AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- Austin City Council members will hear from more than 400 speakers during the first of two public input meetings on the city's proposed 2020-2021 budget.
Because of the high number of speakers, Tuesday's meeting is expected to take much of the day - about 13 hours of speaking time.
The $4.2 billion proposed budget, which calls for a 3.5% tax increase, reallocates $11.3 million from the Austin Police Department to other social services. Some of the other spending priorities included in the proposal:
- $60.9 million to strengthen the City’s commitment to end homelessness in Austin through housing displacement prevention, crisis mitigation, and re-empowerment efforts
- Additional $3.5 million in Economic Injury Bridge Loans to small businesses through the Family Business Loan Program
- $735,000 to enhance the City’s open-data portal, increasing transparency for Austin residents
- $1.5 million for improvements to the Asian American Resource Center, Carver Museum, and Mexican American Cultural Center
- $423,000 and 6 new positions to fully implement the citywide curbside organic materials collection program
- $14.7 million for sidewalk improvements and $2.3 million for pedestrian safety including hybrid beacons, audible crosswalk indicators, and more visible signs and markings
- $5.1 million for crisis response and victim services
Another public input meeting is scheduled for July 30. Council work sessions are scheduled for July 28 and August 4, with final public hearings and an adoption of the budget set for August 12-14.
The virtual council meeting, which gets underway at 10 a.m., can be viewed on ATXN, on Spectrum channel 6, and online at www.austintexas.gov/atxn.
