AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- Austin City Council members on Wednesday approved a $6.6 billion budget for fiscal year 2026-27, which begins on October 1.
Council members voted 9-2 to approve the spending plan; Mayor Kirk Watson and district 10's Marc Duchen were the two votes against the proposal.
"At this point in time, we could have done more to meet the needs of people struggling in our community," Watson said.
The budget plan represents a 4.8% increase from last year's approved budget.
A city news release highlighted the following aspects of the approved budget:
- $7.8 million toward local housing vouchers
- $6 million increase in funding for permanent supportive housing wrap-around services
- $1.2 million in funding for parkland and facility maintenance, as well as operational costs for refurbished pools
- $5.8 million reduction in funding for software and information technology support as a result of savings from ONE-ATS application rationalization and information technology centralization effort
- $1.5 million to conduct a City-wide efficiency audit aimed at identifying operational improvements and opportunities for cost savings
- $6.0 million increase in sworn Fire overtime funding to right-size budget while maintaining four-person staffing requirement
- $500,000 increase in sworn EMS overtime funding to maintain full operational staffing levels during cadet training periods
Council members also voted to approve the following amendments to City Manager T.C. Broadnax's original budget draft:
- Restoring social service contract funding levels for an additional year to support community investments for children, families and behavioral health
- $1.4 million for the creation of the Office of Joint Emergency Communications, including funding for operations, nine staff positions, and technology enhancements
- $114,521 in reductions to consultant contract spending within Austin Housing and Austin Planning
- $300,000 in funding for Austin Homeless Strategies and Operations along with three full-time equivalent positions for street and outreach
- $33 million in planned capital spending for safety improvements within the Austin Transportation and Public Works Capital Budget
- $3 million in planned capital spending toward construction, renovation, and expansion of facility needs within Austin Animal Services
- $500,000 for the Violet KeepSafe Storage program to double capacity and open new sites across the City
The adopted property tax rate in the budget is $0.579948 cents per $100 of assessed property valuation. The city's typical homeowner and ratepayer will see an increase of roughly $285.84 per year.
The budget includes the maximum tax rate increase allowed without seeking voter approval. Still, voters will decide on a separate $295 million bond proposal on the November ballot.
