As the deadline closes in for City Council to decide whether to increase the demand charge threshold for small commercial Austin Energy customers as part of the city budget, utility staff has released figures that may impact that decision. Austin Energy staff reported on Tuesday that consultant NewGen Strategies and Solutions estimates that, based on […]
budget
Income and expenditure for a set period of time.
Posted inBudget
Travis County reduces proposed tax rate
Crucial new data has given Travis County’s budget writers a little extra leeway to lower the proposed property tax rate in the next fiscal year. A Planning and Budget Office staff presentation before the Commissioners Court on Tuesday revealed that the Travis Central Appraisal District beat expectations by estimating the net taxable land value in […]
Posted inAISD
AISD avoids dipping into savings
The Austin Independent School District board of trustees unanimously passed the Fiscal Year 2015-16 budget at Monday’s regular meeting, and thanks to a record increase in certified property values, the district will most likely avoid dipping into its contingency funds. This year’s budget has been the subject of a long, drawn-out process that balanced employee demands for […]
Posted inCity Council
Ott: Many employees feel “under attack”
It’s been a year of transition that has demanded city employees work harder and longer as Austin made the switch from the at-large City Council to the new 10-1 system. And, though that year isn’t quite over yet, Council has been looking for ways to cut back on employee compensation. In a memo sent Aug. […]
Posted inResources
Citywide compost pickup plan faces resistance
Based on comments that a few City Council members made at Thursday’s budget work session, it appears that a proposed citywide, curbside organics collection rollout could get transformed into an opt-in program – if it remains in the forthcoming city budget at all. “I think it’s great for people who want to use it,” said […]
Posted inPremium Types
TipSheet: Austin City Council, the lowdown
This week, the Austin City Council will focus its meeting energies on a day-long budget work session on Tuesday. According to Mayor Steve Adler’s remarks Thursday, it will be at this meeting that Council will winnow down the 119 items on its “budget concept menu” in preparation for passing a budget next week. The Austin […]
Posted inAISD
AISD hears final budget draft
On Monday, the Austin Independent School District’s chief financial officer gave trustees the good news first: AISD will have more revenue than it expected to have in June’s version of the Fiscal Year 2015-16 budget. But most of it will go to the state. Presenting AISD’s near-finalized budget to the board, CFO Nicole Conley said that changes […]
Posted inLocal Government
BSEACD waives fees, passes budget
Because it might be more of a hassle than it’s worth, the Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District board of directors decided at its regular meeting Thursday to waive a new permit application fee when passing next year’s budget. Approved in a 4-1 vote with board member Robert Larsen dissenting, the decision will subsequently require the […]
Posted inTransit
CapMetro introduces FY 2016 budget
The Capital Metro Transportation Authority’s sales tax revenue stream is expected to reach historic heights in Fiscal Year 2016, which is a plus since the entity’s services are also slated for a hefty expansion as well. On Monday, Chief Financial Officer Leslie Browder unveiled CapMetro’s proposed FY 2016 budget to board members at the Operations […]
Posted inAISD
AISD superintendent eliminates top positions
[gview file=”https://austinmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/AISD_Org_Chart_20141112.pdf”] Austin Independent School District Superintendent Paul Cruz has said that his vision is to “create an effective and streamlined organization that does not duplicate programs and services” during his time in the captain’s chair. That’s one of the reasons he decided to eliminate 11 of the district’s top administrative positions and reshuffle department […]
Posted inRoads
CTRMA approves plush FY 2016 budget
The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority board of directors unanimously accepted the 2016 fiscal year budget Wednesday, and it is expecting to have about 123 percent of operating expenditures in reserves by June 30 next year. Chief Financial Officer Bill Chapman said CTRMA is projecting about a 21 percent increase in total revenue compared to […]
Posted inAISD
AISD purchases $14 million in devices
Students and teachers across Austin Independent School District campuses will soon see new mobile devices popping up in classrooms, but not everyone will get an iPad in next year’s locker. AISD board members unanimously approved $14 million to purchase 20,000 new mobile devices that will replace outdated equipment. The funds are a portion of the $81 […]