewalk maintenance
Austinites who have complained about the state of the city’s streets may soon see an improvement, if a proposed tax increase is approved as part of next year’s budget. In a survey conducted by the city last year, members of…
Budget • By Cate Malek • Aug 17, 2016
Adler: Business incentives shouldn't be 'bad word'
In a booming city with an unemployment rate south of 3 percent, it’s not surprising that people might be skeptical of spending taxpayer dollars to lure more jobs into town. In a recent survey of Austinites about city spending priorities,…
Budget • By Jack Craver • Aug 11, 2016
Environmental Commission recommends funds for river watchers
The health of Austin’s rivers is carefully monitored on a regular basis by a team of experts. But some of those experts are much younger than many people may realize. Austin Youth River Watch has been training at-risk high school…
Budget • By Cate Malek • Aug 11, 2016
Council members want more social services spending in budget
A number of City Council members voiced surprise and disappointment at the 2017 budget proposed by city staff, saying it fell woefully short of the commitment to health and human services called for in previous Council resolutions. Council Member Delia…
Budget • By Jack Craver • Aug 4, 2016
Austin police short-staffed and underprotected, advocates say
In the aftermath of two shootings in Austin last weekend, City Council should increase police numbers as well as invest in better body armor, advocates say. Those shootings, along with a fierce national debate over the role police should be playing…
Budget • By Cate Malek • Aug 2, 2016
How do Austinites want the city to spend their money?
As Austin grows, so does its government. City staff unveiled a proposed budget Wednesday that would increase general fund spending by $56 million, or 6.1 percent, for a total of $969.2 million. The increased spending is made possible not because…
