A budget can be financially sound and make economic sense, but if it doesn’t make sense to the public, it’s worthless. That’s the point that some Austin Independent School District board trustees tried to drive home to district administration and consultants Monday night. There is plenty of cause for concern. The last school district bond […]
Budget
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Mayor suggests changes to public safety pay
Paying for Austin’s public safety needs could add more than $75.9 million to the city’s General Fund budget over the next five years – with more than two-thirds of that funding going to the Austin Police Department, according to the city’s preliminary needs assessment. That assessment was part of a budget presentation made to City […]
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Public Safety Commission weighs in on tight city budget
In advance of what promises to be a budget process full of tough choices, the Public Safety Commission received a briefing from the Budget Office on Fiscal Year 2017-18 at its meeting May 1. The presentation included information and findings from various city department reviews. Included in the presentation was a five-year outlook of General […]
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City employee pay raises an open question
Studies, both nationwide and in Texas, project a 3 percent increase in salaries this year, including wages for public employees, according to data presented to City Council during Wednesday’s budget work session. Last year, all city employees got a wage hike of 29 cents per hour, and all but fewer than 30 of the city’s […]
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Homestead exemption unlikely to change
After hours of budget presentations and discussions Wednesday, City Council took up the always controversial issue of homestead exemptions. They have heard for several months that this year’s budget will be tight, leaving no room for additions without corresponding subtractions. Council’s lone conservative, Council Member Ellen Troxclair, found herself without allies in arguing that Council […]
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Growth slows, making city budget tighter
The days of Austin’s turbo-charged growth are over – at least for now. City Council got that message from the city’s economic adviser, Jon Hockenyos, as well as Deputy Chief Financial Officer Ed Van Eenoo, at Wednesday’s financial forecast and economic outlook work session. Hockenyos told Council that the Austin area “remains among the regional […]
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Central Health critics turn up the heat ahead of decision
Critics of Central Health have renewed their demand for the Travis County Commissioners Court to require an “independent and comprehensive” audit of the hospital district’s spending. A handful of activists gathered outside of Travis County’s downtown headquarters on Monday afternoon to highlight a new report that accuses the University of Texas’ Dell Medical School of […]
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Visitors bureau budget cut, but still up $1 million
Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo won a round Thursday in her battle to use more of Austin’s tourism dollars to promote Austin’s heritage. City Council cut the tourism promotion budget of the Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau by approximately $1 million out of a proposed $16.5 million overall allocation from the city for its budget. […]
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Capital Metro’s budget grows as ridership shrinks
With the beginning of the next fiscal year just around the corner, Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority staff are putting the finishing touches on the agency’s proposed $428 million budget. On Monday, the board of directors will likely vote on the draft plan, which is more than $70 million larger than last year’s budget despite a […]
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Council to consider funds for fashion incubator
Austin is known for its live music, its barbecue and Mexican food, its innovative technology companies, and even for hosting the Formula One races. Now, there’s a possibility that Austin will become known as a hub for the fashion industry. The city’s Economic Development Department hopes to spur growth of the fashion industry in Austin […]
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Council approves $3.7 billion budget
After weeks of back-and-forth with city staff and three days of wrangling for dollars and cents on the dais, City Council approved a $3.7 billion budget Wednesday evening for the upcoming Fiscal Year 2016-2017. Austin homeowners will pay 44.18 cents per $100 of property value. That amount represents a decrease of 1.71 cents from last […]
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Council makes small increases to social services
City Council approved a flurry of changes to the city budget Tuesday afternoon in an attempt to boost funding for social services. Mayor Steve Adler moved to target some of the $2.1 million in funding that Council had approved Monday for quality of life initiatives aimed at African-American, Asian-American and Latino populations toward three specific […]