Equity Action slams budget proposal as ‘throwback to the ’90s’

Some community advocates are decrying interim City Manager Jesús Garza’s budget proposal as a “throwback to the ’90s.”

Garza released his proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2023-24 in July. The $5.5 billion budget represents what Garza calls a “Back to Basics” approach to city government that focuses on core city services and reorganizes the city’s departmental structure in a bid for “long-term stability.”

On July 25, Equity Action, a coalition of community groups pushing its own budget proposal, slammed Garza’s plan as “a throwback to the ’90s, a time when the word ‘equity’ was not on the public radar and discriminatory ‘law and order’ policies were the No. 1 priority.”

The coalition noted Garza’s budget includes a $31.7 million increase for police while not increasing funding for parent support specialists, harm reduction work, community-led crisis response efforts, or food or housing security programs.

Instead, Equity Action is proposing the Community Investment Budget. The group is seeking a budget that includes $15 million in emergency rental assistance and inclement weather sheltering, $16 million to increase Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services wages, $19 million to expand the $22 minimum wage for city workers and contractors, and $2 million in harm reduction services and infrastructure.

The group also criticized Garza’s suggestion that the city merge the Small and Minority Business Resources Department, the Equity Office and the Civil Rights Office into the Civic and Business Equity Department.

At City Council’s budget work session on July 26, Brion Oaks, Austin’s first and former chief equity officer, called in to speak against the change.

“I really hope that I’m not the last chief equity officer for the city of Austin,” Oaks said. “One of the things that was most disturbing about this proposal is that the chief equity officer’s position will be downgraded into a division manager. As a division manager, it would be a non-executive position, and the chief equity officer would really struggle to get access to other executives within the city.”

Oaks ended his remarks by encouraging Mayor Kirk Watson and Council members to “lean into” existing data. He referenced a 2016 study the city commissioned on how to structure and best position the Equity Office within the city so that it could have the most impact in the community.

“It was essential to have an Equity Office that was independent, that reported directly to city leadership,” Oaks said.

Seneca Savoie, organizing director of Equity Action, also spoke at the work session. In his remarks, Savoie praised Council’s recent history of “progressive” budgets that included what he characterized as aggressive investments in social services across the city.

“I am sad to say that, at least on my first reading of this budget, that we have decided to buck that trend this year, both in terms of rolling back important priorities that we had done a great job in funding before and by reducing the overall impact of community input on the shape of the budget,” Savoie said.

Council heard five hours of testimony from community members at its July 26 session, as well as roughly seven hours of testimony at a session on Aug. 1.

Also on Aug. 1, Council Member Chito Vela released a list of proposed budget amendments. The amendments include an additional $7.8 million in housing rental assistance funding, an additional $2 million in parks shade structures and an additional $149,000 to support inpatient substance abuse treatment programs at the Sobering Center.

Council Member Vanessa Fuentes also released a list of budget amendments on Aug. 2. The amendments include $1.3 million to support a Family Stabilization Grant program, $622,000 for an increase to social service contracts and $250,000 to the Childcare Operators Grant Program.

In a statement, Fuentes said, “Yesterday we heard very loudly and clearly from Austinites about the need to invest in our community. As we continue to deliberate and consider the City Manager’s proposed budget, I remain focused on continuing conversations with the community to ensure we deliver a budget that reflects our city’s values and priorities.”

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