Community groups await fate of nearly $80M in budget recommendations

A coalition of more than 40 community groups is hoping the new city manager has found room in the next city budget for nearly $80 million of spending to address homelessness, economic insecurity and an assortment of other progressive causes.

The groups – which include Austin Justice Coalition, Sierra Club Austin, VOCAL-TX and Equity Action – have spent recent months crafting the Community Investment Budget designating 32 line items that would total just over 5 percent of the roughly $1.4 billion current budget.

Taken together, items related to homelessness and economic insecurity total almost $19 million, with another $15 million for community resilience hubs representing the single largest line item.

Representatives of the group said earlier this week they were waiting to find out how much of the CIB items would be included in the baseline draft budget that will be delivered today. Outside of the baseline total, Kathy Mitchell, senior adviser for Equity Action, said it’s possible new City Manager T.C. Broadnax could include $20 million to $30 million in discretionary items for City Council members to allocate that could cover some of the CIB items.

“He has barely had time to decorate his office and begin to get to know his own staff, so we are not seeing this base budget as ‘his’ but instead as leftovers from (former interim City Manager) Jesús Garza,” Mitchell said. “Broadnax’s community relationships will be forged during this budget cycle and we are hoping he proves to be adept at building trust and becoming an effective and skilled bridge between the community and the Council. That is sorely needed and we welcome his willingness to try. He has a lot at stake in the next five weeks.”

Even prior to Broadnax taking over the city’s top job, staff and City Council members had signaled that a decrease in sales tax revenue and the winding down of federal Covid-19 relief money would make the next city budget potentially difficult to manage. Last month, Broadnax acknowledged the first budget he’s helped to oversee would be “tough” and showed a preference for a two-year planning process to be more forward-looking and predictable.

The CIB coalition has pointed out that leaving the Austin Police Department budget at or near its current level could provide enough funding to cover the items in its budget, which also includes money for the Austin Climate Equity Plan, inclement weather response and increased funding for libraries and performing arts.

Robert Lilly, a criminal justice organizer for Grassroots Leadership, said if the city is stretched thin because of reduced federal funding to support homelessness services, money should be made available for services such as navigators to help those released from incarceration find work and reintegrate into daily life.

“These positions play a crucial role in assisting individuals transitioning out of jails and prisons to reintegrate into society. The compassionate human connection provided by these roles can be the turning point that shapes a brighter future for many individuals,” he said.

Bobby Levinski, an attorney with Save Our Springs Alliance, said the city should utilize money sequestered in various special taxing districts to address more pressing needs throughout the community.

“The elimination of the South Central Waterfront Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone is a great example of how hundreds of thousands of General Fund dollars originally earmarked to support one tiny area on the edge of downtown can be redistributed to support citywide needs,” he said. “It’s a matter of priorities; Austin should build an economy from a foundation of community support over trickle-down economics.”

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