AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- A ballot measure that would have required the City of Austin to staff a minimum of two police officers for every one thousand residents was rejected by voters Tuesday night.
With nearly all of the votes counted Tuesday night, more than 68 percent of voters had cast their ballots against the measure.
"It’s clear that things are going to have to get worse before they get better as it relates to public safety," said Save Austin Now co-founder Matt Mackowiak. “We thought that people in this city were going to demand that we have an adequately staffed police department.”
Despite the setback with Tuesday's results, Mackowiak says the group isn't done yet, with a potential special election looming for Greg Casar's City Council seat if he decides to run for Congress, as well as another potential issue for the May 2022 ballot.
Austin Mayor Steve Adler, an opponent of the Prop A measure, praised the early result on Twitter. "Today, Austin voters rejected Proposition A, a ballot item that would have forced the City of Austin to spend $120 million to adopt an antiquated police staffing model of two police officers per one-thousand residents," said Adler. "This election reaffirms our community’s belief that public safety for all requires a comprehensive system that includes properly staffing our police, but also our fire, EMS, and mental health responses as well."
The Austin Police Association reacted to Tuesday's results on Twitter, thanking those who voted in favor of the proposal and those who showed their support. "The steps moving forward are up to the Mayor & City Council to get much needed cadet academy classes going & start rebuilding for the future of the Austin Police Department," a Twitter post read. "We kept hearing Mayor Adler & council members say the budget already exists to hire 300 more officers, so let's get to work and get the process moving forward."
