Sections

About Us

 
Make a Donation
Local • Independent • Essential News
 

Tag Archives: city budget

Economic rebound, spending efficiency point to rosier budget picture

The city’s immediate financial outlook is looking more optimistic due to a strong rebound in sales tax collections, increased development, and City Council and city management’s efforts to slow the growth of city cost drivers over the last three years,…

Austin postpones vote on pilot program to provide basic income to struggling families

Elected officials in Austin decided Thursday to delay a vote on a program that would have sent a monthly stipend to low-income families, no strings attached. City Council Member Mackenzie Kelly, who represents far Northwest Austin, first called for a postponement.…

front of City Hall

Community groups push for safety, public services in $73.5M budget request

More than 30 community groups and service organizations have created a list of recommendations for the next city budget, with 16 proposed expenditures focused around safety and public health totaling $73.5 million. Details on the Community Investment Budget were released…

EMS union, city at odds over pay

Twenty-six Emergency Medical Services employees have quit their city jobs so far this year, and according to Austin-Travis County EMS Association President Selena Xie, that’s double the number of separations in 2020 and 2021. She added that, in all of…

front of City Hall

Compensation study for Council staffers could lead to pay increases

City Council members appear ready to pursue increased salaries for their office staff as an answer to the city’s affordability crisis and the current competitive hiring environment that makes it difficult to retain workers. At last week’s work session, Joya…

City seeks to separate forensics lab from APD while complying with state law

It’s never too soon to talk about the 2023 city budget, especially as it relates to the Austin Police Department and the divisions that were separated out from under APD before the state Legislature penalized cities for thinking outside the…

Subscribe to our newsletter

EMS contract talks center on salary and staffing needs

With the city’s rejection of the Austin EMS Association’s proposed wage increase, the two sides now move to the interest-based bargaining phase of negotiations in an effort to achieve common ground on quality-of-life issues such as work-life balance and mandatory…

Austin police should budget for 100 more patrol officers, study says. Chief unsure if he’ll ask for funds.

The Austin Police Department should budget for 108 more patrol officers to respond to emergency calls more quickly, researchers hired by the nonprofit Greater Austin Crime Commission say. In an analysis of about 2 million 911 calls going back to 2016, researchers…

Park rangers get funding for six additional staff members

For months, the Parks and Recreation Department has been pleading for additional park ranger staffing resources. Finally, the city has answered its prayers with $615,000 in increased funding for the department’s Park Ranger program. In a memo sent to Mayor Steve Adler and City…

Austin passes $4.5 billion budget, increases police budget per state law

Austin city leaders approved a new budget that boosts spending on policing and puts dollars toward public transit planning and housing. All told, City Council members OK’d a $4.5 billion budget Thursday evening, representing a 7 percent increase over the…

Last year Austin cut its police budget by millions. A new state law means it'll likely reverse that move this week.

The same day Austin City Council members voted to reduce the police budget by roughly $150 million, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott pledged to make it so cities could never do it again. “Austin’s decision puts the brave men and women of the…

front of City Hall

City tax bills could go down for 2022

City Council’s decision to enact a 20 percent maximum homestead exemption will save the typical homeowner $33 on next year’s tax bill if Council members decide to go along with City Manager Spencer Cronk’s proposed 3.5 percent increase in the…

Back to Top