Although Tuesday’s City Council work session focused almost entirely on gaps in the city’s budget for homelessness-related services in fiscal year 2025, council members highlighted a number of needs in their message board posts.

Today, Council will again discuss proposed changes to the budget. Here is a shortlist of some of the items proposed by Mayor Leslie Pool and Council Members Natasha Harper-Madison and Alison Alter.

EMS overtime

Pool has proposed providing EMS with a one-time $142,000 in overtime funds to launch a pilot demand unit program in the Domain entertainment district.

“This pilot program would meet the needs of the Domain entertainment district in the North Burnet/Gateway area over the next year and ensure a timely response to the Domain area without diverting EMS resources from surrounding communities,” Pool wrote. “Under this program, EMS may deploy a weekend demand unit in fiscal year 2025 to assess whether an additional unit or full command unit is needed for response. This fiscal year 2025 pilot program is intended to potentially be implemented in fiscal year 2026 based on the results of the pilot.”

Council members Zo Qadri and Alter indicated they would like to be listed as co-signers of the amendment.

“Preserving Austin’s unique cultural fabric”

Harper-Madison wrote on the City Council message board, “As we grapple with greater resource constraints than we have in recent memory, we remain hopeful that every investment we make will foster opportunities for greater self-reliance and agency for our community. For this budget cycle, I want to ensure we provide efficient and effective services to all Austin residents while supporting and preserving Austin’s unique cultural fabric.”

Their proposed amendments include funding for the Downtown Austin Community Court, support for Juneteenth celebrations with fireworks, and support for the African American Cultural Heritage District and the Texas Music Museum.

According to Harper-Madison’s submission, the community court’s mobile program was very successful “and demonstrated the valuable and comprehensive role that DACC plays in our city’s response to Austin’s homelessness crisis. The success of the mobile court was based on meeting the needs of the community and meeting people where they are, with lower operating costs because it did not require a permanent facility.”

The estimated cost of this program is approximately $984,000. Co-sponsors include Mayor Kirk Watson and Council Members Paige Ellis, Mackenzie Kelly and Pool.

Regarding the fireworks proposal, Harper-Madison wrote, “Juneteenth is a national holiday and one of Austin’s historical legacies that define our city’s cultural identity, foster community pride, and boost the local economy. It is critical that we secure funding to continue our traditions, including the iconic Juneteenth fireworks. Austin’s Juneteenth is for everyone, and we should work to maintain and enhance this amazing event for all Austinians to enjoy.” No dollar amount was specified for this proposal.

Harper-Madison is also seeking unspecified funding for community-based organizations in the African American Cultural Heritage District. She wrote that “continued investment in our cultural districts is essential to maintaining our vibrant music and arts atmosphere in Austin. This includes maintaining our community spaces, like the Texas Music Museum, to store, preserve and exhibit our arts and music culture. These organizations are an integral part of our unique identity and we must ensure we maintain quality spaces so our creative culture can thrive.”

Green space maintenance, climate research and more

Councilmembers Ellis and Alter are both pushing for additional maintenance staff to be provided to the Parks and Recreation Department.

Alter is also sponsoring a $350,000 match that would continue the city’s partnership with the University of Texas’ City Climate Co-Lab. She wrote that this funding will help “create Austin-specific climate intelligence, data products, tools and assessments to support local government decision-making on issues such as urban heat trends and securing our water supply. The partnership is mutually beneficial and helps drive innovation in research, policy, funding and education with Austin at its core. UT is currently providing $550,000 in matching funds, with an additional investment of a similar amount from faculty-generated research funds.”

Alter stated, “Our previous investment allowed for over $5 million in grant applications to support climate-related projects, with $2,050,000 in grants already approved. Many departments could potentially benefit from this climate data/science infrastructure, and there is already significant interest from the Austin Fire Department, Austin Energy, Austin Water, Austin Public Health, Office of Sustainability, Office of Resilience, Transportation & Public Works, and Watershed Protection. We therefore propose to fund this climate infrastructure investment from the Support Services budget.” Council Member Ryan Alter and Ellis co-sponsor this proposal.

Her other proposals include an amendment to provide 10 weeks of paid maternity leave for firefighters, to be negotiated in a future collective bargaining agreement. Co-signers of this proposal include Councilmembers Vanessa Fuentes, Kelly, Ellis and Harper-Madison. The expected cost is about $75,000.

She also proposes hiring a retired detective for the Austin Police Department’s domestic violence unit, at an estimated cost of about $120,000 per year. Co-signers of this proposal include Harper-Madison and Council Member José Velásquez.

Mayor Kirk Watson and all council members except Kelly have proposed some budget changes that would increase the overall cost to taxpayers. Kelly has proposed some cuts and a budget that would not increase taxes. Austin Monitor will report on further proposed budget changes on Friday.

Photo provided under a Creative Commons license.

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