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Budget
Council looks beyond the budget
City Manager Spencer Cronk sat down with Council members at a special called work session Thursday to give an overview of four budget-related topics that have come up in recent weeks: the Hotel Occupancy Tax; an emergency-response report by the…
Budget • By Ryan Thornton • Aug 30, 2019
Human Rights Commission calls for $1.75M for more mental health emergency responders
The Human Rights Commission has joined the city’s Public Safety Commission in recommending that City Council commit funds in the next budget to add staff for first responders dealing with individuals experiencing a mental health crisis. The rights commission unanimously…
Budget • By Chad Swiatecki • Aug 29, 2019
Central Health presents 2020 draft budget with substantial structural changes
Central Health, the Travis County health care district that provides medical care to indigent residents, unveiled its preliminary 2020 budget on Monday evening at a community discussion held at its headquarters in East Austin. This year’s budget incorporates a 6.9…
Budget • By Katherine Corley • Aug 28, 2019
Budget, tax hearings coming soon
Budget and tax rate season is upon us once again. As Deputy Chief Financial Officer Ed Van Eenoo told City Council at Tuesday’s work session, the city will hold three public hearings on the $4.2 billion budget, beginning today at…
Budget • By Jo Clifton • Aug 22, 2019
County to advocates: Don't just tell us where to spend, but where to cut
With revenue caps on the horizon, members of the Travis County Commissioners Court have the unenviable task of telling groups calling for increased funding of critical services, from social programs to law enforcement, that there simply may not be the…
Budget • By Jack Craver • Aug 21, 2019
Facing revenue caps, Travis County ponders how to raise employee pay
With lean years ahead due to state limits on property tax revenue, the Travis County Commissioners Court is grappling with how to effectively and responsibly boost pay for county employees. On Tuesday, the commissioners discussed what they would like to…
Budget • By Jack Craver • Aug 7, 2019
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Updated: Cronk proposes $4.2 billion budget, more help for homeless
“This year, our mission is to build on these successes while at the same time bracing our city’s budget against the future impacts of the state’s decision to lower the cap on local property tax revenue growth,” City Manager Spencer…
Budget • By Jo Clifton • Aug 5, 2019
County unveils $1.19 billion preliminary budget
Travis County budget staff unveiled the preliminary draft of the county’s 2019-20 budget Tuesday. This year’s budget is particularly important since it’s the last one the Commissioners Court will approve before tough new restrictions on property tax revenue kick in…
Budget • By Jack Craver • Jul 24, 2019
Despite revenue caps, Travis County moves ahead with pay hikes
Travis County government spending has not increased much in recent years. Expenditures over the past two years, when the Commissioners Court voted to increase property tax revenue by 6 percent and 5 percent, have been unusually high. The court has…
Budget • By Jack Craver • Jun 24, 2019
Watching Legislature, city delays financial forecast
Without final action on the property tax bill moving through the Texas Legislature, Austin budget planners are holding off on presenting the city’s financial forecast to City Council. At this point, however, legislative watchers expect final passage of SB 2,…
Budget • By Jo Clifton • May 3, 2019
Central Health considers how to raise awareness of its existence
With limited funds and the threat of revenue restrictions from the state, Central Health, Travis County’s public hospital district, is grappling with how to make the best use of its resources. At a town hall forum Monday at its headquarters…
Budget • By Jack Craver • May 2, 2019
Access to health care, transit among top budget priorities for Austin seniors
With the city paying closer attention to the needs of its fast-growing senior population, staff and commissions involved in issues for the aging are hearing a lot of familiar concerns heading into the early stages of budget talks. An emphasis…
