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Austin City Manager Spencer Cronk to unveil preliminary city budget
Flooding, public safety, and helping those affected by the pandemic are all on the radar for council members as they await to hear the Austin city manager's proposed budget.
AUSTIN, Texas - City Manager Spencer Cronk will be unveiling his proposed city budget Friday afternoon.
"It'll be my first budget process as a newly elected council member", said Vanessa Fuentes, Austin City Council member for District Two.
Fuentes is hoping Cronk addresses concerns of importance to her, like helping people disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. "There are many Austinites particularly in my district who continue to feel the effects of COVID-19 and the winter storm," she said.
She wants to see investment in in community health workers, expanding access to the internet and WiFi and also investments in displacement prevention. Flooding prevention and resilience is also something Fuentes is passionate about.
"It is a constant concern for my community. Every time it rains, the question ‘Is this the next big flood?’" she said.
The elephant in the room is the police budget. Last summer, council voted to slash $21 million from the budget immediately and reallocate another nearly $130 million.
Ken Casaday, president of the Austin Police Association, said there is a staffing crisis. And the officers could have a tough time keeping up with the city's rising violent crime. Cadet classes were put on hold for a year, with the new June class being a pilot class with a reworked curriculum.
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"We are still falling behind. We've seen four more retirements just today," he said.
"I have talked to the city manager at length and I’ve laid out that public safety is a priority of mine, I’ve laid out that I would like no less than two or three cadet classes," said Mackenzie Kelly, Austin City Council, District Six.
Kelly has said she was against the council’s decision to take away money from the department last summer. "This little project of reimagining public safety has failed our city and it needs to be corrected," she said.
The budget is only preliminary, meaning council will likely deliberate on it before approving it.
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