AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- Looking to get "Back To Basics", interim Austin City Manager Jesus Garza has delivered his proposed budget for the city's next fiscal year, kicking off a budget process that will take much of the next month for City Council members.
The budget, which was delivered to Council members Friday and posted on the city's website over the weekend, features a projected combined increase of 2% for a "typical" ratepayer when all services and fees are factored in.
Garza and city staff will present the budget to council members during a work session scheduled for Wednesday, July 19, beginning at 9 a.m. at City Hall. A series of work sessions and community engagement meetings will take place, before final votes on the budget are scheduled for August 16-18.
"The FY 2023-24 Budget we are proposing is Back to Basics in the sense that we are refocusing on the core services our residents need and expect," Garza wrote in his opening letter accompanying the budget. "We are ensuring we have the staff and resources necessary to keep our facilities like parks, libraries and recreation centers safe, clean and inviting; investing in emergency services to be able to respond more quickly and effectively to calls of medical distress; evaluating service delivery at the Austin Animal Center; and overhauling systems and processes to better serve Austin residents."
Among the highlights, Garza's proposed budget includes almost $56 million in spending on homelessness, efforts to improve training and recruitment at the Austin Police Department, and nearly $166 million in revenue dedicated towards Project Connect.
The proposed budget is based on an estimated 2.3% increase in property tax revenue, or about $23.3 million in new revenue - $11.1 million of which comes from new properties being added to the city's tax rolls. While the budget proposal calls for a lowering of the tax rate from 46.27 cents per $100 to 42.42, increases in appraised values will still lead to a net increase for taxpayers, estimated at around 1.5 percent.
Garza's proposed budget includes a $20.80-per-hour living wage and a 4 percent wage increase for the city's civilian employees - at a cost of $1.5 million and $39 million, respectively.
Out of the $5.5 billion in overall spending, $1.3 billion is from the city's General Fund - roughly 24 percent of the overall budget. The overall spending represents about $500 million in additional expenses over the adopted FY 2022-23 budget.
