In the aftermath of two shootings in Austin last weekend, City Council should increase police numbers as well as invest in better body armor, advocates say. Those shootings, along with a fierce national debate over the role police should be playing in communities, gave added gravity to a discussion over Austin’s shortage of police officers and […]
Budget
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How do Austinites want the city to spend their money?
As Austin grows, so does its government. City staff unveiled a proposed budget Wednesday that would increase general fund spending by $56 million, or 6.1 percent, for a total of $969.2 million. The increased spending is made possible not because of a tax hike necessarily, but because the ever-rising value of Austin homes is generating […]
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Budget strives to address Council directives
The non-senior Austinite who owns a median-priced home and uses an average amount of water and electricity can expect his or her bill for taxes, fees and utilities to increase by about $12.48 per month for the 2017 Fiscal Year, under a proposal from the city’s budget staff. The projected property tax rate is 44.11 […]
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By slim margin, Council approves an 8 percent homestead exemption
In a vote that pitted representatives of the city’s lowest-income districts against their colleagues, City Council members Wednesday narrowly approved an 8 percent homestead exemption — an increase of 2 percent over last year’s exemption. To a resident with a home worth $250,000, that equates to a nearly $23 yearly savings on property taxes. But […]
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Council sets stage for last-minute homestead exemption debate
City Council has scheduled one final meeting this month in order to take another crack at fulfilling a key campaign promise many members made during the 2014 elections. Wednesday afternoon’s special called session will feature the third-reading vote on a measure to increase the homestead exemption to 8 percent. Last Thursday evening, Council voted 6-5 […]
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Budget process could calm employees’ fears
At the end of a very long City Council budget work session last Wednesday, Mayor Steve Adler asked his colleagues to weigh in on a budget process proposal that he, Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo and members of the city’s budget staff had put together with the hope of having a more orderly process and […]
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Fire Department to seek new stations
Wednesday was the 100th birthday of the Austin Fire Department, so, naturally, the members of City Council had to sing “Happy Birthday” to AFD Chief Rhoda Mae Kerr during their work session. Kerr noted that the department started with 27 men, with an emphasis on “men.” “I can’t imagine what they would think about having […]
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Chief praises assignment change for detectives
Although the president of the Austin Police Association has criticized the department’s decision to deploy detectives from their usual assignments to work patrol shifts for three weeks each on a rotating basis, Police Chief Art Acevedo told City Council during Wednesday’s budget work session that the change in assignments is a positive one. Acevedo said, […]
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Tough choices ahead on human services spending
After hearing from the Health and Human Services Department on Wednesday about the community’s many needs, several City Council members had questions, but only Council Member Delia Garza said she would like to add to the upcoming budget the $8.3 million it would take to fully fund social services resolutions already passed by Council. Garza […]
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Adler urges caution on budget
Despite Austin’s robust economy, City Council is facing budget season with difficult decisions ahead. Because of commitments made by Council when members voted on the current budget, there’s little room in the 2017 budget for increased spending or further property tax exemptions. After hearing a preliminary forecast from the city’s budget staff on Wednesday, Mayor […]
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Council kicks off budget season
At its budget season opener on Wednesday, City Council heard again of Austin’s two cities: one that suffers from widening economic divisions and another that is “an economic star.” “This is extraordinary growth,” economic consultant Jon Hockenyos told Council members as he highlighted a 4.6 percent increase in jobs last year, plus an anticipated 7 […]
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Council explores reducing transfers from utilities
Members of City Council moved ahead Thursday on two initiatives aimed at scrutinizing the role that Austin’s two public utilities play in funding basic city services. Early in the day, the Austin Energy Utility Oversight Committee, which is composed of every member of Council, voted to adopt a resolution asking city staff to assess the […]